Must-Haves Items In Your Kitchen That Make Veganism Easier
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There are many reasons why switching to a vegan diet, or even simply cutting back on animal product consumption, can benefit your health. Studies have shown a vegan diet can significantly improve cholesterol levels as well as aid in weight loss. Veganism may even greatly reduce one’s chances of dying from heart disease. These perks might get you motivated to do a total revamp of what you have in your kitchen to incorporate more plant-based foods. But the moment you realize just how many of your favorite recipes require (or seem to require) animal products, that motivation could go right out of the window. The American diet is largely built on butter and eggs. Turning vegetarian may not be too difficult, but you’ll quickly find that many meat-free recipes still call for dairy or other animal products.
We’re relatively new to understanding how to use plant-based ingredients to make food creamy, or fluffy, or filling. We’re sort of stumped on how we get baked goods to bind or rise without animal products. But, don’t let that kill your motivation. There are, fortunately, vegan alternatives for nearly any animal product your recipe might call for. As you slowly begin to accumulate new foods and ingredients and stock your pantry, you’ll stop having those, “Damn I have to run to the store” moments when you’re in the middle of cooking. You may even begin to experiment with your own ways to utilize these items. Here are kitchen must-haves that make veganism much easier.
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Nutritional yeast
If you’re a cheese lover who is trying to go vegan, you will need something to satisfy your cravings because you know the cravings are strong. There are many vegan cheeses out there, but nutritional yeast is beloved in the vegan community. A form of deactivated yeast, it’s usually sold in a powder or flake variety and is slightly yellow in color. Many vegans enjoy sprinkling it on food that would typically call for cheddar cheese or parmesan cheese, like quesadillas or bowls of pasta. It can be eaten cold, but also becomes nice and creamy when heated, which is why it makes a great addition to vegan mac and cheese.
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Coconut oil
If you do any sort of baking, you’re going to need coconut oil around. You’ll constantly be asked to use butter, and not know how to get fat or oil in your recipe without it. Luckily, coconut oil has similar properties to butter, becoming hard when chilled, and melting down nicely when heated, so it can often replace butter in baking recipes at a one-to-one ratio. It can also come in handy when a recipe calls for lard, adding a good amount of fat. Studies suggest consuming it regularly can help reduce belly fat, so consider finding more ways to use it, like for sauteeing veggies or adding it to oatmeal.
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Tempeh
Tempeh is a fermented product made from soybeans that has a nice, firm consistency and nutty flavor. It can be eaten raw or cooked but is often consumed hot after being grilled, baked, or boiled. It’s high in protein – one cup has 31 grams of the stuff – and because of its firmness, goes great in stirfries, or grilled up and put on a sandwich. It can generally be used in recipes that traditionally call for chicken, so consider adding chunks to a “chicken” noodle soup, or putting grilled pieces in a tortilla with veggies and hummus for a filling wrap.
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Vegetable stock
You’re going to need vegetable stock if you like to make soups, marinades, oven roasts (of vegan protein sources, of course), or just about anything that calls for a liquid, salty base. If your recipe asks for chicken or beef stock, you can use vegetable stock instead. You can make your own from scratch (we like this recipe), but it takes a lot of time, so buying it boxed or canned from the store works, too. You’ll definitely want this around for cold and flu season to make nourishing veggie soups or faux chicken noodle soup. It can also add moisture to casseroles.
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Soft tofu
Silken tofu will be your best friend if you often enjoy creamy foods but now can’t touch cream cheese, yogurt, and things like that because you’re a vegan. Super soft, silken tofu will easily blend into smoothies, adding a nice creamy base and protein to your beverage. It can also be used to replace ricotta (just add oregano, lemon juice, salt, and pepper for taste) to put in a vegan lasagna or spread on toast in place of cream cheese. When your sweet tooth calls, you can use it to make homemade puddings and custards, or filling for pies. Its neutral flavor makes it quite versatile.
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Flaxseeds
Flaxseeds are an impressive little superfood. They offer heart-healthy omega-3 fats, plenty of plant-based protein, and dietary fiber. One spoonful packs quite a punch. In fact, one tablespoon already offers about two grams of protein. Buy them whole or crushed, and when a recipe calls for eggs as a binding agent, use your flaxseeds. Simply mix up one tablespoon of flaxseed with three tablespoons of water. Let that sit in your fridge for about 15 minutes. After that, you’ll have something with the gelatinous texture of a raw egg to put in your baked goods. You can also simply sprinkle flaxseed on oatmeal or yogurt for protein.
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Applesauce
Applesauce is essential for vegan bakers. It can add subtle sweetness and moisture to baked goods like muffins and brownies, without adding fat or too much sugar. It can also replace eggs in some baked goods, and of course, tastes good on its own as a snack when you want a healthy treat. If you don’t have applesauce at home, or you like to do things yourself, you can easily make your own. Just dice up an apple or two, put it in a microwave-safe bowl, add water just about a centimeter above the apples, and microwave until soft (usually a few minutes). Then put that in a blender with cinnamon and your preferred amount of sugar.
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Tahini
Creamy texture and protein are two things you’ll often be chasing on a vegan diet, but not when you have tahini on hand. Made from ground hulled sesame seeds, tahini is something you may have already eaten many times without realizing it, as it’s a main ingredient in hummus. It’s rich in healthy fats and protein, and has a creamy consistency and nutty flavor. You can use it to make your own hummus, you can add it to salad dressing and marinades, or you can simply spread it on toast and get a similar taste of nut butter on toast. It can also go in smoothies for added protein and is sometimes useful in baked goods.
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Multiple types of non-dairy milk
Keeping several types of non-dairy milk on hand as a vegan is a smart idea because each one offers a slightly different flavor and, as such, goes well in different recipes and foods. Coconut milk is sweet, so it’s a good addition to baked goods and smoothies. When you need something neutral – like to add creaminess to sauces – unsweetened almond milk is a good bet. Should you be looking for something a little thicker in consistency, say to make lattes or add to porridge, try oat milk. Cashew milk is another option that will be a little sweet, and best suited for baked goods and smoothies.
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Dates
When baked goods call for maple syrup, you may quickly find that not all maple syrup is certified vegan. But dates can make a good substitute, adding the sugar and sticky consistency your recipe requires. They also just make delicious snacks or desserts on their own. They can be chopped up and added to vegan yogurt bowls or oatmeal, sliced up and added to toast with tahini, or tossed into sweet salads and smoothies. Consider stuffing them with vegan cheese for an interesting appetizer. When baking, you can soak dates in water until they soften, blend them up, and use the resulting ingredient in place of butter.
