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Notes about Recipe Ingredients
There is a lot of information here. Don't let it overwhelm you.Vegan products are easy to find these days,
but it's still a good idea to educate yourself about ingredients, and know what is what.
Soymilk
In all/most recipes, milk can be replaced with Soy"milk", Soy Beverage, Rice "Milk", Oat "Milk", and other non-dairy "milk"/beverages. There are many brands of such products, with Amethyst's favorite being "Silk" Soymilk. Silk also makes vegan yogurt (with live active cultures), and non-dairy creamer!Amethyst uses Silk soymilk when making cakes and other desserts, vegan macaroni and cheese, hot chocolate, and pretty much everything which calls for milk.
Margarine
Many vegan recipes call for margarine or vegan butter.There are many vegan margarines out there, you just have to read the label, since many margarines and butters do contain dairy (not vegan).
Some of the recipes on this website have links to show examples of vegan margarine/butter, but they are there as helpful examples,
and any vegan margarine/butter will do (You don't have to use one brand over another, as long as it's vegan).
One examples of vegan margarine/butter/shortening can be found by clicking on this link:
Earth Balance
You may also look to see if the margarine you are considering is kosher.
If it is marked as being kosher dairy, it probably contains dairy.
If it is marked as being "Parve" or "Pareve", then it contains no dairy.
Fleischman's brand (found in many grocery stores) makes both dairy and vegan margarine/butter.
Vegan versions of Fleischman's butter are marked "Parve" or "Pareve".
Egg Replacer
Ener-G Egg Replacer is a powder, to be mixed with water, and can be used instead of eggs in most (baking) recipes.Ener-G Egg Replacer is very inexpensive, and one box goes a long way!
Other options to replace eggs in baking:
1/4 Cup Applesauce to replace each egg
1/2 large Banana, mashed, to replace each egg
Experimenting is the best way to figure out which substitute you prefer for each individual recipe.
Notes from Anne Lynch, personal chef
Most of the recipes on this site are from Anne Lynch, vegan personal chef.Here are some notes about her cooking:
Chef’s Notes:
I rarely measure anything (except when baking). So the recipes on this site are flexible. Add more or less, to your own taste.
Also, if you don’t like a particular vegetable or bean used, you can usually substitute it for one you do like. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
One of my dearest friends is allergic to onions, so I’ve learned to tailor my recipes to accommodate her.
In almost all of the recipes where onions are listed, they are actually optional.
In most soups, I use a 1:1 ratio of vegetable broth and water, because most vegetable broths on the market are very salty,
and I like to control how much salt goes into the food I prepare. So, if something requires four cups of vegetable broth, I use 2 cups broth and 2 cups water.
Read every recipe all the way through before you make it, to make sure you have all the equipment, and any garnishes recommended that you want to use.
When baking, the “toothpick method” is one of the most fail-safe ways to tell if something is done.
Stick a toothpick (or a knife, or chopstick) in the middle of whatever it is you are baking, and if it comes out clean, it means it’s done.
I can’t take all the credit for how wonderfully these recipes turn out. My mother is a huge inspiration, and got me in the kitchen early on in life to help her.
When she and I get together, one of our favorite things to do is cook and play around with recipes. Thanks, Mom!
If you ever have any questions, please feel free to email me – I will happily answer them.
At the moment, I have no email access on weekends, so it may take a day or two for me to get back to you, but I promise I will!
Site by Tony Zilionis.