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Visit www.theskinnyvogue.com for all of my favorite fashion trends.  Because some people just aren’t as interested in food and vice versa, I’ve created two separate blogs for everyone’s tastes.  Enjoy! 

www.theskinnyvegan.com

I will sadly be leaving tumblr to post on my new site, The Skinny Vegan.  Please continue to follow me there and you can also now follow me on twitter @theskinnyvegan.  Sign up for a subscription to my blog or to my RSS feeds there too.  Thanks everyone for all of your support over the past month.  I’m excited to move on to the next chapter!  :)

I’m working on developing a new vegan site.  Look for it to launch this weekend!

Most of my friends that hear I’ve been trying out various vegan recipes, don’t understand how they can do it.  They are convinced that it’s really hard, that they don’t have the right kind of grocery stores by them, or that each recipe has 43 ingredients and none of them they’ve ever heard of.  Well all of this is untrue.  I also thought those things until I tried eating vegan for one week. 

Most of the recipes were not only easy, but they included things at my local grocery (not Whole Foods or a specialty store, but Publix or Kroger).  Each grocery has organic foods and they are easy to find.  Also a lot of recipes I make have minimal ingredients and I’ve (mostly) heard of all of them.  Sure, I’ve gone on a Whole Foods hunt for black mustard seeds and white miso paste, but in the end, I’ve found that if you ask someone… it saves you a good 30 minutes of hunting around yourself. 

I’ve become a big fan of Kathy Freston and Michael Pollan since seeing the Oprah episode that encouraged me on this journey.  I’ve also started to learn more about Mark Bittman.  He, like myself, was an omnivore that was loving food and living life. 

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Photo from Vegan Epicurean

Tonight, my husband and I went out for Mexican at our favorite Local Taco shop.  Although I held off, I was really craving some delicious queso dip.  So as soon as I finished eating, I searched for a good recipe that I could make at home that was also vegan-friendly.  I found a few that I liked, but none looked as easy or delicious as this one from Vegan Epicurean that is made with raw cashews.  Click on the link for the full recipe and nutritional information. 

I also had the idea of putting some soy-blend cheese, chopped green chiles, crushed red peppers, a chopped bell pepper, and some chopped red onion and jalapeno in a dish and microwaving it all together until it’s gooey and melty.  I also think that would make a delicious (vegan) queso dip.  Either way, I’ll certainly try one some type of queso next time we do a taco night at home. 

Since I’m not eating vegan 100% of the time just now, I’m often looking to see what I can substitute in my fridge and pantry.  I found this great list of common substitutes that’s really helped me in the kitchen lately.

Dairy

Dairy can be easily substituted with soy/rice dairy alternatives.

• Cheese: Replace most cheddar, American, and parmesan cheeses with soy/rice cheese alternative products.Replace cottage cheese or ricotta cheese with crumbled tofu in lasagne and other dishes. Tip: Most vegan cheeses don’t melt. For melting cheese, try Vegan Gourmet™ brand of melting cheese alternatives. It tastes great and melts!

• Buttermilk: To replace buttermilk, simply mix 1 tablespoon white vinegar into 1 cup plain soy milk or rice milk.

• Milk: Replace dairy milk with an equal amount of plain soy milk or rice milk. For a change of pace (and flavor), try using nut milk in recipes that don’t need to be boiled intensely.

• Sour cream: To replace sour cream in a recipe, try using a vegan sour cream product.

• Yogurt: To replace yogurt in a recipe, try using a cultured soy product.

Eggs

It’s not hard to substitute for eggs in most non-vegan recipes. The substitute used depends on the recipe it’s being used in, the kind of flavor you want to add (or not add), and which ingredients you have on hand:

• Agar powder: Use with recipes that call for egg whites. For each egg white, dissolve 1 tbsp plain agar powder in 1 tbsp water. Whip, chill and whip again.

• Applesauce: Like banana, applesauce is great for sweeter baked recipes, such as muffins, brownies, and cake. For each egg, substitute 1/3 cup applesauce.

