How to Go Plant-Based: Part Three

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Welcome to Part three of the Going Plant-Based series! Today I am going to share with you some of my tips and tricks of how I veganize just about any recipe. I truly believe that pretty much any dish can be made in a healthy vegan version. It's pretty much the point of this blog after all. Going plant-based is made even easier when you trun those pesky cravings for old favorites into something that you can indulge without any guilt. So let's get started.

So we're really going to keep it real. Although I dont really like the whole meat and dairy substitutes as a regular cast memeber in my kitchen plays, I think that they have a big role to play in transitionning to a better lifestyle. I personally love Gardein and Field Roast products for vegan meats (most are not gluten-free though!) or Beyong Meat in the US, there is also something to say bout using textured vegetable protein which you can easily find in most grocery stores or health food stores. Other fun things to play with in this department are: Sophies Kitchen Seafoods, Neat, Nelakee, tempeh and seitan. As for dairy replacements: Daiya has a whole range of products, Toffutti I like the sour cream, So Delicious makes excellent ice creams, Teese I've heard is good. The best in this case I would say are the artisan vegan cheeses, usually made by small local businesses.

That being said, there are so many recipes to make all of these yourself! A cashew or tofu mayo is whipped up in minutes and tastes great. Or a great seed based cheese spread. As for other substitues for meat-y dishes you can make a Tuno sandwich with chickpeas or a pulled jackfruit sandwich. The limits are are truly what you can come up with.

Now let's talk comfort foods. I am all about them AND making them healthy. The trick is really to know what to replace traditionnal ingredients with. I use:



Cream: Coconut milk or non-dairy creamer

Milk: Non-dairy milk (usually almond, unsweetened if in savory dish)

Cheese: Vegan cheese or nutritionnal yeast

Butter(savory): omit or use Earth Balance or coconut oil

Butter(baking): mashed banana, apple sauce or coconut oil

Eggs: flax or chia seeds, mashed banana, chickpea flour

Sour Cream: Toffuti sour cream or blended cashews or coconut cream

Mayonnaise: Tofu Mayo, Vegenaise or other homemade recipe

Cream Cheese: Toffutti or Daiya, Hemp home made or omit

Chicken Stock: Vegan chicken stock or veggie stock

Yogurt: Coconut or Almond Yogurt (soy too!)

Ground Beef: TVP granules, brown lentils, tempeh, substitute

Bacon: Coconut bacon

This is just a short list, there are many other possibilities! If I missed any that you have any questions about, feel free to comment below and I'll give you a few suggestions.

Here are a few recipes for some classic comfort foods to get you started and put what I've stated above in use:



Buffalo Cauliflower (I have a new recipe for these coming soon too!)

Shepherd's Pie

Green Bean Casserole

Chilli Cheese Fries

Black Bean Burgers

Sloppy Joe's

Mexican Lasagna

Ceaser Dressing

Potato Salad

Nacho Cheeze Sauce

Crab Cakes

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Mac and Cheeze

So go on and veganize that dish you think you can't live without, and then... You won't have to! Win-win!



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