Our Favorite Substitution Recipes

One of the biggest complaints we hear from new vegans is how to make their favorite non-vegan dish in a vegan way. And in truth, not every omnivore dish can translate to a vegan equivalent. Still, we wanted to share some of our favorite substitution recipes.

 

French toast (pictured). When we first went vegan, this was among the most frustrating things to try and create. For some reason, vegan French toast recipes often just didn’t work. We tried many from aquafaba to JUST Egg, to flax and many other variants. None of them had the right consistency or taste. Until we stumbled on this winner of a recipe which is simple and perfect every time, adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance.

1 cup oat milk

2 tbs cornstarch

¼ cup chickpea flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon to taste, and several tsp Earth Balance on the griddle.

Combine the mix, and dip in some Trader Joe’s vegan brioche. This is the perfect vegan French Toast

 

Cheesesteak – Yup, some people just love cheesesteaks. And not all vegan cheesesteaks are equal. But our favorite is simple and a go-to recipe, highly adapted from the nacho cheese recipe 30-Minute Vegan.

  ½ cup nutritional yeast

  2 tbs flour

  1 tsp onion powder

   ¾ cup soy milk

   ½ tsp salt

Mix the above together in a bowl. Then add to 2 lbs seitan (we use Trader Joe’s beefless grounds) and onion in a large pan. Mix with a ½ cup of soy sauce and 2 tbs of ketchup, plus a generous dah of black pepper. Simple and delicious cheesesteaks!

 

Seafood – missing that fishy taste? Need something to replace it? The following recipe was made up by husband as a seafood blend. The blend of heart of palm and Old Bay works perfectly, and can be adapted to many seafood dishes.

3 cans of heart of palm (must be canned for proper taste)

2 cans of chick peas, drained

3 chopped bell peppers

1 onion

2 tomatoes

Juice of 3 lemons

Simmer the onions and peppers, then add all other ingredients. Asparagus also works well in this blend. Top with 3 tbs of Old Bay seasoning and a dash of nutritional yeast. Serve with vegan cheese for an extra treat. Delicious!