Meatless Makeovers and Dairy-Free Delights

It can be especially difficult when you’re confronted with the holidays or someone else’s eating habits, like when they eat bacon or sour cream.

But what if you learned how to transform any dish into plant-based PARADISE? You’d be jumping for joy. Let’s not pine over what’s missing. Take joy and celebrate the amazing abundance of delicious WHOLE FOODS that are available. AND, be happy that with a little skill and knowledge, you can retool your favorites TO BECOME A MEATLESS MASTER! This, of course, includes dairy, too.

Let’s take these recipe babies apart and retool them into plant-based goodness.

Although there are many vegan “meat” choices at the market, most of them have too much oil or salt, so we’ll be sticking with better choices. However, if you’re new to eating a plant-based diet and need a quickie that will save you time…. there are many store-bought substitutes for just about any meat you need for a recipe.

Just be sure to use meat substitutes sparingly and think about healthy plant-based recipes instead.

How to Make Any Recipe Plant-Based and Vegan

1. RETHINK YOUR MEAT SOURCES:
Instead of meat, try substituting it with legumes, such as lentils, chickpeas, and black beans, which are not only excellent sources of protein but also provide essential nutrients like fiber and iron. Consider tofu, tempeh, or seitan as versatile meat substitutes that can be marinated and cooked to mimic various textures and flavors.

Leaving out the meat is easy enough. A lot of dishes can be just excellent on their own without the meat. Take Chicken Divan. It has lots of veggies, so leave out the meat or add in a meatless alternative such as sausage, tempeh, or baked tofu. Here’s my take on one of my most popular recipes, Cheeze Veggie Divan.

In a dish that has bacon, you can substitute tempeh bacon, either store-bought or homemade. Make a list of your favorite meals and see if you could leave out the meat… Here are a few to get you going: spaghetti, tacos, burritos, fried rice, chili, curries, or lasagna.

2. REPLACE THE DAIRY:
Say goodbye to traditional dairy products and embrace plant-based alternatives. Use one of the many plant milk products. Replace cow’s milk with nut or seed milk like almond, soy, or oat milk, which are widely available. For creamy textures, coconut milk or cashew cream can be used in recipes like soups, sauces, and desserts.

Or, make your own with this recipe for almond milk. Plant milk is also easy to make with The Nutr Machine. Here’s my take on The Nutr, Review: The Nutr Machine and How to Make Plant Milk.

Vegan cheeses made from nuts or soy are also great alternatives for adding a cheesy touch to your favorite dishes.

Pump up the creaminess of any non-dairy milk by adding a few raw cashews to a high-powered blender and blending until smooth with a little liquid.  Or, use a can of cannellini beans which adds creaminess.

Often, cheese can just be eliminated altogether, but if it seems crucial, a little nutritional yeast can substitute.

There are many tutorials online on how to make your own vegan cheese, and in a pinch, you can use store-bought vegan cheese, but I haven’t been impressed (except for a few artisanal kinds of cheese like Treeline brand).

3. REPLACE THE EGGS:
Here are some easy replacement choices. If you’re baking and need something to rise, 1 egg = 3 Tablespoons water plus 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseeds.

If you need something to stick together, use 2 tablespoons of flour or cornstarch + 2 tablespoons of water. And, here’s an odd one, use the left-over brine from a can of chickpeas. I know it sounds strange, but this magical juice can actually be whipped. The proteins from the chickpeas must pretty closely mimic egg whites. Really, watch this video.

Read more about egg replacements in my article, Plant-Based Substitutions.

4. REPLACE THE OIL & BUTTER:
OK, this one can be a little more difficult, depending on the recipe. Here are some tips.

• Sautéing: use water, wine, or veggie stock or water flavored with soy sauce. It works really well with any vegetable, including mushrooms. They will be the most outstanding and flavorful mushrooms you’ve ever had because you won’t taste the oil. Just the true essence of the veg. Mmmmm, so good!
• Thickening sauces: use flour or cornstarch.
• In a baked recipe: use a fruit puree like applesauce or bananas, but only use about half of what’s called for in the recipe. Apparently, vegetable purees work, too, like pumpkin puree.

Two Vegan Recipes to Consider

Potatoes Au Gratin: What’s cheesier, creamier, and meatier than potatoes au gratin with bacon? Substitute the cream or milk with non-dairy, the cheese with a little nutritional yeast, and the bacon with tempeh bacon. Sounds easy, right? Here’s the recipe for Potato Gratin with Jalapeño and Bacon.

Cheese Sauce: Substitute cashew or cannellini beans and a roasted or raw red pepper, a little mustard, lemon, and nutritional yeast, and voila… pretty good substitution for the cheese sauce.

Yes, it won’t taste exactly like cheese, but boy, if you can get around to liking it, you are one inspired plant-based eater. Here’s an amazing Chili-Cheese Dip with Beans for dipping your baked tortilla chips into… yum.

I may have left out something, so I’d love to hear how you’re transforming YOUR recipes. Let me know in the comments below.

If you’re looking for a good reference, try this: Plant-Based Substitutions.

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