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The
main reason so
many people are
drawn toward
fatty food,
and insist that
"meat" tastes
"good".... is
because meat
tends to have a
lot of fat in
it.
Whereas Fats
and oils coat
and stay on
ones taste buds
longer, along
with the spices
and other
ingredients in
the recipe,
giving the
illusion
it is the meat
that must be
doing this.
The
same goes for
fatty things
like donuts,
cookies and
onion
rings.
Most
meat analogs
are healthy
alternatives
with little oil
in them.
We all know
that a lot of
fat in a diet
is not good for
a person, and
almost all
Americans NEED
to switch to a
lower fat
diet.
Yes,
food will taste
different, just
switching to a
meat free
analog. But you
can add
more oil to,
say, a meatless
meat, and it
will make the
flavor more
pronounced.,
but do you need
too?
Since taste is
a learned
process we need
to "unlearn"
some things
too. Give new
products a
chance and in
time just the
thought of all
that previous
fat in your
diet will turn
your
stomach.
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When
trying
substitutions
be open minded.
Even when
cooking with
regular
non-vegan
ingredients,
recipes do turn
out
differently,
according to
humidity, age
of spices,
amount of
mixing,
etc....
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Even
though I have
found fabulous
substitutions
for just about
every recipe. I
have .. there
are a few items
that I haven't
been able to
duplicate
yet... such as
popovers. Some
day I may be
able to, but
until then, I
don't need
popovers.
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CONTACT
VEGAN WOLF
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Since
avocados are
primarily fat
(the good kind)
and have a mild
flavor, they
are a good
substitute for
anything
needing a high
oil
content.
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Basic
Substitutions
- Butter
and
margarine's
are 80% fat,
so if
substituting
oil, then
reduce by
20%
- In
place of 1 t
Baking
Powder.
1/3 t baking
soda+ 1/2 t
cream of
tarter,+ 1/8
t salt.
(Baking Soda
needs an
acid to
work.)
- In
place of 1
cup cake
flour (low
gluten) Use
1 cup minus
2 T regular
flour
- Whole
Wheat flour
requires
less
kneading
than white
flour.
- Cornstarch
vs. flour
for
thickening...
Cornstarch
is better
for desserts
and acidy
fruits, but
don't over
cook
it.
- In
dough's...
water makes
a crispier
crust, soy
milks make
softer.
Potato makes
dough's
moisture and
add shelf
time.
Oils and
sugars make
a softer
dough.
Molasses is
also a
preservative.
- Cream
is 35-40%
fat
- 1/2
and 1/2 is
15%
fat
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Misc Substitutes.
Honey
Equal amount of Brown
Rice Syrup
Real Maple Syrup
works well too if you
like the maple
flavor.
and AGAVE nectar
is great! and Very
sweet so you can get by
with using less.
There are many "syrups"
to choose from, and like
all foods, taste is
subjective.
Try them and find your
favorite.
Chocolate
FInd Pure DARK
chocolate chips
or regular cocoa
powder.
Candy Bars =:Endandered
Species chocolate -
vegan bars are the Tiger
bar, the Ancient Forest
bar and the Yellowstone
Wolf
bar
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MEAT SUBSTITUTES
Virtually
All meat is altered
before it is eaten.
The final product is
"what it is" through
texture, spices and
usually a high contact
of fat, which isn't good
for you in any form.(see
side note below) so
using a "meat"
replacement should not
be that big of a
deal.
I
of course haven't tried
all the substitutes out
there so there might be
even better ones, since
I found these. The ones
I list here are the ones
that I use in my
recipes, and have fooled
many a meat eater with
them!
Beef,
chicken pork,
etc.... each have
many analogs out there.
If you are adding it to
a dish that has a lot of
flavor already, like a
spaghetti sauce, or
casserole, you can use
an "un-flavored"
or mild alternative that
resembles the meat you
normally use, having the
size and texture of that
item.
