Alternative To Soy II/ Bread Recipes/ Creativity in Cooking

Alternatives To Soy II

I was surfing the net as usual when I came across some videos with vegan recipes without soy products. I was amazed to find that one of my favorite youtubers made a vegan burger without soy or anything in it. I tried to make a chickpea patty with no success, because I did not use cornstarch. I want to keep food as natural as possible. I also found some links for vegan cheeses that do not call for tofu or any unfermented soy. These are just a few of many soy free recipes out there. If I try a soy free vegan diet, It's going to be like the day I first gave up meat. I've been vegan for five years, with an exception of taking a two month break from veganism, and I never had any problems with soy. Some say that health problems will appear later in life, but I don't believe that's the case with soy. I still believe that it's way better than milk and cheese and egg and the dreaded animal flesh. So, I haven't found any credible evidence against soy.

List of Links:

Veggie Burger (Indian Style) : Although most recipes with veggie burgers are vegetarian, this on is vegan. For Indian food, I recommend substituting coconut milk and oil for the milk, yogurt and ghee. I want to try this Indian style burger with some Indian potato dishes. It makes for a good replacement for the American burger and fries. For convenience, I suggest getting a decent food processor.

Vegan Cheddar Cheese : To go with the lovely Indian burger, this is a vegan version of cheddar cheese. I'm guessing that it can be a variation of American cheese. With this recipe, I'm going to have to experiment with different nuts and trying out different substitutions for water that are still soy free. I thought about blending the cashews with an almond milk to give it a slightly sweet and smokey flavor. The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak. I plan on buying this book in the future for my recipes.

Raw Soy Free Cream Cheese Recipe This recipe calls for cashews like others, but it's raw. I think variations can be made for this.

Raw Macademia Cheese This raw recipe is a little more expensive than the other recipes, because it requires ingredients that are harder to find. I hope to try this recipe with some substitutions. Chickpea miso and raw macademia nuts For those who are not on a soy-free diet, regular miso can be substituted for the chickpea variation.

Coconut Whipped Cream
Garam Masala I just found this recipe and it's from scratch. This is a good mix for Indian dishes

Tzatkiki Sauce Use the vegan version

Raw Almond Pistachio Ice Cream

Bread Recipes

Everytime I go into the store to buy bread, it always has something I can't pronounce in it. It is the same outcome with other bread products such as pancakes, or mixes. I thought it would be much less expensive and more vegan friendly if I made my own bread from scratch. I don't remember making bread, but I can at least give it a try. I found some great recipes that are relevent to the holiday season. Some are already vegan and some of them are not. I plan to make a vegan version of some of the bread recipes I found.

Sweet Vegan Challah Bread

Squash Braid

The two recipes above are both braided breads. The squash braid is not vegan. I plan on using both recipes together and making some substitutions. Instead of using squash, I'll use pumpkin puree. I will still braid the dough, but cut the braid into buns. I plan on using the second recipe as a cool alternative to the classic hamburger bun. Usually hambuger buns have sesame seeds on top. Maybe I'll use whole flaxseed and poppyseeds instead. I always loved gourmet food and when I think of gourmet food I think of fine art.

Creativity in Cooking

Cooking is one of my favorite hobbies. I enjoyed making dishes more when I became vegan and even more when I moved on my own and didn't have to make any food for anyone. The first few years I became vegan I was kind of lost about what is vegan and what isn't. Now I know better and I do not plan on straying. If I have to work two jobs to sustain my lifestyle, I would. Thankfully it hasn't come to that, yet. Hopefully when I graduate with a Fine Arts degree I get a decent paying job. I thought of other things I can do after I graduate such as getting a master's in fine art, taking community college classes to learn how to sew and design clothes so I can be a designer. I even thought of law school, and my mom reminded me of the movie Legally Blonde with Reese Witherspoon. Culinary school even looks appealing. My only concern is that I'll be forced to eat someone else's dishes and I cannot guarantee that they would be vegan.

When I was at home, I ate some vegan packaged Indian food and some food from the Indian restaurant that I usually go to when I'm in Long Beach. I noticed that it was good, but it's so spicy that I couldn't enjoy it. I think it's cheaper if I make my own dishes from scratch. I believe that they are less expensive than going out and buying them. I like to be creative when I cook. Instead of trying to recreate authentic dishes from other cultures, it would be a good idea to just make them with my own interpretation. When I go to vegan restaurants, I see on menus different dishes that come from other countries and they are just interpretations of them. I'm going home for two weeks starting on Wednesday. I hope that I get to make home made bread. My grandmother's house has so many people that it would be difficult to make the dishes I like. I hope that I still can.