Vegan 101
Are you curious about veganism and how it can benefit your health, the environment and most importantly the animals?
veg·an (/ˈvēgən/)
“Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose." ~ The Vegan Society
Why you should go vegan!
For Your Health
For the Planet
For the Animals

Resources
Websites
Videos to Watch
Our Favorite Recipes
These are a few of our favorite EASY vegan recipes, we usually always have these ingredients on hand so we are contasntly making these dishes! Keep checking back for more of our favorites.
Breakfast Burrito
8 ounces extra-firm tofu
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 red onion
1/2 red pepper
2 cups spinach
SAUCE
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
Water (around 1/4 cup)
1/4 tsp turmeric (optional, for color)
SAUSAGES (We use Field Roast Breakfast Sausage!)
POTATOES (We use tater tots, but fried potatoes work just as well!)
CHEESE (We use Field Roast Chao Tomato Cayenne Slices)
Instructions:
Dry tofu by wrapping it with paper towels or another absorbent towel and then placing something heavy on top of it for around 10 minutes (we use heavy plates or a blender). Combine the spices in a 1/4 cup measuring cup and add water. Slice the onions and peppers and add them to a frying pan on medium heat with olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the spinach to the pan, add salt and pepper and cover to steam for 2 minutes. Next, take the dried tofu and break it into small pieces using a fork. Move the vegetables to one side of the pan, add tofu and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the seasoning mix to the tofu and vegetables and then mix all the ingredients together. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the water has evaporated (If you want to add cheese I recommend putting it on top of the scramble and putting the lid on for 2 minutes to melt). When this is finished, microwave your wraps for 30 seconds with a moist cloth on top (this makes them more flexible). Add the tofu scramble, fried potatoes (or tater tots!), breakfast sausage, and vegan cheese to the wrap and roll it up. For a little extra kick you can add siracha to your burrito.

Banana Bread
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 medium ripe bananas
1/2 cup vegan butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 almond milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350°F, grease muffin tray or 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. In large bowl, beat sugar, brown sugar, bananas, vegan butter, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in almond milk. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Pour into pans. Bake about 30 minutes for large muffins or 1 hour for loaf pan.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
1 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup and 2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup flour
1 cup vegan chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. In a medium bowl mix peanut butter, maple syrup, and flour. Using a rubber spatula, stir and fold until well-mixed and thickened, with no visible flour patches remaining. Pack evenly into the baking pan. Melt chocolate chips and peanut butter in 20-second increments until melted. Pour chocolate mixture on top of peanut butter filling. Tap the pan a few times to even out and place in the freezer.