You
will see TVP ,
which stands for
texturized vegetable
protein, which can be
used in just about any
recipe.
Most meaty substitutes
are made out of soy,
vegetable proteins,
and/or wheat gluten!
They are amazing! Look
for Seitan or Wheat
Meat in the
refrigerated section, or
make your own! You can
fool a lot of people by
using seitan in place of
meat when you use it
with a sauce. Easy to do
and much
less expensive then any
meat or meat
substitute!...
I
prefer a mild flavor
alternative in most
recipes, such as the
"Flavored Ground
Poultry Style" or
"Flavored
chunk beef style"
The ground is great
for sandwich recipes,
besides other recipes
such as sauces, etc...
and the chunk is
wonderful in soups,
stews.... etc... check
out
http://www.healthy-eating.com/texturedsoy.html
There
are many alternative
Burger
products on the
market. Check out the
freezer section
of most super markets or
for even more go to a
"health food store"!
Some will remind you of
a "meat" burger while
others will be a totally
new taste experience,
with lots of spices,
mushrooms, peppers...
etc... Very Gourmet!
The
best burger
substitute I found
is called Soy
7, or aka "whole Earth"
burger mix l. It comes
in a dry mix that makes
great burgers, loafs,
meatballs, tacos etc....
and there is no
refrigeration needed for
the unopened pack!
The
best broth, is from
Frontier, their
beefy
broth powder has a mild
good flavor so makes a
great substitution for
any recipe that calls
for any flavor
broth.
Bacon
is almost pure fat
with a smoke flavor.
That smoky flavor is
easy to copy. Liquid
smoke is just that;
liquid smoke. Most super
markets carry these
small bottles, usually
near the BBQ sauces. A
few drops in anything
calling for bacon will
help retain that
flavor.
There are also many
smoky products that
imitate the texture....
Bacos have been around
for many, many years and
a staple at salad bars
everywhere! My favorite
bacon substitute is
the
"Soft Bacon Style
Crumbles" or "crunchy
bits". BLTs never
tasted so
good!
The
place I buy the crumbles
and burger items at
(besides others)
is:
http://www.healthy-eating.com/texturedsoy.html#bits
This
is the best
source I have found
for such a variety of
great alternatives to
try and can be delivered
to your door!
Just scan this site and
you will have a new
outlook for vegetarian
and vegan options!
My
favorite stand alone dry
"meaty" item is the
"stonewall's
Jerquee" Vegetarian
Jerkies,
Teriyaki
Beef for eating
right out of the
package. For cooking, I
like the original
mild, just
re-hydrate in boiling
water for a few minutes
and it is just like
steak! Add some A1
steak sauce and your
set! They also have
spicy flavors if you
like it hot! Use this
jerkie for all cooking,
when you want the meaty,
chunky texture. It is
found to be too "meaty"
for some vegans and
vegetarians. You can
also order them in small
pieces "fines" which are
fabulous for anything
where smaller "meat" is
used, such as a roast
beef
sandwich...
http://www.soybean.com/snack_ecart.htm
Morningstar
Farms has recently come
up with a steak strip
that is
quite good.
Another
truly remarkable meat
substitute is Veggie
Ribs Mix ! They are
incredible! You have to
try these! They are
actually best the next
day so make them one
day, serve them the
next.... You won't
believe how good they
are! Just add a couple
things.. like peanut
butter (yep!) and your
favorite BBQ sauce...
bake and WOW!
You
can find these through
www.healthy-eating.com
also, plus many health
food stores sell a lot
of these same items, so
check them out too!
There are lots of
"hotdogs"
on the market too. For
regular "kid type"
wieners I like the
canned "Big
Franks" by Loma Linda.
For
a more flavorful one I
like tofurky
brand Kielbasa, in
the refrigerated
section.
