Plant Based Food Swaps
Are you new to eating a plant based diet? We are a plant forward company here at Nutrition for Longevity and we're here to help! Here are some easy plant based food swaps you can use in your everyday life!
1. Cow's Milk:
An easy swap for cow's milk are plant based milks such as almond milk, cashew milk, hemp milk, macadamia nut milk, pea milk, oat milk, coconut milk, soy milk, rice milk.
Here is a simple recipe for oat milk:
Ingredients:
-1 cup rolled oats
-3-4 cups water
-1 pinch of salt
-1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
-1 whole date, pitted
Instructions:
1. Add the oats, water, salt and dates into a blender.
2. Blend the ingredients on high for about 1 minute.
3. Pour the mixture over a cheese cloth or a very thin towel to strain it.
4. Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate.
2. Meat/Fish:
Some easy swaps for poultry, beef, pork, etc. is tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein, edamame, lentils. Swaps for fish are things like walnuts, chia seeds, hemp seeds and flaxseeds.
Here is a simple recipe for cilantro lime tofu:
Ingredients:
-2 tablespoons lime juice
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-1/2 cup cilantro
-1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
-2 cloves of garlic, minces
-1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
1. Open extra firm tofu packet, drain the liquid and wrap in a lint free towel, place it on a plate and add something heavy to the top like a pan or a cutting board to press the tofu for about 15 minutes.
2. In a bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the marinade.
3. Once the tofu is pressed, cut into cubes and add to a plastic bag, then add the marinade to the bag as well.
4. Let the tofu marinade for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
5. Cook as desired and enjoy!
3. Eggs:
A plant based swap for eggs can be a chia seed egg or a flax seed egg. These are simple and quick to make.
Here is a simple recipe for a chia seed egg:
Ingredients:
-1 tablespoon chia seeds
-2.5 tablespoons water
Instructions:
1. Combine chia seeds and water in a small bowl, stir, and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
2. It should become a gel-like mixture.
3. Ready to use!
4. Yogurt:
You can find plant based swaps for yogurt at most grocery stores now a days. Some alternatives are coconut yogurt, almond yogurt or cashew yogurt.
Here is a simple recipe for cashew yogurt:
Ingredients:
-1 cup raw cashews
-1 cup filtered water
-1 tablespoon of vegan yogurt to use as a starter, or 2 vegan probiotic pills.
Instructions:
1. Place the cashews and water into a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Place the cashew paste in a bowl, microwave for 10-15 seconds until lightly warm.
3. Stir in the starter (if using the probiotic pills, open them and dump the powder into the bowl).
4. Mix the starter into the paste, cover with cling wrap or place in a warm spot.
5. Let this sit for six hours or overnight.
6. Serve and enjoy!
