Tips for Replacing Meat, Dairy and Eggs

Perhaps you are contemplating a vegan diet, you have a friend or loved one who is vegan or you simply want to reduce saturated fats and animal products in your diet. If you are new to these dietary restrictions, you might think that a vegan diet will leave you feeling deprived. However, many people are pleasantly surprised to discover that they can enjoy many of the kinds of foods they’ve always loved without the need for dairy or eggs. It’s never been easier to make food replacements with a large number of products on the market that are geared towards vegans.

There are many high profile celebrities who swear by a vegan diet for improving vitality and promoting heart health. Some people believe that cutting exposure to animal products prevents cancer and other serious diseases. Others are vegans for ethical reasons, and feel that vegetarian products like eggs and milk are indirectly involved with meat production, which they find objectionable. You don’t have to go entirely vegan to enjoy the benefits of reducing animal products and eating more plant-based foods. The key is to make replacements and to ensure the changes are gradual and sustainable.

Making Do Without Eggs

Making do (or, rather, making dough) without eggs is not as difficult as it sounds. Recipes for cakes and cookies usually require eggs as a way of making ingredients cohere, but the same effect can be made through adding extra oil, mashed bananas, and applesauce or flax seeds mixed in water. You can also find ready-made egg replacement powders that taste like eggs and have the same properties for baking. You can opt for a mix that has everything you need to make vegan cookies and brownies. Just cookies from Hampton Creek let you make vegan baked creations quickly and easily.

Dairy to Be Different

There are so many dairy replacements in the supermarket aisle that it can be difficult to make a choice. Many people remember when soy milk was the only game in town, and even then, you had to run to the natural store to get a carton. Nowadays, soy milk is on the shelves of regular supermarkets along with hazelnut milk, almond milk and other varieties. Of course, nut milks are not milk in the real sense, since actual milk is derived from mammals. However, some milks look and taste like the real thing or add additional flavors.

Not all kinds of nut milk can replace regular milk for cooking. Hazelnut milk can actually add an extra kick to chocolate chip cookies or nut breads. However, for regular recipes, rice milk is a better replacement because it adds no distinctive flavor and is a similar in consistency to real milk. Rice milk is also a good choice for puddings, custards and almost any recipe that calls for regular milk.

Meet Your Match

There is an abundance of meat replacements, and vegetarians have come a long way from having the limited option of nut loaf instead of meatloaf. This soy revolution has been going on for a few decades and has evolved from tofu to tempeh, and a full range of soy meat replacements. Look for dried soya products in a natural and organic store, and you can find many varieties, including ground dried soya that can be rehydrated and used for tacos or hamburgers.

Meat replacements don’t need to be made of soy, however. Portobello mushrooms on the grill can be a tasty replacement for hamburgers. Ground nuts instead of ground beef add a full-bodied flavor and monosaturated heart healthy fats. There also wheat-based meat replacements such as seitan. You can use rehydrated, boiled grain kernels instead of ground beef or a number of recipes.

While the vegan diet may be appealing for health reason, you don’t need to go headfirst into a full veganism, but can introduce more plant-based foods into your diet gradually. It is useful to have a collection of meat, dairy and egg-free recipes available for when you have a vegan guest. Given the popularity of such diets, it is useful to know how to prepare food without items that are traditionally considered to be staples. You can make delicious cakes and cookies without eggs and even assemble a soy cheesecake that contains no dairy. There are many options for replacing meat and dairy, and nut milks and soy meat products are readily available in most supermarkets. Making food that fits restrictive diets can be relatively easy with a tasty, enjoyable result.

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