Tofurky
also makes wonderful
"turkey"
Tofurky Deli slices
for sandwiches, or
salads, or sliced in
casseroles such as
"turkey" tetrozini.
etc... I like the
Hickory Smoked
one.
You
will also find
sliced
hams, pepperonis,
Canadian bacon,
etc.... so you have a
lot of trying to do!
BOCA
has recently come out
with an excellent vegan
Chicken Burger.
BOCA® Original
Chik'n Patty ,
which could fool any
Mcchicken burger fan
Just
don't forget, most
people put lots of other
things on sandwiches ..
mustard lettuce,
tomatoes, etc... and in
recipes...... so give
these, and anything else
you sample, a fair try
as you would, say, eat a
"real" "meat" sandwich.
Although
these are great stand
alone products too!
I recently came upon
VegeUSA
A company that offers
items like vegan shrimp,
Citrus ribs, Pepper
steak, chicken
drumstix... a vegan
chicken, and a ham roll
that are truly amazing!
They aren't sold in
stores and are only
available to restaurants
and one store in
California that I am
aware of. But perhaps
press the company, and
check out their other
products.
VegeUSA
These are foods that
everybody will love, and
vegans wonder if they
are truly
vegan!
BAKING
and COOKING
without eggs or dairy
products
Converting
other recipes to vegan
is very easy.
You
will want to keep a
couple things in mind.
when you start, so you
will understand a little
more on why items are
used for different
recipes.
Eggs
are used primarily for
two reasons in
cooking;
as a binder, to
help hold other
ingredients together,
like in a "meat"
loaf
and as a leavening
agent to help the
item "rise" as in
baking.
If you keep that in mind
you should do
well!
EGG
SUBSTITUTES
Instead
of 1 egg in baking, you
can use...
- 1
T Flax seeds ground
with 3 T
water
- 1
Tablespoon (chick
pea) or soya flour
and 1 T
water
- 1
T arrowroot, 1 T soy
flour and 2 T
water
- 2
T
Cornstarch
- 2
T Potato starch
(Instant mash
potatoes)
- 2
Tbsp flour, 1/2 Tbsp
shortening, 1/2 tsp
baking powder and
2 tsp
water
- 1/4
cup soft tofu blended
with the liquid
portion of the
recipe
- 1/2
large banana,
mashed
- 2
Heaping t Soy powder
+ 2 T
water
- 1/4
cup apple sauce (in
sweet recipes)
I usually
use 1 T ground flax
seed, 1 T cornstarch,
1 T oil
plus 2 T water or
soymilk, in place of
1 egg
and have had no
problems yet!
I adjust to the
recipe... If it has
more than 2 eggs I
add baking
powder.
If you don't want the
flax seeds, say
in a smooth batter
white bread cake,
then use something
else....
Alternative
binding
agents
Baked
goods or casseroles,
burger...
choose
1 instead per egg...
- 2
T mashed
potatoes
- 2
T mashed
avocado
- 2
T Tahini or other Nut
Butter
- 2
T moist bread
crumbs
- 2
T Moist
Oats
- Plain
silken
tofu
- White
sauce (soy milk,
vegan margarine, and
cornstarch or
flour)
In
place of
eggs
for breakfast...
check the recipe
page but silken tofu,
nutritional yeast,
broth, and vegis make an
incredible
Vegan
scrambled
eggs!
Other
Dairy Substitutes
Oil
is 100% fat
Real margarine must
be 80%
Oil Spreads and
Whipped Spreads can
range from
zero fat to 70% so
read the label if
cooking with
it!
Vegan
Butter/margarine/shortening/oil
Shortening, like
regular crisco is vegan,
and can be used in
place
of butter in recipes.
(Although it is not the
healthiest choice.)
To make it healthier,
use oil, like Canola and
3/4 the amount .
If a recipe calls for 1
cup shortening or
butter, use 3/4 cup
oil.
You can use margarine
for baking without any
noticeble difference
in
the final product, if it
contains at least 60%
fat.
