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Vegan Food Tips
Soup Thickener
Instead of cream or milk, thicken soups with a velvety mixture of cooked, pureed cauliflower and white beans. Substitute 1 part water and 3/4 part vegetable puree for milk or cream.
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Homemade Ricotta Cheese
You can make your own nondairy substitute for ricotta cheese or cottage cheese. Mash a block of tofu with a fork and mix in a few teaspoons of lemon juice. You can use this "tofu cheese" to replace ricotta cheese or cottage cheese in lasagne, stuffed shells, manicotti, Danish pastries, cheese blintzes, and many other recipes.
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Effects of lack of meat in vegetarian diet
Generally, vegetarians meet or exceed the RDAs for most nutrients, especially lacto-ovo vegetarians. One of the most unpleasant problems of is iron deficiency.
Symptoms may be the following: tiredness, headache, irritability, or depression, as well as symptoms of anaemia including pale skin, brittle fingernails, tiredness, weakness, apathy, breathlessness, low physical exertion, giddiness, palpitations, reduced immune function, inadequate temperature regulation, loss of appetite, headache, behavioral disturbances and reduced intellectual performance.
To figure out your iron status, go for a simple blood test. Iron supplements are available in the following forms:
- Oral Ferrous Fumarate
- Ferrous Gluconate
- Ferrous Sulfate
- Iron-Polysaccharide
Vegetable foods that can help are: pomgranates and buckweat.
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Non-Dairy Buttermilk
Make your own non-dairy buttermilk by adding 2 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of soymilk.
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Know the Facts
Why do you want to be a vegan? If you don't know the answer to this question then you have no reason becoming a vegan in the first place. Taking on a vegan diet is an important life decision that should not be made on a whim. Do some serious soul searching and figure out exactly why you want to do this.
If you don't have solid reasons behind your decision it will likely become a passing phase that you will wonder why you ever started. Before becoming a vegan, it's important that you know the facts. Read up on exactly what you're getting yourself into and know exactly why you're doing it. Pick up some literature, read articles, and buy some books on the subject. Know all the pros and cons and remember that the best decision is an educated one.
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Delicious Dairy Imposter
Just because you're a vegan doesn't mean that you have to miss out on all of the delicious tastes that people who eat dairy products get to enjoy. Vegan food can taste like an indulgence, even if it's not. One of the tastiest indulgences out there is whipped cream and you don't have to eat dairy to enjoy it. Here is a fantastic dairy-free whipped cream recipe:
1 cup almonds or cashews (For the best consistency, use cashews or peeled almonds)
¾ cup water
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla
Soak the nuts in 2 cups of water. And, if you live in a warmer climate, soak them in the refrigerator. A llow them to soak for 8 to 12 hours. Then, discard the water and rinse the nuts. Place the nuts in the blender with just enough water to operate the blender. Blend, adding just enough water to reach a smooth consistency as you blend.
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Fantastic Vegan Pasta
Looking for an easy vegan recipe? If you have a food processor, this pasta delight is a breeze to make and heaven to eat:
½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup packed parsley
¼ cup vegetable broth (made from a vegan soup mix)
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon plain bread crumbs
½ teaspoon sea salt
16 ounces of angel hair pasta
Process the walnuts, oil, parsley, broth, garlic, bread crumbs, and sea salt in the food processor until smooth.
Leave pasta in boiling water until al dente (reserve ¼ cup of the liquid when straining the pasta).
Put all of the pasta in a large serving bowl and add the mixture from the food processor as well as the reserved liquid.
Toss everything together and serve immediately.
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Give Soymilk a Second Chance
If you try soymilk for the first time and don´t care for it, give it a second chance and try another brand. Soymilk varies considerably in flavor from one brand to the next. Many leave a beany aftertaste, if you don´t like this, try flavored soymilk. Soymilk grows on you. If you try it for a while, you´ll probably grow to love it.
