5 Easy Ways to Make Dinner Vegan

So you’re interested in maybe, possibly trying your hand at some vegan food options, but you aren’t totally sure what to do about it. My best advice is always to start with something you are comfortable making, and replace the animal parts with vegan parts! The chicken dinner with roasted veggies you like so much? Make crispy, baked tofu instead of the chicken! That buttery cookie recipe you’ve been craving? Easy, I got you covered, keep reading. This article is meant to make your life easier and offer a few easy ways to make dinner vegan (or lunch or dessert).

Replace Chicken Eggs with Flax Eggs

This is such an easy and cheap way to  replace chicken eggs with flax eggs! This is one of my favorite ways to make dinner vegan, because you might be surprised at how often you use chicken eggs! You’ll be happy to know that one large bag of organic, ground flaxseed only costs about $10 and lasts me months and months. I try to eat ground flaxseed every single day because of all of the health benefits! 

Ground flaxseed features.. 

• Omega-3s (healthy fats)
• Praised for weight loss
• Dietary which helps with digestion gut health
• High protein content
• Rich source of lignans which helps mitigate cancer risk
• Properties that may improve your cholesterol levels
• Benefits that may lower your blood pressure 

All you have to do to make a flax egg is mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water! Stir. Let it sit for a few minutes and then stir again. You’ll have a goopy, weird looking mixture in the bowl that is the perfect replacement for a chicken egg. 

Flax eggs perform beautifully in baked goods, casserole-style dishes, etc. Tofu is actually another great egg replacement for egg-y things like a quiche or frittata. 

Check out my post, Flax Egg- Only 2 Ingredients, for a step-by-step guide on how to make a flax egg. 

You can enjoy eating ground flaxseed in smoothies, oatmeal, baked goods, cereal, yogurt, and more! 

Replace Chicken Meat with Tofu

Tofu is a wonderful, meaty alternative for replacing chicken in various chicken recipes. I have a few recipes on my blog already that I will link below. It’s affordable, tasty, and healthy. Tofu is also really wonderful, because you can marinate it like you would animal meat. Tofu is really porous, so that means it will take on the flavor of whatever you choose to season it or marinate it with for your meal.

I recommend buying organic, extra firm tofu if you are using it as a replacement for chicken (or any other meat). This type of tofu is more firm, and it has a meatier texture than softer forms of tofu like silken or firm. You’ll want to wrap the block of tofu in a kitchen towel and place a heavy object on it for 20-30 minutes to get as much water out of it as you can. You can also buy tofu already water drained. Then, you’ll be ready to season, marinate, and cook!

Here are two of my favorite ways to make tofu:

• Simple Baked Tofu
• Crispy Air Fryer Tofu

A simple google search will give you tons of options for easy ways to make dinner vegan by using tofu, so see what works with a recipe you already have in mind! Tofu is amazingly healthy as well.

Tofu is packed with protein, fiber, and contains all nine essential amino acids. Studies have shown us that women who consume tofu regularly have a lower risk of breast cancer. Tofu also promotes gut health because of it’s fiber-rich properties. Tofu has been shown to help lower cholesterol, help people lose weight, and is a wonderful alternative to animal meat!

Use Plant-based Butter

I’m going to let you in on my secret. Earth Balance butter. I have yet to recommend this plant-based butter to someone who didn’t love it. You get all of the creamy, satisfying, buttery goodness without the animal-cruelty. I use this plant-based butter to replace cow butter in equal parts. It’s never let me down yet! You can find Earth Balance butter at most grocery stores, and I’ve noticed that other major dairy brands now offer a plant-based butter option as well. This includes brands like Country Crock and Land O Lakes. You’ll also find many other vegan brands that offer plant-based butter, and I would encourage you to try them out!

Use plant-based butter to replace butter in many recipes, get creative! This could include sauces, spread on biscuits or pancakes, used within recipes as an ingredient, and even with baked goods like cookies and cakes. Butter is a common ingredient in all types of recipes, so this is one of the easy ways to make dinner vegan for a reason!

Use Plant-based Milks

Dairy is one of the most common food allergens. Like, seriously, most people are allergic to cow milk and cow milk products. And yet, as a human population, we consume dairy at higher rates than ever before. But these days you can find plant-based milks at every grocery store, and many offer nutritionally equivalent contributions to health without inflammation and the negative health impacts of dairy. This article helps explain the difference between lactose intolerance and dairy allergy, however you will find that they are both significant and common.

Here are my top 3 favorites:

• Oat milk, unsweetened, organic: Oat milk provides a full, creamy texture and is rich in nutrients. Oat milk has protein, fiber, and promotes a healthy digestive system. You can drink it, blend it into smoothies, eat it with your cereal, use it for creamy sauces… basically any way that you would use cow milk. Pro-tip: When you order your fancy coffee drink from Starbucks or any coffee shop next time, ask for oat milk instead of cow milk. Prepare to be pleasantly surprised.
• Soy milk, unsweetened, organic: Soy milk is one of my favorites, we always have 1-2 cartons in the fridge at all times. Soy milk is rich in nutrients including omega-3s (healthy fats) and protein. It is fortified with even more nutrients than it naturally offers, and it is a great plant-based milk to use for all the things I just mentioned with oat milk- smoothies, cereals, drinking, sauces, and more.
• Coconut milk, full fat: I love to use coconut milk in my curry dishes! This is a popular plant-based milk that you’ll find defining delicious, savory middle eastern dishes. I also have used it to make a macaroni and cheese sauce, and it was amazing! Some people may shy away from the idea of coconut, but I can assure you the taste is negligible, especially when cooked into foods.

Some type of milk is used daily by most people, whether its to drink, eat with certain foods, or cook with in recipes. You’ll find that substituting plant-based milks in on of the most popular easy ways to make dinner vegan. While most people are far removed from the process that lands the cheese on their plate or milk in their glass, here is a quick video to explain how dairy milk is made.

Plot twist: Cows don’t make milk because they are cows. Cows make milk because they are mothers.

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