At the start of the year, you may have set out to try the Veganuary diet or cut back on meat and dairy. What are the easiest changes you can make and what nutritious dishes are worth trying without too much effort?
“I'm pushing myself to experiment a lot more with different flavors from around the world because there's so much natural plant-based food out there.” say Sophie Sugrue, who last fall became the first finalist of the vegan MasterChef show.
Her favorite cuisines are “Japanese, because even though they use fish sauce, it can be substituted and they use a lot of tofu; Vietnamese food is incredible, because a lot of people follow a plant-based diet. If you go to a Vietnamese grocery store, you can find a lot of substitutes.”
Make sure your diet is balanced
“Make sure you eat all the food groups“, also recommends dietitian Reena Sharma, who suggests using the Eatwell Guide. Check that in the portion you eat “you have protein, healthy fats and omega-3sAlthough you can also get omega-3 from plants such as walnuts and flaxseed, the rate at which it is converted into what our bodies need is low, so Sharma recommends taking a supplement, The Guardian writes.
Ian Theasby – co-founder of BOSH!, a British brand known for promoting plant-based nutrition – who switched to a plant-based diet a decade ago with his friend Henry Firth advises: “Make sure you have a good variety of vegetables on your plate“, they say. “Color is a great way to see if you have variety in there and then add a little. I tend to have a jar of mixed seeds that go with basically anything. It's about making sure you get a good variety every day.”
Find your favorite protein sources
Theasby gets most of his protein from tofu, lentils and beans: “Ten years ago, I would have looked at them and said, “It's so boring and bland; why would I want to eat something like that?' But actually 50% of the protein I get now comes from these three ingredients, and they're so versatile.”
“Don't be discouraged if the initial intake of beans has a gassy effect“, says Rachel Ama, author of the book “One Pot: Three Ways” and the founder of Ama sauces, who became vegan nine years ago.People always say: “The more beans you eat, the more gas you get”. But your body adapts, your gut realigns. So if you still have gas, pass; it is not a permanent thing. Your gut enjoys it and will be able to handle it.”
“One of the big revelations for me was tempeh”says Richard Makin, author of School Night Vegan and Anything You Can Cook, I Can Cook Vegan. “Tempeh is a complete source of protein, so it has all the essential amino acids. It has a much higher protein content than tofu. It usually has about 25g of protein per 100g. Also, because it is fermented, it is much easier to digest. I try to include tempeh in as many foods as possible.”
“Put a block of tofu or tempeh into your pasta sauce and toss to add extra fiber, calcium and protein,” says Sharma.
Use tofu
“At first I really missed scrambled eggs, because it is a key code for quick nutrition and tasty meals” says Theasby. “So I came up with the “two tofu technique”.” This involves mixing the silky, firm tofu with several other ingredients, including black salt (kala namak). “It gives you the exact same feel, texture and satisfaction.”
“To start, take firm tofu and either break it up or cut it into small pieces. Then, add a tablespoon of cornstarch, take a non-stick pan, put some oil and cook it. This browns the outer layer and makes the inside a little softer, so you have two comparable textures. You smother it in a sauce and then you get the flavor, a little crunch and a soft center, and it's much nicer and more refined.”
“If you freeze tofu, you can get an amazing texture”says Sharma. “You thaw it, squeeze out all the water, and it becomes quite porous, so you can cook it in a broth, which will absorb the flavors. Or you can fry it or cover it with dough. Or you can take blocks of silken tofu and toss them in chili oil: it tastes so good and requires no cooking.“
Good nutrition for fitness
“People say you can't get enough protein or energy on a plant-based diet—that's bullshit” says Theasby. “I run ultramarathons.”
How do you fuel for it? “For races that are 50 kilometers and longer, I prepare by carb-feeding at least three days before. So that would be a big plate of pasta, sweet potatoes or rice. And then on race day, my standard breakfast would be bagels with a good amount of raspberry jam and peanut butter, for fat, protein, sugars and carbs. During the actual race, I simply collect a bunch of gels.” After that, and during training, he consumes plant-based protein powders and shakes.
Use milk and vegetable oil
When I bake, says Makin, “am tend to use plant milk as an alternative to eggs. I substitute 50 ml of a large egg, because it does about the same thing. I tend to use unflavored, unsweetened soy milk because soy is the plant milk with the highest lecithin content, which is a natural emulsifier found in soybeans—and also in egg yolks—and mimics the way an egg binds together quite tightly.”
