January is all about vegan nutrition. As part of Veganuary, many people make the resolution to start the new year free of animal products. The idea behind it: to eat a plant-based diet for a month in order to contribute to animal welfare, the environment and your own health.
In principle it sounds like a good thing, but the vegan “run of the mill” diet is often discredited because its culinary focus is mainly on industrially produced substitute products. The criticism: Additives, flavor enhancers and thickeners make the alternatives neither healthier nor more sustainable. In addition, thanks to the “vegan” label, the products are comparatively expensive, even if they are sometimes made from inexpensive ingredients.
But a vegan diet should not be reduced to substitute products. Although they have the advantage of making it easier for newcomers to switch to a plant-based diet free of animal products, they can ultimately also be replaced with “real” food.
Important: This article refers solely to food selection, not to important nutrients that must be supplemented as part of a vegan diet (including with substitute products). These include, for example, vitamin B12, iron or Omega 3.
Sausages, schnitzel, minced meat and even smoked salmon – the supermarket’s refrigerated section now has plenty of vegan and vegetarian alternatives to your favorite sausage or fish. The dishes can also be recreated from natural ingredients without the help of the food manufacturers.
There are processed soy products such as feto, tofu or tempeh that score points with their short list of ingredients and their health-promoting, probiotic effects. If you still want to forego these, you can make homemade, vegan meat dishes based on legumes or vegetables. Ideas would be – in addition to falafels – balls or patties made from chickpeas, kidney beans or lupins. Not only are they reminiscent of the original in terms of taste and appearance, but they also shine with their high vegetable protein content. Minced meat can also be replaced with red lentils or with kernels and seeds. Cooked in a tasty sauce, the plant-based alternatives can compete with the original such as Bolognese, Chili Con Carne and Co.
Matching recipes:
As an alternative to store-bought vegan smoked salmon, you can make a plant-based version using carrots. Not only the color but also the taste looks deceptively real thanks to the smoked salt, nori and marinade. To do this, cut the carrots into fine strips, preferably with a peeler, boil them briefly in hot water and then marinate them in a broth made from oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, smoked salt and algae.
Admittedly, creating an alternative to fried eggs is virtually impossible. Scrambled eggs, on the other hand, can be ideally made from natural tofu. If you want to avoid tofu, a variant made from chickpea flour is also suitable. To do this, mix 100 grams of the flour with spices of your choice (e.g. turmeric, paprika, chives) as well as pepper and Kala Namak salt with a little baking powder and 2.5 times the amount of water. Fry the dough like a pancake in a little oil, chop it up and enjoy it with whole grain bread. Kala Namak salt, which is also known as sulfur salt, provides the typical egg taste.
The vegan alternatives to yoghurt, milk and the like are also “processed” per se – even if the ingredients list of a purchased, “clean” soy drink can only consist of soybeans, water and salt. However, the products can be made just as well at home and are also significantly cheaper in terms of price. A vegan milk made from nuts – e.g. from almonds, cashews or hazelnuts – can be made using just a straining cloth. For one liter of nut drink you need 200 grams of nuts. Allow the nuts to soak overnight, discard the soaking water, and then place the nuts in a high-speed blender along with a liter of water. Then pour it through the strainer cloth into a container and collect the liquid. The vegan drink will keep well sealed in the refrigerator for several days. Cheese alternatives can also be conjured up in no time at all from seeds and nuts. With the right seasoning and the addition of yeast flakes, the typical cheesy taste is created without any cow’s milk.
If you have starter cultures on hand, you can also prepare a plant-based yogurt. Oat flakes or nuts serve as the basis, and the homemade nut drink can also be processed into yoghurt. You can find the recipe below. Cream can also be replaced in no time: the thick coconut portion of a well-chilled can of high-fat coconut milk can not only be used in sauces, but can also be whipped until stiff with a mixer. Nut butters can also replace cream in both savory and sweet dishes. To do this, “extend” the almond or cashew butter with a dash of water, mix it and use it as usual.
Suitable recipes
Eggs, butter and gelatin can easily be replaced with vegan alternatives made from natural foods. The binding power of an egg when baking cakes can, for example, be created by a linseed egg. To do this, mix one tablespoon of the seeds with three tablespoons of water, let the mixture swell and then use like a conventional egg. Fruit puree is also an option. A mashed banana, for example, creates a particularly loose consistency; the disadvantage here is its intense taste.
However, if you need egg whites, you can use aquafaba. The soaking water from chickpeas can be whipped like egg white with a splash of lemon juice and a little cream of tartar and then used. For one egg you need about three teaspoons of aquafaba.
Instead of butter or the plant-based equivalent of margarine, you can use nut butter or coconut oil when cooking and baking. 75 to 80 milliliters of oil replace 100 grams of butter or margarine. If you prefer something lighter, you can replace 100 grams of butter with a mixture of 120 grams of (homemade) oat yogurt and a tablespoon of semolina.
Gelatine ensures stability in baked goods, jams and desserts. The plant counterpart “Agar Agar” is made from dried seaweed, but is of course also processed industrially. If you like it more natural, you can use chia seeds for jam, for example.
Suitable recipes
also read
Protein sources for vegans: These are the best sources of protein
Baking without flour: an overview of gluten-free flour alternatives
