Veganizing VitaMix Recipes

Hi Sassy! I have been thinking about buying a Vitamix for about 5 years. A lot of the Vitamix recipes use dairy. Do you have recommendations for veganizing the Vitamix recipes? Maybe you should publish a download to go along with the purchase! ;)

I'm really interested in "cheese" sauces and "ice-creams" ...

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Sassy Sez: Honestly, it's superbly easy to veganize just about any recipe you can find out there, including Vitamix recipes.

Some ideas...

1. To replace milk in your recipe, substitute a non-dairy milk in a one-for-one ratio. So if your recipe calls for 1 cup of milk, you can use 1 cup of soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, or oat milk (my personal preference is Pacific Natural Foods' Plain Oat Milk).
   
   Non-dairy milks each have their own texture and mouth feel. If one turns you off, don't give up! Experiment with the various brands and flavors until you find one you love.
   
   Non-dairy milks usually come in plain, vanilla, and chocolate flavors. I prefer plain, but you can play around with these flavors.



2. There are many cheese substitutes available these days, but two of my favorites are Follow Your Heart and Daiya.



3. My favorite substitute for eggs and the one I recommend, is flax eggs. These little dollops of goo mimic eggs and the results are outstanding. It's the only vegan egg replacer I use.
   
   Plus, flax seeds are superbly good for you.
   
   Flax Eggs
   1/3 cup flax seeds
   1 cup water
   
   Grind flax seeds in a Vitamix or blender until powdered. Slowly add water and blend until it produces a gooey mixture.
   
   1 Tablespoon = 1 egg
   This makes 6 flax "eggs".
   
   *Refrigerate unused flax eggs in refrigerator for up to 6 days. (Be sure to clean out blender immediately or you'll end up with cement. Seriously.)
   
   Please note: Flax eggs are not meant to be a replacement for dishes such as scrambled eggs or quiche; tofu is a better choice for these sorts of dishes.



4. To replace butter, use a non-hydrogenated butter substitute. The one I use and recommend is called Earth Balance. You can find it in most health food stores, and even many mainstream grocery stores. If not, ask for it. (By the way, there is a similar product by the same company called Smart Balance, but this is not vegan.)



5. To substitute buttermilk mix non-dairy milk with a foodie acid such as lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, or brown rice vinegar and let sit for 5-10 minutes.



6. To substitute cream in your vegan baking, look for Silk's Original Flavor Soy Creamer. It really does the trick.



7. Tofutti's 'Better Than Cream Cheese' is a good substitute for dairy cream cheese.



8. To replace powdered milk try 'Better Than Milk'.



9. To replace chicken, try Chicken-Flavored Seitan.

But please use many of these products sparingly, since they are very processed and not the best for your optimum health.

By the way, most of these products can be found at my favorite vegan online store Vegan Essentials.

Hope this helps! xo




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