All posts by beaniecat

Vegan foods

Dairy Free Alternatives

Milk:

Dairy free milk is widely available these days and there are several varieties and flavours to choose from. Some are fortified with vitamin b12 which is useful for vegans. Soya milk is the most popular choice and can be bought sweetened or unsweetened. Many supermarkets now offer their own brand of soya milk.

almondOther non-dairy milks are made from nuts or seeds and these are becoming very popular, especially almond and coconut. There are also a range of rice and oat milks on the market. All these milk alternatives can be used in place of dairy milk for drinking, cooking and baking although they do vary in taste so a little experimentation might be needed!

Cheese:

Many people find cheese one of the hardest foods to give up when deciding to adopt an animal free diet but vegan options are improving all the time and include soft and hard cheeses in many varieties and flavours. Unfortunately, a lot of non-dairy cheeses are highly processed so making your own is healthier and cheaper. Nutritional yeast is a good alternative to parmesan. Our Recipe section has several dairy free cheese recipes.

Chocolate:

Chocolate is actually vegan! It’s the milk based ingredients added to it that make most chocolate unsuitable for vegans. Fortunately for vegan chocolate lovers, there are many non-dairy chocolate bars, chips and cocoa powder. Many dark chocolate bars are dairy free but check the ingredients to make sure. Why not try some vegan chocolate mousse!

Margarine/Butter:

sunflower seedsNon-dairy butter and margarine are made from vegetable oils or coconut and most work well in baking, cooking, and as spreads. You can also find nut and seed butters, such as those made from almond, cashew and sunflower seeds. Oils including sunflower and olive can also be a substitute or you can make your own version.

Yoghurt:

berries

There is an array of dairy free yoghurts made from soya, coconut or rice to name a few and they have the same healthy bacteria as their dairy counterparts. Plain yoghurt is used for cooking and baking but there are also lots of fruit flavoured non-dairy yoghurts.

Cream:

Coconut halvesNon-dairy creams can be made from soya or nuts and some are created using a blend of vegetable oils. It can be bought in several forms such as sour cream, whipping cream and even coffee creamers. Home made options include the use of coconut milk or cashew nuts and there are many recipes online.

Ice Cream:

bananaNon-dairy ice cream is made from dairy free milks and you can now buy vegan ice cream cones, bars and sandwiches as well as tubs. They are often lower in calories and fat than dairy ice creams. A really simple but delicious home made ice cream can be made from frozen bananas! Sorbet’s are usually vegan and can be found in most freezer sections. These are mostly fruity rather than creamy.

Vegan foods

Meat Substitutes

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Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP):

Made from defatted soya flour with a high protein content. It is highly nutritious and mainly found in the form of mince or chunks which can be added to meals in place of meat. It is inexpensive, quick to cook and has a ‘meaty’ consistency. Dried TVP keeps well which means that you can buy it in bulk, keeping costs even lower.

Tofu:

tofu.jpgAlso known as bean curd, it’s made from a mixture of soya beans, water and a coagulant. There are two types of tofu: soft and firm. Firm tofu is mainly used in savoury dishes whereas soft (or silken) tofu is better for sweet dishes. Tofu is a high protein, low fat food and is relatively cheap to buy although it is possible to make your own. On it’s own, it has very little taste but will absorb any flavours added to it making it very versatile. The texture of firm tofu can be improved by freezing it before cooking.

Tempeh:

Mostly made from cooked, fermented soya beans, though there are other types. Like TVP, it is very nutritious and high in protein. It has a firm texture and a savoury, nutty flavour. Usually found in the form of slices or ‘rashers’ and also can be added to meals. It is more expensive than other meat alternatives but can be cheaper if home made.

Seitan:

wheat.jpgAlso known as ‘wheat meat’ because of it’s similarity to meat in look and texture. It is simply wheat flour with the starch removed and can be bought as such (vital wheat gluten) or made at home. It holds flavours really well and can be cooked in many different ways. It’s easy to make a large batch and freeze until needed.

Jackfruit:

jackfruit.jpgA relative newcomer to meat substitutes in the West although the fruit has obviously been around a long time! It’s a tropical fruit which, when young and green, has a mild flavour and  a ‘stringy’ meat consistency, making it a satisfying alternative to meats such as ‘pulled pork’ and poultry. It is high in fibre, non processed and can take on almost any flavour. It can be bought cheap at many Asian supermarkets or online.

Mushrooms:

mushrooms.jpgA surprising addition to the list you may think but a very popular brand of meat substitutes is made from fermented fungus! Mushrooms are rich in vitamins and minerals and don’t contain fat or carbohydrates. They have that ‘umami’ flavour which enhances any dish and can taste ‘meaty’. Larger varieties such as Portobello have a ‘meaty’ texture with a rich, earthy taste. They can also be grown at home.

V Meat:

This is a new one to me! If you like seitan or have never tried it because of an intolerance to gluten, then this might be worth looking into. It’s main ingredient is oats but you need to make sure you get the gluten-free variety. V meat isn’t commercially available, it is the brainchild of a gluten intolerant vegan who runs a recipe website. Her aim was to produce a ‘mock meat’ with the same characteristics as seitan. Click here for more info.

This list is by no means exhaustive. There are so many ways to substitute meat in cooking, not to mention the availability of numerous commercial products!

Main dishes

Vegan Fish and Chips (yes, really!)

