The Creativity Behind Substitutes

Many often wonder how vegans can eat desert, or grilled cheese, or French toast. How can you make muffins or cheesecake without milk? 

It takes some time. Being a vegan is about patience. It’s about finding what works for you. It takes some effort, but once your find what you dig, you’ll be so happy you took the time to learn.

The substitute basics:

Tofu: Use as a substitute for meat. Both tofu and tempeh are an acquired taste, but crucial to any vegan/vegetarian diet.  Many see these products as being bland, but this is where you have to be creative. Think of tofu as a sponge. You can make it taste like anything. Marinating is key. Bathe it in some soy sauce, herbs, or teriyaki sauce, whatever you want. Chop up in cubes and sauté with a little olive oil, bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit or just grill outside for a few minutes on each side. Be open-minded with this one.

Tempeh: Use as a substitute for meat. Most is true with tempeh as it is with tofu. Both are made from soybeans, but tempeh’s nutritional characteristics differ. Plus, you don’t want to be eating tofu all of the time. Tempeh has more protein, dietary fiber and vitamins than tofu. It’s firmer and has distinct earthiness to it, with a nutty, mushroom flavor.  Try using a cheese grater and shredding it, toss in a salad as a protein plus.

Use it just like tofu; prepare however you’d like and just experiment with it.

Eggplant: Use as a substitute for meat. Bake, fry, grill—versatility is eggplants middle name. Makes a great burger, filler in pasta dishes, or traditional Eggplant Parmesan. Easy to use and in season!

Flax Seed: Use as a substitute for eggs, as a thickening agent, mostly used in baking muffins or more grain-based dishes. It’s found usually in the natural or gluten-free section at Giant.  It’s also oil and can be used as a substitute for fish oil. For baking, however, use the seeds.

One hundred grams of ground flax seed supplies about 450 kilocalories, 41 grams of fat, 28 grams of fiber, and 20 grams of protein. Whoa, who wouldn’t want to use this gem?

You will want to simmer down about one tablespoon of ground seeds with two to three tablespoons of water. 

¼ cup (4 tablespoons) = 1 egg. The more you simmer, the thicker it will make your product.

Applesauce: Use as a substitute for eggs. (I know, sounds wild and just weird) Trust me. It’s the best. I use the applesauce route many times when I cook cakes or brownies or cookies.  Use about a ¼ cup for every egg you would use. ( ¼ = 1 egg). You do not need as much applesauce as you would eggs. Use your judgment. Compare the consistency to what your product would look like if you used eggs.

Keep in mind applesauce wears many hats depending on what role you want it to play. In cakes it makes them fluffier. In cookies and muffins it adds moisture. If you were going to use it as sub for mayonnaise, or dishes where eggs are the central ingredients, pass that role onto tofu.

Bananas:  Use just like applesauce. Adds a different fruity flavor.

Vegetable Spreads: Use as a substitute for butter. Use just like butter. You use any non-dairy spread. Earth Balance I find works the best when baking.

Soy/Hemp/Rice/Almond Milk:  Use as a substitute to dairy milk. Soymilk tends to be thicker, better for use in baking. The others I like for cereals as they aren’t as thick, but it’s your call here.

Hemp milk has a ton of protein, a nutty flavor similar to sunflower seeds. It is also packed with some omega friends, of the 3 and 6 varieties, some not so scary “fatty” amino acids. Great brain food. Other nutrients include magnesium, phytosterols, ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, calcium, fiber, iron, potassium, phosphorus, riboflavin, niacin and thiamin. Just some great stuff! 

Soy Yogurt: Substitute for milk/eggs. The dairy free, cultured soy the agave-sweetened yogurt adds a moisture agent to most desert dishes. I don’t’ use it as much as I do the applesauce, but it does work. It has 5 grams of fiber per one container of 6 oz. yogurt.  Use 6 oz. for every 2 eggs (give or take).  You can find it next to other dairy based yogurts. Get plain if you’re going to bake with it.

Soy Cheese:  What a journey this has been for me. Cheese to me is the most difficult thing for a vegan to separate from. It’s served in restaurants on essentially every dish. Over the years, companies like Daiya, Veggie, and Tofutti have done a decent job in discovering the science behind the “melting” factor. Yes, there is a science! A few years ago when the soy cheese was relatively new, it tasted like cardboard. I thought to myself, well cheese is a lost cause, we can clone human beings but as a society we cannot make a decent soy-based cheese?! Fret no longer, the genius’ we call “they” made it work and work well (mostly).

Shreds, slices, bricks, or creamed- the cheese mystery has been solved.

Keep in mind that with all of these substitutes, measurements are more of a judgment call.  Don’t worry if you make a runny batch of cookies. Mistakes are what make your cooking better.

Also, using these ingredients in place of dairy or meat products reduces cholesterol, fat, sodium and increases protein, fiber, calcium, vitamins, and creativity! 

Going out to eat in Reisterstown with non-vegans presents many challenges. You don’t want to be the drag of your friends as they whisper, “We really just wanted some wings, but the vegan is with us!” 

I have compiled a mini-list of the places I have found in the area of where to eat with anyone in your social circle. 

, some of the best avo dishes I’ve had. They have all options. Lamb, even. I dig the Powerhouse Wrap.

, holy hummus!  Pickled turnips in falafel heaven-- enough said. 

, if you’re feeling that vegans need some fast food love, too.

Recommended book for the week:

Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating by Erik Marcus.

My Personal Recipe Bible:

Post Punk Kitchen