It is now the second week of Lent and, as promised, I have a couple more recipes for anyone who decided to eat a vegetarian or vegan diet for this season. The two recipes I chose are favorites (one new and one old), and they both come out of my love for baking. As many baked goods tend to be naturally vegetarian, for today's post I'm focusing a bit more on some tips for anyone who decided to go vegan, since that can be a bit trickier. I'll probably share more tips throughout Lent, but here are my top four.
- Don't freak out -Whether you realize it or not, eating vegan is probably something you do, unconsciously, from time to time. A lunch of PB&J with carrots and Triscuits? Vegan. A breakfast of Life cereal and a banana? Vegan. A dinner of chips, guacamole, and a bean burrito? Vegan, provided there's no cheese and lard wasn't used in the beans. A snack of deep fried Oreos at the fair? Surprisingly, that's vegan too. So if you decided to go vegan for Lent and are thinking now that you can't eat anything but salad, surprise! There are definitely some adjustments, but you do not have to give up all the foods you normally eat. PETA even made a list of foods that are "Accidentally Vegan." And if you're worried that you'll have to take a bunch of supplements or that you'll become malnourished, relax. You can get more than enough protein from plants (how do you think cows build muscle after all?) and vitamins don't have to be a major concern. The two biggest ones for vegans are vitamin D (acquired through sunshine and animal products) and vitamin B12 (acquired through animal products). If you're already on a multivitamin, you should be pretty well set, especially if you're only going vegan for Lent, and many vegan foods (like soy milk) are often fortified with these vitamins. Here's more info on B12 for anyone who is curious.
- Find easy substitutes -For recipes that call for butter, Earth Balance is great. I've used it in pie crusts, cookies, breads, and as a stand alone spread. One of my vegan friends is currently living in South Korea and says there's no Earth Balance, but she's been able to use coconut oil just fine. When it comes to milk, there are so many options. Whether you go with soy, almond, coconut, rice or whatever, they'll each have their pros and cons, so find one that you like and stick with it. Remember that many of these come in flavored varieties, so keep that in mind for your recipes. Vanilla soy might be great in chocolate fondue and frosting, but it might not be the best choice for whole wheat bread. For cheese lovers, there are also multiple varieties of vegan cheese available. I've really only tried Daiya, but even Trader Joe's has their own brand.
- Embrace the flaxseed egg -When I started doing vegan baking so all my coworkers could eat the goodies I made, I steered clear of any recipes calling for eggs. Once my friend told me about flaxseed eggs, my problem was fairly well solved. Flaxseed eggs won't replace normal eggs in everything (tofu is a good egg replacement in scrambles though), but for baking, they work great. They're quite simple too. For each "egg" you simply mix 1 Tbsp. of ground flaxseed with 3 Tbsp. of water and then either simmer it on the stove until it becomes an egg-like consistency, or you zap it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. Tada! Eggs for baking. Just be warned that when you use them in cookies, the cookies will not turn the golden brown color you're used to.
- Go to Trader Joe's -Trader Joe's is awesome to begin with, but they also have a ton of delicious foods that you may have never realized were vegan. Veggie spring rolls? Vegan. Jumbo cinnamon rolls? Vegan. Dark chocolate covered pretzels? Vegan. Chocolate chips? Vegan. As a caution though, the chocolate chips are vegan, but the chocolate chunks are not. In general, most vegan foods are clearly marked there, but there are also some vegan-safe gems that you'll only recognize by checking out the ingredient list. Have fun exploring!
If you're searching for some menu inspiration, I have some online suggestions. Minimalist Baker provides quick and easy recipes with minimal ingredients that are not only delicious, but usually vegan and/or gluten free. Oh She Glows is a 100% vegan cooking blog, and for those of you who like physical recipes, she also has a cookbook. Other cookbook options include Mayim's Vegan Table, Veganomicon, and Isa Does It, though there are really a ridiculous amount of vegan and/or vegetarian cookbooks on the market. Finally, here are my two recipe suggestions for the week.
I have had this recipe bookmarked for months and I finally found the time to make it last week. Soooo good. I converted it to vegan safe by substituting normal eggs for flaxseed ones, unsweetened soy milk for cow milk, and Earth Balance for butter. Super easy swaps to make and the result was delicious, especially warm with some melted Earth Balance on top. To the right you can see the results of pairing it with a pineapple, four berry, apple juice smoothie: one fabulous breakfast.
I make this recipe at least twice each year and it is always a hit. This year for the first time I tried making it vegan. The only thing I have to substitute is the eggs, which I can either replace with 4 flaxseed eggs, or do 3 flaxseed eggs and add extra pumpkin. I prefer the latter option, but if you're using puree from a can you'll have to do the former since the recipe calls for the entire can. Whichever option you choose, it works great and I had multiple people ask me for the recipe this year. Bonus tip: sprinkling some gingerbread-spiced or cinnamon-sugar on top adds a little something special.
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