There are some very good
vegan butter substitutes
on the market,
and most of them are
found in health food
stores such as Earth
Balance.
A real Margarine found
in many regular
supermarkets is Nucoa
brand. ,
a stick margarine, so
easily substitutes for
any butter or
margarine.
Milk
Soy milk can be
used for drink, on
cereal, and in cooking,
baking..anywhere that
dairy milk has been
traditionally used.
There are several
options for "milk"
substitutes, including
Soy Milk, Rice Milk,
Almond Milk, etc... Some
are sweetened and some
are plain, some are
chocolate, vanilla
etc... so personal
tastes and preferences
are the main key for
choosing a milk
alternative.
Don't expect it to taste
like cows milk. It is a
product that can be
used in places
some people
traditionally use cows
milk, It is not made to
taste like
it.
If
you don't know which one
to choose, when
cooking use the
plain unsweetened, where
there is ONLY
soybeans and water on
the ingredients. Any
other ingredients, even
when it says
unsweetened, can alter
the taste in the final
product.
Evaporated
Milk
Evaporated milk is just
2 servings of milk in 1
serving of liquid.
So to get evaporated
milk use twice as much
instant dry soy milk
powder to one serving of
milk, or take ready made
soy milk (with only soy
beans and water on the
label) and use that in
place of water for
mixing one serving of of
instant dry soy milk
powder.
Sweetened
Condensed
Milk
Use this recipe
to make your
own.
CHEESE
is one of the
things hardest to find a
perfect substitute
for.
Although, they are
coming out with new
products constantly,so
it is
just a matter of time
for thee perfect vegan
cheese substitute to
come around!
For now, the best cheese
substitute I have found
is Follow
Your Heart,
brand, Vegan
Gourmet.
What
I do, if I don't have
store bought vegan
cheese, or to extend
it,
is make a
vegan
cream
sauce,
adding more nutritional
yeast and onion powder,
and for that shredded
cheese look, I grate
extra firm tofu,
and mix it with a lot of
nutritional yeast and
onion salt/garlic
salt.
This works great for
pizza, where you have a
"melted" cheese, and
it still looks like real
cheese.
Cream
Cheese
Tofutti
"Better Than Cream
Cheese"
To make one from
scratch, and substitute
it in cooking, remember
it is almost 90% fat! 54
% moisture. Very much
like sour cream but
firmer.
when baking or when
making a dessert, or
"sweet" food,
You can substitute
another high fat
"butter" like almond
paste, or even avocado
and more oil and add a
little tofu for
consistency.
If you want cream cheese
for a dip base, or
topping for a main
meal, you can use more
tofu plus a nut butter,
tahinini or avocado
and seasonings, such as
onion salt, nutritional
yeast,
garlic....
Buttermilk
For 1 cup: use 1
cup plus 2 Tablespoon
lemon juice or vinegar
mixed in.
Sour
Cream
Tofutti makes
excellent vegan
versions, called Better
Than Sour Cream
For
cooking:
Low
fat: Silken tofu
, pinch of salt,
Tablespoon of lemon
juice per cup.
Regular
sour cream:
Mashed ripe avocado,
pinch of salt to
taste, tablespoon of
lemon juice per
cup.
Or
use half tofu half
avocado.... salt,
lemon juice... or use
a couple tablespoons
canola or olive oil
if no avocado
available.
or
Tahini or other nut
butter.
For
Topping Potatoes or
similar:
Low
fat: Silken tofu ,
pinch of salt to
taste, teaspoon of
lemon juice or
balsamic vinegar,
Tablespoon (more or
less) of nutritional
yeast per
potato.
Regular
sour cream: Mashed
ripe avocado, pinch
of salt, teaspoon of
lemon juice or
balsamic vinegar,
Tablespoon (more or
less) of nutritional
yeast per
potato.
Or
use half tofu half
avocado.... plus
salt, lemon juice,
nutritional
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