Trying to live a vegan lifestyle can be complicated, especially for people who grew up in omnivore households. First, you have to get past the judgmental glances from family members.
Second, you have to constantly respond to the “Where do you get your protein?” queries, as if these 19 fruits, vegetables and snacks don’t exist.
Third, there’s the ultimate challenge. This is the one where you realize milk and sugar are in so many food products you never even thought they made sense in, ranging from salt n’ vinegar chips to ketchup. Crackers, salad dressing and even some cocktails have to be pushed to the side.
Although it may be a disappointment to those who are lactose intolerant, they have a head start on staying away from dairy foods. According to Boston Children’s Hospital, while 30 to 50 million Americans are lactose intolerant, a whopping 80% of all African-Americans and Native Americans are lactose intolerant. That full carton of milk in the fridge could lead to embarrassing stomach grumbling, nausea, vomiting, bloating, belly pains, diarrhea and general misery.
Got an empty carton? Try these seven milk substitutes that will be a relief to plant-friendly eaters and anti-dairy consumers alike.
Cashew Cheese for Nachos
Most of the ingredients to make this vegan cheese mix are probably already in your cabinets or spice rack.
- 1-1/2 cups raw cashews
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 jalapeno, chopped (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
The longest part of preparing this vegan cheese, which can be used on anything you already prefer melted cheese on (ex. nachos, taco bowl, pasta) is waiting 45 minutes for the cashews to soak. If you’re not in a hurry, pour the cashews in a bowl of water and let them naturally soften for a few hours. If you don’t have almond milk on hand, using water doesn’t taste too different (mainly because unsweetened almond milk is nowhere near as sweet as flavored almond milk).
Nutritional yeast can be on the pricy side, but the great thing about it is it comes in handy for other snacks. (We’ll touch on that later.) Once your cashews are soaked, mix all the ingredients and blend. Besides testing for spiciness, do not try to immediately serve. This tastes much better after being refrigerated, so the ingredients can properly hold together and thicken.
If you want to add black or pinto beans and a meat substitute to your tortilla chips and vegan cashew cheese, you’ll have a scrumptious plate of loaded nachos to devour. Serve as you wish. Share if you can keep your hands out of the plate.
Nutritional Yeast for Popcorn
If you enjoy cheese popcorn but the results of eating it ruin the rest of your movie night, skip the dairy toppings and sprinkle nutritional yeast on your air-popped popcorn instead. It costs less than buying vegan popcorn in prepared bags and gives you another place to use that vegan melted cheese ingredient. Even if you’re a popcorn lover, it’ll take a while to get through the average size (5 ounces) of a nutritional yeast bag. Meant to be used as a seasoning, nutritional yeast can be used the same way you would use grated Parmesan cheese on pizza or as a salad dressing ingredient.
Cream Cheese for Bagels
Your chances of finding dairy-free bagels are slim to none unless you go to Whole Foods Market or a health food store like it. (Retailers such as Walmart and Target have started catching up with the vegan and vegetarian food craze, although most of their plant-friendly options are frozen or already prepared.) Ingredients for vegan cream cheese are easier to find though.
- 1-1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked
- 1/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons chopped chives (optional)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder (optional)
Vegan Butter
While vegan butter is easily found in popular grocery retailers, the price of a 15-ounce bucket may be the same price as a 45-ounce dairy version. Look at the labels carefully though. Unlike butter, which has plenty of dairy milk fat, margarine is often dairy-free and vegan. Some brands may include animal derivatives such as casein, lactose, milk and whey. But other margarines use pea protein and soybeans.
Read the ingredients before you buy the first thing that says “vegan.” You may find you can save more money from checking out the nutrition label on a popular brand that’s improved over the years versus a new brand you don’t know much about.
Almond Milk, Cashew Milk or Soy Milk
These three milk substitutes are easy to purchase in pretty much any grocery store. They’re even found in dollar-value stores. If you’re in the mood, you can even make your own nut milk from home with Yeung Man Cooking’s easy-to-make recipe.- 6 cups filtered water
- 1-1/2 cups raw almonds
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 2 cups filtered water
For soy milk:
- 6 ounces dried soybeans (non-GMO or organic preferred)
- 6 cups water, filtered or spring preferred (not including water for soaking)
popular posts
FOLLOW ALONG ON INSTAGRAM
#homeandtexture
Find us on social for more home inspiration where culture, personal style, and sophisticated shopping intersect to help you create a home where you love to live.