• Banana: Wonderful with desserts or sweet items like pancakes, and muffins. For each egg, substitute 1/2 small banana, mashed.

• Ener-G^® Egg Replacer: Ener-G^® is a name brand of a vegan egg substitute (sold by the box). It’s made from potato starch, tapioca flour, and vegan leaveners. You can find it at natural/health food stores. One whole egg = 1 tsp Ener-G^® powder + 2 tbsp water.

• Flax seed: Great for pankcakes, breads, and other baking. Use 1 tbsp ground flax seed simmered in 2 – 3 tbsp water. Tip: Adding ground flax seeds to any recipe add Omega-3’s to the recipe! You can buy ground flax seeds in the health section of most grocery stores.

• Mashed potatoes / bread crumbs: For veggie loaves or burgers, used mashed potatoes, fine bread crumbs, cooked rice or oatmeal, or tomato paste to bind ingredients.

• Pumpkin: For baked goods, you can replace each whole egg with 1/3 cup of cooked pumpkin. Great for muffins that have a hint of pumpkin flavor to them.

• Soda Pop: A regular-sized (12 oz.) can of soda pop can be used as a substitution for 3 eggs in your baking recipes. Additionally, one regular-sized (12 oz.) can of soda pop can be substituted for the oil/egg combo required by most boxed cake mixes. (See our Soda Pop Cake entry on the Recipes page for more information.)
  
  

• Tofu: Tofu is great for egg substitutions in recipes that call for a lot of egg (like quiches, puddings, chocolate pies, etc.). To substitute for only one egg in a recipe, whip or blend 1/4 cup soft tofu and add to your cooking. For baked goods, you can replace each egg with 2 tablespoons (1 oz.) of soft tofu. Diced or mashed tofu can replace chopped hard-boiled eggs in some salad and sandwich recipes. Scrambled tofu makes a delicious alternative to scrambled eggs.

Butter

Check out our Vegan Alternatives Product Guide for excellent vegan butters.

For substitutes found around the house, try these:

• Flax oil: Use it as a topping for potatoes, rice, popcorn, etc. Note: DO NOT cook with this!

• Nut butter: Can be made from almonds, cashews, or other butters. Use the same amount you would for butter.

• Applesauce: Use for sweet baking only. Use the same amount you would for butter. Especially yummy in brownies! For muffins, etc., replace up to 3/4 of the butter with applesauce, using vegan butter for the rest.

Honey

Substitute with Not Honey™ Rice Nectar for dipping.

For baking, try using Not Honey™ Rice Nectar, rice syrup, mild-flavored molasses, or maple syrup. Use amounts equal to honey. Tip: These alternatives add numerous vitamins and minerals to the recipe!

Mayonaise

I love soup.  I also love slow cookers.  Mainly because you can create your own recipe each time by just throwing things in.  That’s how I came up with this healthy, vegan, hearty potato soup.  It’s super easy and you can throw everything in and not worry about it for 6-8 hours.  See recipe below and enjoy!

Vegan Slow-Cooker Potato Soup by cjvee

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

6 medium size potatoes (I used Yukon Gold, you can use any kind though)

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

2 stalks of celery

6 cups of non-dairy milk

1/2 cup Trader Joe’s soy milk creamer (my secret ingredient!)

2 cups vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1/4 teaspoon onion salt

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

salt and pepper

Trader Joe’s soy cheese blend

Add milk, broth, and creamer to crock pot.  The creamer gives it the thickness that heavy cream gives to regular potato soup.  Then add in potatoes, onion, carrots, and celery and stir.  Next add in the basil, celery salt, onion salt, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.  I made mine heavy on the fresh ground pepper. 

Set your slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours.  Around hour 6 (or towards the time you’re ready to serve it), add the flour to thicken the consistency of your soup.  If you want it even creamier, feel free to add more milk or creamer.  It can’t hurt! 

When you’re ready to serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with Trader Joe’s blend of soy cheese.  Delicious and vegan!