How to veganize your favorite recipes

Going “vegan”, or even flirting with a vegan diet doesn’t mean that you need to give up your favorite recipes.  On the contrary – it means that you can actually learn to make them better. Here are some of the key animal products required in recipes, and recommendations on vegan alternatives. 

Butter: This is an easy one.  Anytime butter is required, you can use Earth Balance vegan butter sticks, made from vegetable oil.  These can be found at Sprouts or Whole Foods and even some grocery stores.

Cheese: There isn’t a clear substitute for cheese but soy cheese can be a good substitute in things like pizza or Mexican food.  Daiya is generally the best since it melts and stretches like dairy cheese, and they offer mozzarella and cheddar shreds.  Also available at Sprouts or Whole Foods.  A mixture of cashews and veggies can make a wonderful cheesy sauce too, and is part of the Veg News Mac and Cheese recipe, which I will be making (again) for Easter dinner for my omnivore friends! 

Eggs: For baking, you can use Ener-G egg replacer or, in a cake recipe, you can use a banana instead.   Kathy Freston, author of “Veganist” suggests blending one tablespoon of ground flax seeds with three tablespoons water and microwaving for 10 seconds. 

Mayonnaise: Substitute Veganaise for any mayo.  It tastes exactly like mayo and has the same texture.  It’s the best substitute of anything I’ve ever seen.  You can find Veganaise at Safeway, Whole Foods or Sprouts.

Milk: It’s easy to substitute non-dairy milk for any milk in a recipe.  Taste a few different kinds to find your favorite.  Many people like soy milk, rice milk or hemp milk, but I prefer coconut milk.  Depending on your preference, some non-dairy milks can be found at the grocery store but you can find a larger variety at Sprouts or Whole Foods.  I also love vanilla soy milk - fantastic in oatmeal with blueberries! 

Yogurt or Sour Cream: You can find non-dairy options for each at Whole Foods or Sprouts.  Whole Soy & Co has delicious yogurts with fruit for breakfast, and Silk offers plain yogurt for recipes. 

Meat: There are dozens of meat replacement options out there, you’ll need to taste various options to find your favorite.  Many people use seitan as a replacement in recipes – it’s made from wheat gluten and is a good substitute for chicken or beef.  Another option is tempeh, which can make a nice tuna salad.  Both can be found at Whole Foods.

All these available substitutions illustrate that you can keep your favorite recipes by adjusting them slightly.  Drop me a note to let me know which ones work best for you!