A clinical psychologist, Jene Edwards holds a PhD from Walden University. Aside from professional endeavors, Jene Edwards enjoys cooking and baking, and she often makes vegan desserts.
As more and more people become concerned about their health, the environment, and animal welfare, many are beginning to pursue a vegan lifestyle. In a vegan diet, one avoids all animal-derived products including eggs, milk, and butter. Though these ingredients are mainstays in traditional baking, they can be substituted with little effort.
- Milk - When a recipe calls for milk, bakers can substitute almond, coconut, soy, rice, cashew, or oat milk in the same quantity. It is recommend that chefs look for a replacement milk that pleases their palate. Usually, plain flavors work better than vanilla-flavored milks, and it is a good idea to look out for sweetened milks, as they can affect the recipe as well.
- Eggs - Instead of using eggs as a binding agent, chefs can create what are commonly known as flax eggs with one tablespoon of flax seeds and three tablespoons of water. Alternatively, bananas, nondairy yogurt, or silken tofu can be used in lieu of eggs.
- Butter - Many vegan recipes call for margarine to replace butter. However, when a chef wishes to avoid hydrogenated oils and the trace amounts of animal products often found in margarine, such as whey and casein, coconut oil or applesauce is preferred.
