A vegan diet is free of animal products. No meat, fish, chicken, dairy products (animal milk, yogurt, cheese, butter, etc.), eggs, honey, gelatin or meat broth.
“What else is there for you to eat?” is one of the questions often asked. Well … seitan with fries, vegetable stews, tofu, pancakes, lasagna, risotto, pizzas, etc. … From fast food to whole foods, there’s something for everyone. Vegan cuisine is very varied and immensely large: vegetables, fruits, cereals, legumes, nuts, seeds, and herbs. They exist in a wide variety and can be combined in delicious dishes. If you immerse yourself in vegan cuisine, you will notice that you have absolutely nothing to lose!
But there is more. Many foods from our Western diet can be found in an all-plant variety or you can also make them yourself easily.
The Vegan Pantry
Cereals: there is a wide variety of cereals, one thinks of wheat in the form of bread, pasta, and rice. You can also take a tour of a typical macrobiotic diet with cooked cereals such as millet, barley, and rye.
Legumes: Lentils and beans are inexpensive and are ideal sources of protein. With lentils, you can make a very tasty Dahl or burgers. With beans, you can prepare burgers and spreads and they fit very well into stews and chilis. You will find them cheap in cans in supermarkets.
Nuts and seeds: nuts can be more expensive, but luckily you do not need them in large quantities. The seeds are much cheaper. With sunflower seeds, for example, you can make a “cheese sauce”. Or sprinkle your salad, it’s very good to bring extra protein.
Seitan, tofu, tempeh: three traditional sources of protein. Seitan is often used to replace meat in traditional dishes such as a roast or pickled on skewers, cut into small pieces in a vegan kebab. If you are more adventurous, you can experiment with homemade seitan. You can then completely customize it according to your preferences. Not everyone is immediately attracted to tempeh’s taste, although the smoke version may please many. With tofu, you can do a lot of things: oven-baked tofu cubes, as a quiche garnish, fried tofu donuts, etc. to name a few. There is regular firm tofu and a little more liquid tofu called silky tofu. Tofu is versatile and has the unique property of absorbing the flavor of other foods.
Egg substitutes: you can make cakes without eggs. Possible substitutes are, for example, silky tofu, flax or chia seeds, applesauce, egg substitutes, vegetable yogurt, ripe banana … Instead of planting a recipe with eggs, choose an existing vegan version. Try our delicious vegan brownie!
Dairy substitutes: vegetable milk, yogurt, pudding, and cream can be purchased at the store. There are variants based on soy, oats, rice, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, etc. Some organic stores and specialty stores have whipped cream ready to use (bomb) and at Alpro, there is “whipping cream soy,” with a little luck you will find that at the supermarket. Today, you can find in many supermarkets and organic vegan cheese shops. One will be good as a slice in a sandwich, the other will be ideal for a pizza. There are many different types, try as much as possible to discover your favorite. The aces in the kitchen can experiment with their own vegan cheese made from cashews and tofu, for example. And also, the availability of vegan ice cream is in clear progression.
Interesting Vegan Ingredients To Spice Things Up
Flakes of noble yeast or malted yeast: the panacea for vegans. Not only does it taste like cheese, but it also provides even more vitamins. You can sprinkle them in spaghetti or turn them into parmesan, cheese sauce, pesto … all you want to give a cheese flavor. Read our blog about noble yeast or malted yeast.
Black salt or kala namak: ideal to give the dishes an egg taste thanks to the slight taste of sulfur. Use it in scrambled tofu, vegan egg salad or even vegan.
Soy sauce: provides an extra salty flavor. Variants such as tamari, shoyu or ketjap manis are readily available.
Bouillon: practical to bring flavor to your dishes. Do it yourself or buy 100% vegetable powder or cubed broth.
Coconut milk: Use it in your favorite curry, to make ice cream or whipped cream. With coconut milk, you can do a lot of things.