Regarding butter, Makin says, “Unless you need a plant-based butter for the cream, it can easily be replaced with either vegetable oil or extra virgin olive oil. What I learned from Philip Khoury, a vegan baker and chocolatier, is that if you replace the butter in a recipe with oil, be it vegetable, sunflower, or olive, you only need 80% of the weight of the butter because so much of the butter is water. So if you're trying to convert a recipe, keep that in mind.”
Leave the cheese
Ama says cheese is the thing she missed the most: “There are some really good nut cheeses that are super cheesy and umami. But when it comes to processed vegan cheese, I'm not the biggest fan.”
“I still can't believe I've found vegan cheese”agrees Makin. “There are some products where the flavor is present but the texture is not. I tend to just do without.”
Focus on versatile vegetables
Before going vegan: “Me and eggplant didn't know each other, and now we are best friends” says Ama. “Because they have that unique texture, you can use them to thicken stews or bolognese, or you can smother them in a teriyaki sauce and have a silky texture that comes apart easily. They can be used in many different ways and are suitable as a main course or side dish.”
“I wasn't a big fan of mushrooms when I was a kid because they reminded me of snails” says Sugrue. “Now I've opened up to the world of mushrooms: there are so many different types and you can do so much with them.”
Veganize your favorite foods
“I like to think we all have eight recipes that we rotate through and maybe sometimes change the ingredients a little”says Makin. “My advice is always to try converting these dishes to vegan, so you don't feel so out of whack with your diet after making the switch.”
“Use the same formula as when you cook your favorite dishes“, adds Ama. “I like to use coconut milk, cumin, turmeric and onion. Instead of using regular chicken or any other meat, just put beans and more vegetables”
When you're out of inspiration on weeknights, try…
“I have a tofu tikka masala recipe on my blog”, says Makin. “It calls for vegan sour cream, which is probably the only processed ingredient out there. But I recently discovered that you can just blend the tofu with an upright blender and it completely replaces the sour cream. It's delicious and very high in fiber and protein, so it gives a nutritional boost. I also have a recipe for cauliflower cheese, which I'm obsessed with. It teaches you how to make a super creamy white sauce that doesn't require vegan cheese. And, of course, you can use it as bechamel, in a moussaka or lasagna.”
Ama recommends “a bean dish, with black beans, red beans, brown beans, and beluga lentils. Cook them with cinnamon, paprika, cumin, ground coriander, and tomato paste. Add some onions, peppers, tomatoes, vegetable stock, salt, pepper, then simmer and let the flavors infuse. It'll keep for a few days, and you can serve it with different things, like a baked potato, pasta or rice and avocado.” She also likes sweet potato brownies: “They're full of superfoods like sweet potatoes, cocoa, almond butter and dates.” and even small children drive them crazy.
Theasby says he lives by the mantra “chop, stir, fry“: “Take a block of tofu. Cut it into 2 cm pieces. Choose a vegetable of your choice, be it tomato, eggplant or carrot. Cut it into pieces about the same size as the tofu, then mix it with your favorite spices. I always add a little yeast, because it gives it a really nice umami flavor, but it's also very good for vitamin B12. Mix it with a little olive oil. Bake it for about 30 minutes, put it on a plate with some kimchi, hummus and salad. You get a plate of great food, but also lots of fiber, protein and plants. It's very easy to make and requires little washing up.”
Sharma recommends a dish that her mother used to cook for her. “It's an Indian dish called kitchari, and it's just lentils with rice. You put it in a slow cooker or a saucepan over low heat and add some spices like turmeric or garam masala and cumin and salt, and you cook it until it's like a risotto. You can have it for breakfast or lunch or a light dinner and add extras like pickles to make it a little more interesting.“
Sugrue likes to make pie in the oven with what's left in the fridge: “mushrooms, leeks, onions, garlic and then I use soy cream to make the sauce. You can add vegetable alternatives to chicken or chickpeas.“Homemade dough?”No – we don't have time for that in the middle of the week. It is bought from the store.”
Surprisingly, some of the ready-to-roll varieties are dairy-free anyway: “There are some good things you'd never think were vegan, and this is it.”
Don't worry if you make the occasional mistake
“Don't criticize yourself if it seems too difficultsays Theasby. “Most people will find it very difficult because it's new to them. So give yourself the opportunity to eat that bacon sandwich every now and then or a plate of scrambled eggs. It's about getting a lot more plant-based foods into your diet, which it's great for your health and the planet.”
