5 simple ways to veganize your favorite dishes
Does this sound familiar? You want to make a certain vegan dish and you get a thousand options: first for the way to prepare, then how to substitute certain products used in that dish. When I went vegan, I oftentimes would find so many options for replacing non-vegan ingredients with vegan ones that it would be hard to pick one. Dear friends-of-vegans, (just-starting) vegan chefs, and seasoned-vegan-friends, I feel you.
Here are five no-nonsense, straight answers to apply when you need one simple vegan solution NOW (which is usually the case when I’m cooking).
1) Veggie burgers without eggs
Eggs are usually your go-to binding agent. It makes sense: they work perfectly, are cheap, and easy to use and known by meat-eaters as well as vegetarians. But how to hold your vegan burger together? For veganizing any (veggie) burger there is chia seed paste. For five burgers I generally recommend replacing the egg with two generous tablespoons of chia seed powder.
It is:
– Powerful
– Versatile (I also use it for vegan bread, cookies, pizza crust)
– (Almost) flavorless
No ground chia powder available? You can grind chia seed in a food processor or coffee bean grinder, or replace with 3 tbsp flax seed powder.
2) Super creamy salad dressing base
How to veganize any mayonaise- or yoghurt based salad dressing? You just change the base and blend the rest of your regular favorite dressing into it by using:
– 160 g / 1 ⅓ cup raw unsalted cashews
– 3 tbsp olive oil or water (or more, depending on how firm you want it to be)
– 1 tbsp lemon juice
– 1-2 tsp mustard (or to taste)
– 1 tsp sugar (optional)
– Salt, pepper, and/or garlic powder to taste (optional)
The only thing you need to do next is either soak the cashews in hot water for 10 minutes (ideal when you need it straight away), or soak them in cold water overnight (makes it slightly more creamy).
This is by far the best, creamiest vegan salad dressing base I know. It’s savory, smooth, fresh and you can make any dressing out of it from ceasar to yoghurt. Enjoy!
3) Veganaise
For a delicious veganaise without the additives such as ‘natural’ flavoring. And chances are you already have the ingredients in your pantry! You can use a blender, kitchen machine, or better: a hand mixer.
– +/- 70 ml aquafaba (about 1/2 the chickpea brine from one 400g can)
– 200-275 ml sunflower oil
– Salt
– Lemon juice or vinegar to taste
Here’s what to do:
Start with the aquafaba and all the other ingredients – except the oil! Mix/blend until it has a white-ish color. Then, drizzle in a bit of oil every couple of 20-30 seconds. The more oil, the more firm the veganaise will be – up to a certain point. Keep an eye on it as well as on the taste. You don’t want it to be too oily. Go on with this drizzle-wait-taste cycle until satisfied with thickness.
Enjoy!
Tips:
– No chickpeas in your pantry? You could try the brine of any other legume, and I have seen recipes even using the legumes themselves – although I haven’t tried these solutions yet.
– The veganaize doesn’t freeze well, but the brine does. You could save the other half for later use.
– Turn this veganaise into a vegan garlic sauce by adding finely chopped garlic to taste. I recommend not to put the garlic in a mixer/blender as it gives your sauce too strong of a taste.
4) Vegan pancakes
Oh, pancakes. Freshly made (sunday) morning pancakes. Another dish in which you’ll want to replace the egg for a vegan alternative. I gave pancakes a special place in this article because, who doesn’t love them? This one has a totally different solution: bananas! It’s very simple:
– Substitute one egg for one medium-sized banana (about 100g)
– Use plant-based milk instead of cow milk
Tips:
– Turn regularly and cook at a bit lower temperature.
– Use a good amount of oil. Banana pancakes are slightly more sticky and burn more easily than their egg-based partners.
5) Condiments and binding agents
Let’s talk condiments. Here’s what you’ll want to have stocked in your pantry to always have on hand for smooth vegan cooking:
– Tomato paste. What? Yes, tomato paste. Sometimes a small teaspoon of tomato paste can make a big difference. For that nice, tangy, umami flavor. Think soups, sauces, but also the burger. Meat has this hearty flavor but with vegan sometimes it takes a little bit more effort.
The same goes for:
– Olives
– Capers
– Mustard
– Sun-dried tomatoes
– (Dried) mushrooms (and their juices)
– Coconut aminos: tastes much like soy sauce, only it contains much less salt. Also, it’s gluten-free and non-GMO. If you don’t have an issue with this you can opt for regular soy sauce.
– Sesame paste: a lot of vegan dressing and sauce recipes use nut or seed paste. Sesame seed paste (or tahini) is very versatile to use or substitue with in almost any recipe.
– Nuts and seeds
– Lemons and/or limes: healthier than vinegar, same effect.
If you try (one of) the above tips, let me know!
I’d love to hear your comments. Cheers, friends!