Healthy Vegan Baking Swaps!
Two of my very best friends are vegetarian and after moving in with them, I found myself transitioning to a vegetarian diet. Not long after, our fourth roommate moved in and he was a vegan! This was uncharted territory to me; veganism has always been extreme to me. I mean, how could one LIVE without eggs, butter, or CHEESE?! A choice I couldn't quite make for myself but I respected his dedication to that lifestyle. It wasn't long after he moved in that one of my vegetarian roommates developed gluten sensitivity and transitioned herself to a gluten-free diet. Having all of these dietary restrictions under one roof was going to make meal time interesting!
More about me, I LOVE to bake. Love, love, love it! Probably because I secretly love eating the batter and having that first, fresh and warm cookie or muffin. And now that my treats needed to appeal to both a vegan and gluten-free diet, it was time to get creative.
I quickly discovered the various vegan baking hacks and they are really quite simple.
· First off, eggs:
o Bananas! ½ cup of mashed banana = 1 egg
o Applesauce! ¼ cup applesauce = 1 egg. Applesauce works great in cakey treats, like muffins or cupcakes.
o I personally use flax meal! This stuff goes so far and is relatively inexpensive. It takes only 1 tbsp to equal one egg! Put 1 tbsp of flax meal into a bowl and add 3 tbsp of warm water, mix and let sit for a few minutes before adding to your recipe. The combination mimics the texture perfectly and acts as a binder to hold your ingredients together.
o 1 tbsp chia seeds and 1/3 cup of water can also be mixed together for the same effect!
· Milk! This one is probably the easiest because there are no proportion differences. If you want to use almond milk, soy milk or rice milk, simply replace it!
· Now, for butter:
o I like to use coconut oil. This stuff can get a little expensive but if you have access to a Costco or a Sam’s Club, they generally sell coconut oil in big tubs for only slightly more than a little jar from the grocery store. In my personal experience, coconut oil goes a little further than butter. Say a recipe calls for ½ cup butter and you want to use coconut oil, start off with 1/3 cup coconut oil and add more to reach a desired consistency!
o ½ cup mashed banana also works great for quick cakes, coffee cakes and pancakes
o Or Canola oil will work just fine, it just doesn't have as many health benefits as coconut oil or bananas.
Here are some links to sites with more in depth info and more swap suggestions!
And a link to a delicious vegan recipe for chocolate chip banana squares! When I made them they came out sort of like brownies with a cakier fluffier consistency.
Thanks for reading and happy baking!
Emily Curci
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