1. Make it yourself.
Sure, it sucks trying to find packaged food that’s vegan. But
cooking at home doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, the beauty of a
plant-based diet is its simplicity. You can make things fancy if you like, but
make it from scratch. Then you control what goes into it.
2. Explore, don’t
modify.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when cooking vegan
is trying to make something that is non-vegan into something that’s vegan. Why
make fake meat when you can do any number of things that are inherently vegan? Most
curries,
stir-fries, and any number of wraps,
dips and
spreads are vegan. It’s
much simpler to start there, rather than try to make meatless meat or take the
animal products out of recipes that need them.
3. Don’t forget that
vegans eat more than vegetables.
It can get daunting to think about all the things that
vegans can’t eat. Really, once we get past meat, dairy and eggs, there isn’t
much else to worry about. And while that may seem like a lot, remember that any
plant-based food (all
grains,
legumes,
nuts, seeds, and of course, fruits and
veggies) are fair game.
There are lots of simple ways to modify recipes to make them vegan. Next time you make a stew and you have all kinds of carrot
peels and onion skins left over, boil up
some
vegetable stock and freeze it. Have some
ground flaxseed on hand at all times. With these simple preparations, you can whip up a
delicious squash soup with cranberry muffins in under an hour for last-minute
visits from vegan guests. It makes all the difference.
5. Swap out your
sugar.
What most people don’t know is that the vast majority of commercially-sold
sugar is processed using animal bones, and so it isn’t vegan. Switch to cane sugar
that is organic, kosher, and/or
Fair Trade to be sure that it was processed
naturally. If it’s pure white in colour, it’s probably not vegan.
6. Find a buddy or
two.
Cooking is so much more fun when you’re doing it for more
than one person. When I first became vegan, I felt really tired of the same old
foods, because I’d cook and then have to eat the same thing for several days
because I was on my own. (That’s when being vegan starts to feel like a
limitation and chore.) Try alternating cooking at your house, then at a friend’s
and share the meal—that way you get delicious variety and some quality time all
at once!
7. Develop favourite
brands.
Once you find something at the store that fits the bill,
make note of it. Try a few different brands to find out what you like, and then
stick with your favourite. You’ll save time at the grocery and it makes it
easier to collaborate, too. Your partner/roommate/friend sees the same bin of
margarine in your fridge all the time, so when you ask him/her to grab another
bin while at the grocery, it’s not so daunting anymore!
8. Create a backup repertoire.
You’re certain to find some
recipes that are keepers, and
that are fun and/or quick to make. When you do, keep them, and also keep the non-perishable
ingredients on hand so that you can make it on short notice.
9. If cooking for a
vegan friend, give it a try yourself.
If the only time you cook vegan is for when Betty comes
over, it’s entirely possible that you’re going to be much less fond of Betty in
short order. Try vegan dishes at home from time to time so that you can get
used to cooking vegan. You’ll probably even find that there are
things you’realready eating that are vegan! (In my 20s, I learned that my grandmother’s
raisin
cake, which I’ve eaten since birth, doesn’t have any egg or butter because those
ingredients were rationed during the war.)
10. Try new
ingredients.
Veganism is a good way to try new things and have fun with
your cooking! I never tried
kale, eggplant, almond milk, quinoa, or spaghetti squash
until I turned veggie, and now they’re some of my favourite foods!
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