The Smoothie Vegetarians

Vegetarians often still eat eggs but vegans do not. Taking actual egg dishes out of the menu is easy enough, though you can still make a wicked scrambled "egg" dish with tofu. But what about all those recipes that need the egg as a binding ingredient? The unique qualities of an egg mean you can't just leave it out and you have to find a replacement that has brings the same chemistry to the recipe. Handy options to make vegan egg replacements There's an old vegan joke about someone who heard you can replace egg with applesauce, but isn't too happy about how his omelet turned out. I said it was an old joke, not a good one. But the point is pretty clear. Yes there are many ways to swap out the eggs in recipe, providing you know which is the best option for any specific recipe. Banana This is a tried and true option for a lot of baking recipes that require the moisture and binding qualities of an egg. A small ripe banana that has been mashed up c...

It may not sound too interesting (or appetizing), but nutritional yeast should be part of any healthy vegan diet. If you’re new to a vegan lifestyle than you may not know much about it yet and this is your chance to hop on the noochy bandwagon. Or even if you’re not vegan, you can still add a little of this stuff into your cooking for a nutritional boost. First thing to know is that this is not the same thing as baking or brewing yeast, but it is a form of yeast fungus (making it completely vegan). It comes in a thick flake, kind of like quick oats. Vegan places online sometimes call it nooch, and some countries call it “savory yeast” rather than nutritional yeast. The point is, it’s not baking yeast . Oh, and I should mention that it’s completely gluten-free too. Unlike the active yeast that is used to make baked goods rise, nutritional yeast is inert. It won’t have any chemical effect on your foods except to give a savory cheesy or nutty flavor to your dishes. Many...

One of my all-time FAVORITE foods is Chinese food. The other day while I was at the store I had the idea to make a tofu Chinese inspired dish. After gathering all of my ingredients, I rushed home and came up with this recipe! This dish had about 10 minutes of cook time, and I don't know about you but I am a sucker for quick Vegan dinners! The last thing I want to do at the end of the day is to stand over a hot stove preparing a meal. This recipe would be perfect to prepare before work and cook when you get home. I have been told tons of times that tofu is nasty. That it has a nasty texture or that it is flavorless. I am going to share a few of my "Top Secret" tofu tips with you. The first tip is to remove as much water as possible. You can do this by putting two paper towels and setting something heavy on top of it. Like a book or cast iron skillet.   The second tip is to marinate it. When people say that tofu does not have any flavor, they are completely...