Ingredients:

‘Fish’ ingredients:

  • 400g of tofu
  • Fine sea salt
  • Garlic powder
  • Some pepper
  • Sushi nori sheets

Batter ingredients:

  • 1 bottle of beer
  • 15 tbsp of any flour (or enough to make a pancake like batter)
  • 3 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp of fine sea
  • Dash of pepper
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice

Other ingredients:

  • Fine breadcrumbs
  • Cooking oil
  • 1 lemon

Method:

  1. Squeeze out water from a block of tofu. This is quite important as it helps to absorb flavours better.
  2. Preheat the oven and bake your chips as per chips pack instructions or make your own
  3. Add 1 bottle of beer into a large bowl, add all other batter ingredients and whisk until you get a pancake like batter.
  4. Cut the tofu into 1 cm thick ‘fish pieces’. Sprinkle lemon juice on the tofu pieces and add garlic powder, some pepper and sea salt – season generously.
  5. Wrap into a sushi nori sheet (if the sheet is too long and goes over the sides, just cut them off). The tofu will be a bit moist so the sushi nori sheet should stick to it well.
  6. Add a generous amount of fine breadcrumbs to a plate.
  7. Dunk the tofu ‘fish’ pieces into the batter and then move to the plate with breadcrumbs and cover well on all sides.
  8. Fry in hot cooking oil until golden brown.
  9. When the ‘fish’ pieces are done transfer them to a plate that’s covered with kitchen towel to absorb some of the excess oil.
  10. Sprinkle some lemon juice on the ‘fish’ pieces for extra flavour and serve with chips.

Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted from Exceedingly Vegan

Snacks

Veggie Lunch Meat

Ingredients:

  •  1 cup white beans
  •  2 cups water
  •  1/4 cup oil
  •  2 tsp salt
  •  2 tsp paprika
  •  2 tsp onion powder
  •  1 tsp garlic
  •  1/4 tsp tumeric
  •  1 tsp ground fennel
  •  1 tsp sage
  •  1 tsp pepper
  •  1 tsp soy sauce
  •  2 3/4 cup vital wheat gluten

Method:

Get water steaming in your steamer.
  1. Place all ingredients except the gluten flour in a blender and process until smooth.
  2. Pour into a bowl. Add gluten flour and work into a dough.
  3. Shape dough into a log and wrap in heavy duty foil. Try to make the roll as thick as possible. Steam for 1 hour.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees in the last 15 mins of steaming. Remove seitan from steamer and bake for 45-60 mins. Seitan should swell and press against the foil.
  5. Cool and slice as needed for sandwiches. This seitan holds up very well and can be shaved very thin. Store in the fridge

Recipe by Vegan Dad

Sausages and burgers

Carrot, cumin & kidney bean burgers

Ingredients:

Makes 4 generous burgers or 6 good sized ones.

    • 1 x 400g tin of kidney beans
    • 1 smallish onion (150g approx), peeled and finely chopped
    • 1 large carrot (150g approx), grated
    • 1 teaspoon (1.5g) ground cumin
    • 1 stem (1g) of fresh coriander, finely chopped (optional, replace with parsley if you don’t like coriander)
    • 1 tbsp veg or sunflower oil, plus 2 tablespoons to fry the burgers
    • 1 heaped teaspoon flour, plus another to shape the burgers
  1. Drain the kidney beans and rinse in cold water to wash away the ‘tinned’ taste. Put into a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes to really soften.
  2. Put the onion, carrot, cumin and coriander into a medium saute or frying pan. Add the splash of oil and cook on a low heat to soften. When the kidney beans have softened, drain well and add to the carrots and onion.
  3. Remove from the heat and mash together until you have a smoothish puree, like a mashed potato consistency. Stir in the flour to stiffen.
  4. Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan on a medium heat. With floured hands, take a quarter of the burger mixture and roll it into a ball. Make three more balls with the remaining mixture.
  5. Place one in the oil and flatten gently with a fork to make the burger shape. Depending on the size of your pan, you may be able to cook all the burgers at once or need to do them in batches – unless you’re freezing some of the uncooked patties.
  6. Cook for a few minutes on one side, before turning. The burgers need to be handled with care as they can be quite fragile before they’re done! When cooked and slightly crisp on both sides, remove from the pan and serve.

Tip: Make the burger mixture in advance and pop into the fridge for a few hours – it firms up nicely and is less fragile when cooking. It will keep, covered, for 2 days so can be made well in advance.

Recipe by Jack Monroe – Cooking on a Bootstrap

Cakes

Vegan + Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Banana Bread

Choc-banana-breadIngredients

  • 3 cups oatmeal {make sure you use gluten-free oats}
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 tablespoon olive, vegetable or coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup vegan chocolate chips (or roughly chopped dark chocolate)
  • 1/3 cup desiccated coconut (optional
  • 3 tablespoons oatmeal

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Spray 9×5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
  2. Make oat flour: Place oatmeal into blender and blend for 1-2 minutes until oatmeal resembles flour. You may need to stop blender and stir oats a couple of times to ensure that all oats have been blended.
  3. Measure out just 2 cups of the oat flour and place in a medium bowl. Whisk in baking powder, baking soda, coconut and salt; set aside.
  4. In a separate large bowl, beat mashed bananas, 1/3 cup brown sugar, vanilla extract, and oil for 1-2 minutes until the consistency is smooth and creamy. Slowly add in oat flour mixture and mix until just combined.
  5. Gently fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and sprinkle 3 tablespoons oatmeal and 1 tablespoon brown sugar on top.
  6. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until knife inserted into centre comes out clean. Cool 10-15 minutes, then remove from pan and place on wire rack to finish cooling. Cut into thick slices.
  7. Bread will stay good for up to 3 days if wrapped well.

From ambitiouskitchen.com, adapted by Kim (@adventureandcake)