Vegan for Life - Jack Norris [44]
• Try Mocha Mix or other nondairy creamers in coffee. Or make a soymilk foam for cappuccino.
• Have fun exploring the vast array of nondairy frozen desserts. Who needs ice cream when there is Coconut Bliss in the world?
• Everything that replaces dairy in your diet doesn’t have to be an analogue. Spread almond butter or mashed avocado on toast instead of butter for a more healthful choice and a nice change of pace. Or flavor tofu with salt and herbs and crumble it on top of a vegan pizza.
• Try to think a little further outside the box. We love this recipe from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook by Joanne Stepaniak. It tastes like old-fashioned Cheez Whiz. Blend together one 15-ounce can of drained, rinsed Great northern beans, ½ cup roasted red peppers or pimento pieces, 6 to 8 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes, 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 to 3 tablespoons tahini, ½ teaspoon prepared yellow mustard, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon each of garlic and onion powder.
Identify Ten Great Vegan Dinner Menus
Start with what you know. What’s on family menus that is already vegan or could be vegan with just a tweak or two? How about pasta with marinara sauce? Or tomato soup? (Prepare it with soymilk instead of cow’s milk.) Make Sloppy Joes using a canned sauce and meatless “ground beef.” Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are vegan and so is hummus. Starting with foods that are familiar can be a good way to help children make a smooth transition to plant-based meals.
Next, spend some time with cookbooks, the Internet, and your own recipe collection to identify seven to ten easy vegan dinners that you like and can prepare without much fuss (unless you like to fuss, of course). That’s as much variety as most omnivores enjoy, and families are usually very happy with a ten-day cycle of their favorite meals. Over time, you’ll probably grow tired of some and replace them with others, but for starters, this short list of meals will get you through your first months as a vegan.
Where’s the Meat?
When you want something “meaty,” the selection of vegan choices these days is amazing. Check the frozen and refrigerated sections of natural foods stores as well as your regular grocery store. You’ll find vegan burgers, sausages, hotdogs, sandwich slices, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, pulled pork, chicken nuggets, ground beef, and much more. Different options appeal to different palates, so keep tasting until you find the items that you and your family enjoy. Look for products made by Gardein, Field Roast, Tofurky, Lightlife, and Yves, among others.
This is a chance to quickly eliminate some of the most harmful foods in omnivore diets. For example, cured and processed meats are especially unhealthy foods. Try a vegan substitute like Tofurky lunch meats, which taste very similar to their meat-derived counterparts.
And vegans can look to Asian cuisine for tofu and tempeh, two of the best meat substitutes. Read more about these staples of Asian diets in the Soyfoods Primer on pages 119–123. Both can be cubed, marinated in a simple sauce (try any barbecue, Thai peanut, or Teriyaki sauce), and then baked or sautéed. Serve them over rice or tossed with cooked vegetables.
In many (healthier) cultures, meat is used sparingly to flavor food, not as the focus of the meal. Vegans should plan meals in a similar fashion. Serve a platter of brown rice tossed with ¼ cup of almonds and topped with teriyaki-flavored sautéed veggies. Or make pasta the center of your plate, tossed with some garbanzo beans, vegan Parmesan cheese, and a big serving of steamed vegetables.
Take Advantage of Convenience Foods
You don’t have to be a sophisticated or creative cook in order to follow a vegan diet. It’s nice to know a few basics—how to bake a potato, cook brown rice, and steam vegetables—but that’s no more or less than anyone, eating any type of diet, needs to know.
Anyone can make these ten vegan dinners:
• Baked potato topped with vegan baked