Recipe Resources
Website Resources
Vegan Cook Books
Baking/Cooking Substitutes
Egg Substitutes
1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water (let sit for 2 minutes)
Best in: cakes and brownies
1 tbsp chia seed + 3 tbsp water (let sit for 15 minutes)
Best in: pizza dough, waffles, and cookies
Mash 1 small banana = 1/4 cup
Best in: quick breads, muffins, cookies, and pancakes
Measure out 1/4 cup of applesauce, I reccomend using unsweetened
Best in: brownies, quick breads, and cakes
Mix 1 tbsp of dry powder + 3 tbsp water
Best in: almost anything!
Buy here:
Milk Substitutes
One of the most popular dairy-free options. It has a light texture and a slightly sweet and nutty flavor. It can be added into almost anything and is extremely versatile.
Considered to be one of the first non-dairy milk alternatives. It typically has a mild and creamy flavor. It works best as a substitue for cow’s milk in savory dishes.
Coconut milk is another popular alternative. It has a creamy texture and a sweet but subtle coconut flavor. If you do not like coconut then this is probably not for you.
Oat milk is extremely popular right now. It is naturally sweet and mild in flavor. It is creamy and can be used in cooking and tastes great with cereal or in smoothies.
Cashew milk is rich and creamy and has a sweet and subtle nutty flavor. It is great for thickening smoothies or using it as coffee creamer.
Rice milk is mild in taste and naturally sweet in flavor. It has a slightly watery consistency. It is the least allergenic of the non-dairy milks.
Macadamia milk has a richer, smoother and creamier flavor than most nondairy milks. It is great in coffee or smoothies.
Hemp milk has a slightly sweet, nutty taste and a thin, watery texture. It works best as a substitue for lighter milks such as skim milk.
Butter Substitutes
Earth Balance
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter: It’s Vegan
Miyoko’s Creamery
Country Crock Plant Butter
Pure Blends
Earth Balance
Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks
Miyoko’s Creamery Sticks
Coconut oil is solid at room temperature and has a texture much closer to butter than other cooking oils. To replace desired amount of butter use about three quarters that amount of coconut oil mixed with a quarter that amount of cold water.
Often you can simply replace butter with your favorite oil. Use three quarters the amount of oil for the specified amount of butter in a recipe.
Other Dairy Product Substitutes
Chao slices (In my opinion, the BEST vegan cheese!)
Honey Substitutes
Agave nectar mimics honey closely, it is lightly sweet and goes perfect in teas, on oatmeal and on anything else you would use honey.
Maple syrup gives recipes a little bit of a different flavor than honey does, but it works well in baking, in sauces, and most recipes that call for honey. I love maple syrup and use it as an alterative to sugar when making homemade lemonade!
Brown rice syrup is slightly less sweet than honey, but that can be a good thing sometimes. It is available at most grocery stores and can be used in anything that calls for honey.
Meat Substitutes
Tofu is a great substitute for meats including pork, chicken, beef, and seafood in recipes. It’s made from soybeans and is high in protein and calcium. Tofu is extremely versatile and absorbs flavors through spices and marinades. You can pan fry it, bake it, air-fry it, etc!
Tempeh is firmer than tofu and has a more grainy texture. IT is made from fermented soybeans and has a little bit of a nutty flavor. We love to use it on sandwiches (vegan reubens) and it is a great substitue for ground beef in chilies.
Seitan has one of the most meat-like textures. It is processed wheat gluten and is a great source of protein. Depending on how you flavor it, it can be similar to chicken, beef, or pork. Seitan has a dense, chewy texture than can hold up to grilling, frying, braising, etc.
Beans and legumes are inexpensive, healthy, filling, and there are so many to choose from: black peans, pinto peans, kidney beans, navy beans, chickpeas, split peas, peanuts, etc!
Lentils have been a meat alternative since the beginning of veganism. They are hearty and can replace ground beef easily.
Jackfruit mimics pulled pork so it can easily be used in vegan pulled “pork” or BBQ jackfruit. It has a slight sweet taste but is fairly bland so season it however you’d like.
Mushrooms: have a rich, earthy, and meaty flavor. They are healthy and filling and can be used to replace meat in any recipe.
Eggplant: similar to mushrooms – it has a rich and meaty flavor and is very versatile.
Caluiflower: is a great stand in because it can absorb flavors and crisp up. You’ve got to try cauliflower buffalo “wings!”
Beets: are perfect in savory dishes that usually contain meet.
Potatoes: you can do almost anything with potatoes – mash them, fry them, boil them, bake them, or roast them.
Beyond Meat (burgers, breakfast sausage, ground “beef”, sausage – more realistic)
Gardein (beefless crumbles, burgers, chick’n everything, turk’y, breakfast saus’age patties, crabless cakes, fishless filet, etc – too many to name)
Morning star (burgers, breakfast sausage, chik’n, hot dogs, wings, nuggets, corn dogs, etc.)
Field Roast (breakfast sausage, nuggets, hotdogs, bratwurst, italian sausage, deli slices, burgers, celebration roasts, corn dogs, wings)
Tofurky (deli slices, burgers, sausages, hot dogs, ground “meats”, pockets, roasts)