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No-Dairy Whipped Cream
A great-low fat, non-dairy alternative to whipped cream. 1 pkg firm silken tofu 1/4 cup maple syrup 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp vanilla extract
In a blender or food processor, puree all ingredients until perfectly smooth. Chill for 1 to 2 hours. Spread over your favorite vegetarian dessert or fruit salad.
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Who Needs Dairy?
Vegans are individuals who do not eat meat or any animal products at all. If you are a vegetarian contemplating becoming a vegan, don't dive in too fast. Make the transitions slowly so your body can adjust accordingly. Want to know a great hint to help you make the adjustment? Start by omitting dairy from your diet completely…ALL DAIRY.
If you are attached to the taste, find tasty dairy substitutes (rice milk, soy milk, etc.) at any grocery store. After spending about a week without dairy you'll probably find that you don't even miss it. After practicing veganism your taste buds will start to change. At this point, you will likely find that using non-dairy substitutes instead of real dairy products will be more than satisfying.
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Vegan cookies
The hunt is on for the perfect vegan cookie. While we may never know which cookie truly is the best, we can settle for the ones that taste great and are easy to make. Try this simple, crowd-pleasing recipe:
2 cups whole-wheat flour
¾ cup raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup soymilk
1/3 cup oil
½ cup sorghum or corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a cookie sheet. Next, mix the wet ingredients together. At the same time, mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Then, combine all ingredients in one bowl. Place heaping spoonfuls onto the greased sheet and bake for approximately 20 minutes.
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Meat temptation
First of all, it depends on your reason to become a vegetarian. If it's spiritual, fighting meat temptation is a good exercise in standing for your principle.
If it's another reason, try to satisfy your meat appetite with vegetarian meat substitutes. Some of them are not so bad, I like some soy sausages ane falafels.
If you cook, you can use tofu in your stir-fry and generally, browse the plentitude of vegetarian recipes.
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Look Beyond Dairy
Vegetarian substitutes help to replace dairy in your diet. Look for soy cheese, soy yogurt, and "milks" made from soy, rice, or nuts. You can use them in recipes that call for dairy. Or try one on your cereal for breakfast.
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Cutting Out the Dairy for Health
The reason that dairy products are not our healthiest source of calcium is because they are loaded with saturated fat, cholesterol, genetically-engineered growth hormones and antibiotics. When you trade a glass of milk for a cup of steamed broccoli, you not only lose the negatives, but gain in vitamins, fiber, phytochemicals and anti-oxidants.
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Test Before Cooking
Before using a milk substitute in a recipe, boil a sample to see how it is affected by heat. For example, soy milk won´t break down when heated, but it forms a "skin" very quickly. Some other milk alternatives like rice milk may curdle when lemon or vinegar is added.
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Soy and Rice Milk
When using soy or rice milk in recipes, be sure to use the plain varieties in savory and salty dishes. Save the vanilla flavored drinks for sweet dishes. And try a variety of different flavors (chocolate, carob, vanilla, cinnamon) and brands to see which ones you like best.
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Perfect Measure
If you want to prepare a dish in accordance to a vegan recipe, it's important that you do it correctly. Baking is like science (more specifically chemistry) and the delicious outcome will not measure up to the hypothesis if the experiment is not performed correctly. Accurate measurements of your ingredients are essential and will ensure that your dish come out up to par. Here are some measuring tips:
A rule of thumb to accurately measure dry ingredients, like flour and sugar, use the dry measuring cup that levels at the top (so you can use a spatula or knife to level it off). It's also helpful to scoop the dry ingredients into the measuring cup using a spoon to get even more accurate measurements. Be sure not to pack the ingredients too tight, as you're likely to end up with too much.
If you're dealing with wet ingredients, use wet measuring cups that have lines along the side to assist in measuring.
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Veggie-Cream Soup
Puree some cooked potato with vegetable broth to thicken cream soups. You can use pureed soft tofu the same way. Blend the soft tofu with a little vegetable broth, then mix it in the soup.
