Plant Alternatives To Foods Of Animal Origin
Every day there are more possibilities to replace all the usual products of the omnivorous diet
Nowadays, those who take the first steps towards a vegan diet have it easier. The more popular veganism becomes, the more products without meat, eggs or milk we find on the market. We can also make it a challenge and be very imaginative in the kitchen. Here are some ideas:
Instead of meat
You have many options:
- Seitan based on wheat gluten is the best known alternative, you can make it at home and it can be prepared in a very similar way to meat. Even its appearance is similar and provides 25 g of protein for every 100 g of weight.
- Other alternatives are textured soybeans, legumes and sausages and all kinds of preparations similar to deli based on legumes and cereals.
- The tofu in the form of hamburgers, is indispensable. Its flavor is very smooth, almost neutral, and it has a high concentration of proteins. It can be mixed with seeds, seaweed, mushrooms or curry to make it more palatable and gives you a lot of play in the kitchen.
Instead of dairy
The vegetable milks almonds -of, soy, buckwheat, quinoa, rice or oat- provide similar appearance and use, although not as rich in calcium and protein as cow. With these milks, delicious and light vegan cheeses are made, as well as “creams” for cooking.
Grated cheese on pasta dishes can be replaced by brewer’s yeast.
Instead of eggs
Each egg-based preparation can be imitated. For example, a scramble can be made with flaked tofu, oil, and turmeric. The beaten egg can be substituted with a mixture of flour (wheat, soy or chickpea) and water. An alternative preparation is also obtained by mixing two tablespoons of ground flax seeds together with three tablespoons of water and heating until thickened. Eggs can be substituted in pastry for bananas or other pureed or beaten fruits. For some uses, dried fruit patés may be useful.
Instead of honey
It is a product obtained from the exploitation of an animal and, therefore, honey is not part of the strict vegan diet. It can be replaced by syrups such as agave or maple, molasses such as apple or rice, or whole cane sugar.
