Whether they've been vegan for years or have just begun to dip their toes into this exciting culinary realm, many Canadians are increasingly looking for simple and delicious plant-based alternatives to add to their diet. As a fun, tasty, and versatile way to eat, it's also way more accessible than you might think. And when it comes to taste, there's zero need to sacrifice.
With products like plant-based proteins and Hellmann's Vegan, adjusting to a vegan lifestyle can be pretty straightforward.
There are countless ways to get creative in the kitchen and make vegan versions of your favourite meals. Plus, most require items that are probably in your household right now. Here are some plant-based hacks to help step up your cooking skills.
The Tortilla Trend, But Make It Vegan
@wholesomehedonista Vegan Wrap Hack ✨ #TortillaTrend #veganwrap #veganlunch #vegetarian #easylunch #wrap #veganuary #healthylunch #easyrecipe #vegan
If you haven't heard of the #tortillatrend, you need to get on Tiktok more often. This wrap is super convenient and will make your meals much more interesting. People have been filling them with tons of different ingredients.
How to make it vegan? Easy. Take a tortilla, slice it halfway down the centre, and place your ingredients on each quarter of the tortilla. How about some grilled mushrooms, pesto, Hellmann's Vegan, and avocado? Or perhaps some teriyaki sauce, onion, and Asian-spiced tofu?
The options are endless! Here's how to assemble:
Turn Hummus Into Alfredo-Like Sauce
There's nothing like thick, creamy alfredo sauce to top off your pasta. When discovering plant-based nutrition, you'll find there are lots of ways to mimic your favourite delicacies. Not only does this hack taste great, but it's as quick as can be. All you need are three main ingredients to get this meal going.
Grab your pasta, hummus of choice, and make sure to reserve some pasta water during the process. Cook pasta until al dente, mix an equal ratio of hummus and pasta water until a sauce is formed, and feel free to add any extra seasoning. For added flavour, you can also saute some onions and garlic beforehand.
Pour the mixture onto your pasta and discover your new guilt-free go-to that you can enjoy without any of the heaviness of actual alfredo sauce.
Make Sour Cream Out Of Cashews
Some things just aren't complete without sour cream. If you're a big Mexican-food lover, you're going to go nuts for this substitute!
All you're going to need is five simple ingredients: raw cashews, water, lemon, mineral salt, and apple cider vinegar.
Be sure to soak your cashews for a few hours prior (or boil them to speed up the process). Once they're soaked, place them in a high-speed blender along with the other ingredients. Blend until creamy smooth and enjoy with some plant-based tacos.
Have A Hearty Tuna Sandwich Without The Fish
As an easy pantry-grab plus a great source of protein, chickpeas are the ideal replacement for fish-free tuna. If made accordingly, you might not even be able to tell the difference.
You'll need to throw some chickpeas, dill pickles, red onions, almonds, celery, dill, mustard, and Hellmann's Vegan into a blender.
Pulse until the ingredients are combined well and scoop some onto some bread. These essential ingredients make it taste like the real deal.
Take Corn & Turn It Into Butter
@nutritionmadeeasy Vegan lifehack ‼️🌽➡️ 🧈 #plantbased #MotivationMonday#vegan#healthy#tiktokcooks#glutenfree#nutrition#quickrecipes#hack#cookinghacks#kitchen
It's the small everyday ingredients that make altering your lifestyle seem tougher than it has to be. Thankfully, there's no challenge too great for you to overcome with the help of this hack. Turning corn into butter is smoother than you'd think.
You'll need to add some water to a cup of corn and blend them together. From there, sieve until everything is evenly mixed and then whisk it in a pot over the stove.
Get your toast, bagel, or whatever else you'd like, and get your butter on! Store it in the fridge afterwards.
Bake A Cake With A Can Of Coke
No, seriously, who thought of this masterpiece? If you want to whip up a vegan-friendly cake in less than 30 minutes, keep reading.
This two-ingredient soda cake is what dreams are made of. You don't even need to be good at baking for this. All you need is a box of vegan cake mix and 10 ounces of cola. Combine your ingredients and toss the mixture into a greased pan. Follow the baking directions on the box and, before you know it, you'll be digging in.
Quick tip: For chocolate cake, use dark soda like Coca-Cola. For a light cake, use a light soda such as Sprite.
Replace Ricotta With Tofu "Cheese"
You won't be missing real cheese ever again with this simple recipe.
Tofu is a great source of protein and can easily take on the texture of good old ricotta. Once you add it to lasagna, let's say, you won't be able to tell the difference.
Chop up your tofu, throw it in a blender, add some lemon juice, spices of choice, lots of nutritional yeast (for that cheesy flavour), and blend until smooth.
Try "Fish" 'N Chips With Celery Root
Fish 'n chips is a popular comfort meal for many, so why not recreate it with plant-based ingredients? You can keep your chips the same, but to swap out the fish you'll need some celery root.
To spice things up, make a vegan tartar sauce with Hellmann's Vegan, lemon juice, dill, and relish. Mix until the consistency is creamy and voilà!
This recipe takes a bit longer than most of the ones mentioned, but it's worth trying. You can find the full tutorial here:
Make An Omelette Out Of Pumpkin Seeds
You don't have to miss out on the convenient nutrition of an omelette; opt for a savoury pumpkin seed alternative instead. The key to a fluffy omelette isn't limited to eggs — just see for yourself!
Blend together pumpkin seeds, water, turmeric, garlic, salt, and almond milk. Pour the mixture into a bowl and add baking powder, while mixing quickly. Pour it into your pan and cook covered on medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
Feel free to add different spices and vegetables to personalize your omelette.
Enjoy Crunchy Vegan "Bacon" Made From Carrots
@iamtabithabrown Carrot bacon❤️ #tabithabrown #veganbacon
Yes, it's still possible to enjoy the crispy crunch of bacon minus the meat. If you have your doubts, that's understandable, but don't knock it 'til you try it.
For this hack, you're going to peel some raw carrots nice and thin. You'll then mix Liquid Smoke, maple syrup, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and onion powder together. Place the carrot peels in the mixture and marinate them for about two minutes. Place them in your air fryer (or oven) at 380°F for five minutes.
And there you have it, bacon without the bacon! This is a perfect addition to any vegan "BLT," topped with a nice dollop of vegan, of course.
Use Mushrooms To Make Baby Back Ribs
Whether it's a craving for ribs, steak or a burger, a hankering for meat can still be satisfied with certain substitutes. If you're longing for the smokey taste of barbeque, this one's for you.
All you need are some king oyster mushrooms and a whole lot of spices. With a texture that mimics ribs and the familiar spices to accompany it, you won't believe you're eating a mushroom.
You can find the full detailed recipe here:
The key to making plant-based hacks accessible is to have the right things on hand. Hellmann's Vegan is a tasty, simple way to incorporate plant-based options into your diet. Condiments like these help transform your favourite sandwiches, salads, and snacks into vegan goodness.
Hellmann’s Vegan has an amazingly rich and creamy taste, exactly like regular mayo, except plant-based of course! Innovative products like these help make better-for-you choices easier than ever.
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Without a doubt, these simple hacks will help you add variety to your diet in a healthy way. The hardest part will most likely be picking the recipe to start with, since they're all so yummy. That's the part you'll have to do on your own, along with the cooking.
But here's one last, extra tip: once you've made your way through these scrumptious dishes — which will likely happen sooner than you imagine — you can find many more recipes to try out on Hellmann's Vegan and Vegetarian Recipe Site.
Bon appétit!
