One important thing you have to learn as a vegan's parent is how to read food labels. We're used to doing this for calories, saturated fat, and sodium, but now you're in new territory. Who knew so many ingredients come from animals?
Some things are obvious and can be quickly spotted - look at the allergy warning at the end of the ingredients list and if it contains eggs or milk, put it back. Butter, whey, gelatin and lard are also no-nos. Look for honey, too, since many vegans avoid it. There are lots of other ingredients to avoid, though, that most of us are not familiar with. Casein, for example, is derived from milk. And what the heck is sodium stearoyl lactylate?
Don't worry - You don't have to buy "weird" or unfamiliar products to make goodies for your vegan and the rest of the family. I like to make blueberry muffins using a package mix and fresh blueberries (lots of them!). I have discovered that some mainstream brands are vegan friendly and some are not. You guessed it - read the label! When preparing the package mix, or even when using your own recipe, substitute soy milk, almond milk, or orange juice for the milk, and replace the eggs with Ener-G Egg Replacer. It's a powder (made from potato starch, tapioca starch and other stuff) that you mix with water. Whip with a whisk until it looks foamy like a beaten egg white, then let it sit for a few minutes to thicken. Otherwise, the muffins will be gummy.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
feeding your vegan while keeping your sanity
Cooking dinner for a family is hard enough, given the various likes/dislikes of each person. But when your formerly vegetarian daughter comes home from college and announces that she has become a vegan, things get a little tricky.
In case you don't know, a vegan does not eat anything that comes from an animal. No meat. No chicken. No fish. No eggs. No dairy. For many vegans, not even honey.
What's a mom to do? Friends and relatives have a simple solution. If she doesn't want to eat what I cook, they say, I should just let her fend for herself.
No way. I am a mother. I feed my children. Even when one is vegan and the other hates beans and lentils. (OK, I didn't say this would be easy.) My husband, bless his heart, will eat just about anything.
Fortunately, I like to cook, and I like to read cookbooks (more than I like to actually cook). And since you're trying to avoid complete rebellion by the rest of the family, every single thing on the table doesn't have to be vegan. You can serve chicken, for example, and make the other dishes vegan-friendly. That might be something as simple as using non-dairy margarine on the vegetables instead of butter. Just be sure that there is another protein source, even if it's served on the side (such as nuts or beans to add to the salad).
There's more to come in future posts .Looking forward to hearing from you -
Mom J
In case you don't know, a vegan does not eat anything that comes from an animal. No meat. No chicken. No fish. No eggs. No dairy. For many vegans, not even honey.
What's a mom to do? Friends and relatives have a simple solution. If she doesn't want to eat what I cook, they say, I should just let her fend for herself.
No way. I am a mother. I feed my children. Even when one is vegan and the other hates beans and lentils. (OK, I didn't say this would be easy.) My husband, bless his heart, will eat just about anything.
Fortunately, I like to cook, and I like to read cookbooks (more than I like to actually cook). And since you're trying to avoid complete rebellion by the rest of the family, every single thing on the table doesn't have to be vegan. You can serve chicken, for example, and make the other dishes vegan-friendly. That might be something as simple as using non-dairy margarine on the vegetables instead of butter. Just be sure that there is another protein source, even if it's served on the side (such as nuts or beans to add to the salad).
There's more to come in future posts .Looking forward to hearing from you -
Mom J
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