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By Katy, November 18, 2009

It just took one bite…ONE BITE!…of the amazing Glo Bars, made by the gorgeous and motivational healthy living blogger Angela from Oh She Glows, to realize that vegan baking could not only taste good, it could actually be better than conventional ingredients.

Ange blogs about food, fitness and family (sound familiar?), and she’s particulaly inspirational to me because she quit her job — when others thought she was crazy — to follow her dreams. Since I’m married to one of those dreamers, who is loving his new life as full-time beer blogger, it’s great to see how powerful passion can be.

When Michelle and I first started talking about Vegan Week, we knew we had to reach out to Angela, to get her advice. We got much more. We got her complete support, and a fabulous guest post on vegan baking. Make sure you read all the way through for a special surprise.

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Vegan Baking How-Tos:
Animal- waistline- and wallet-friendly baking tricks!
By: Angela Liddon

For many of us, the thought of vegan baking seems like an impossible feat. When I decided to remove all animal ingredients from my favourite recipes, I was shaking in my boots! I had no idea whether I would be able to replicate my favourite recipes and ensure that they were just as tasty without products like eggs, butter, honey, and milk. I had many failed attempts along the way; from flatter-than-pancake cookies to crumbly bean brownies. I have chronicled many unsuccessful attempts on ohsheglows.com, just in case you are looking for a good laugh as a stress release.
However, my persistence with vegan baking paid off and over time I was able to fully convert all of my products without the use of animal products. What I also didn’t realize was that vegan baking can also be more cost efficient too! For example, 1 organic brown egg costs about 35 cents, while a natural egg replacer such as ground flax seed and water costs just 2 cents per ‘egg’. This amounts to a hefty savings over time. Now you can have your cake and buy a cute pair of shoes, too!
If you are interested in baking delicious, animal-friendly, and healthy baked goods please read on for my top vegan baking tricks that I have learned along the way.

Best Egg Replacers:
1) Chia seeds
Chia seeds are an extremely nutritious seed with more Omega 3 than salmon, more antioxidants than blueberries, more calcium than milk, and more fibre than bran. You can easily increase the nutrient content of your baked goods by baking with chia. What’s not to like? Whisk 2 tablespoons of chia seeds with ½ cup water to replace 1 egg.

2) Flax seed
Whisk 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed and 3 tablespoons of water to replace 1 egg.
Both the flax and chia mixtures create a gel-like substance which mimics the texture of an egg.

3) Fruit/Vegetables
Bananas are a great egg replacer in baked goods such as bread, muffins, and pancakes. Use ½ of a banana (mashed) to replace 1 egg.

Pumpkin can be another great egg replacer in baked goods like bread and muffins. Use about ¼ cup of pumpkin to replace 1 egg. Be careful of pumpkin because it tends to weigh down the baked good and make it quite dense. You typically need to increase the amount of baking powder when using pumpkin to ensure that the product will rise nicely.

4) Cornstarch
Cornstarch is made from the grains of corn and is often used as a thickening agent in baked goods. Whisk 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water until the mixture thickens. Cornstarch is great in homemade sauces, dressings, and even homemade yogurt.

5) Silken Tofu
Blend ¼ cup of silken tofu until smooth to replace 1 egg. I make vegan pumpkin pie using silken tofu and it kicks any non-vegan pumpkin pie’s booty! Tofu is also delicious in cakes and cream cheese icing. Don’t worry if you are not a tofu lover, it leaves no taste in baked goods. You probably won’t believe me until you try it, so why not try making a vegan pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving this year? Your friends and family won’t know the difference, I promise.

6) Ener-G Egg Replacer:
Made of mostly potato starch and tapioca starch flour, Ener-G Egg Replacer can be used in baked goods like cookies, cakes, muffins, and squares. Whisk 1 teaspoon with two tablespoons of water until bubbly to replace 1 egg.

Best Milk Replacers:
1) Almond, Rice, Soy, or Hemp Milk
Thankfully, cow’s milk is very easy to replace in baked goods. The ratio is 1:1, so when replacing 1 cup of cow’s milk you may use 1 cup of any non-dairy milk of your choice. Easy as pie, right?

Best Butter Replacers:
Canola Oil:
1) Canola oil is very low in saturated fat and is high in monounsaturated fat, making it one of the healthiest oils for baking. I use canola oil in many of my vegan cake recipes and it creates a light, moist, and fluffy texture. It also works well in many cookie recipes.

2) Non-hydrogenated Virgin Coconut Oil:
Antifungal and antimicrobial, recent studies show that coconut oil has a wide range of health benefits from reducing one’s cholesterol levels to aiding weight loss (see here for more info: http://www.coconutoil.com/research.htm). I use coconut oil in my vegan pie crusts and Green Monster smoothies (www.greenmonstermovement.com).

3) Vegan Margarine/Shortening
Earth Balance carries vegan butter and shortening substitutes which I have found to be very effective in my recipes. Earth balance products can be substituted with a 1:1 ratio in most baked goods. I use Earth Balance Shortening and butter in my vegan icing and it turns out absolutely delicious!

4) Applesauce
Applesauce is a classic fat replacer and can work well in pancakes, muffins, cakes, and some cookies. I don’t like substituting all of the butter called for with applesauce though because I find it results in a rubbery baked good. The best substitutions replace 50% of the butter/margarine called for in a recipe with applesauce. I use this technique in my Sweet Wheat Sugar Cookies and it works lovely. Half the fat, but all the taste.

Sweeteners:
I do not use any white sugar in my Glo Bakery products and I never use any artificial sweeteners like sucralose or aspertame. Instead, I prefer to use more natural sweeteners that are less processed. I love baking with Sucanat which ranks the highest in nutritional value out of all sugars derived from the sugar cane (see here for more information: http://www.fitsugar.com/185218). I also enjoy baking with agave nectar, natural cane sugar, turbinado sugar, and brown rice syrup.
I hope you will find these tips useful and have fun experimenting. Happy baking!

Angela
Glo Bakery (www.globakery.com)
Oh She Glows (www.ohsheglows.com)
Green Monster Movement (www.greenmonstermovement.com)

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Pretty great, huh? As a BIG fan of silken tofu:

and Green Monsters, I love what Ange is doing to spread the movement. And she’s having an impact on vegan baking — I saw the flax egg pop up on MegaNerdRuns‘ blog earlier this week!

So, here’s the exciting news: YOU can win an Empower Me Glo Bars pack from Glo Bakery.

Empower yourself with deliciously energizing organic dark roast coffee and dark chocolate. Coffee Lovers and Non-coffee lovers can enjoy this bar! The coffee flavour is descibed by many customers as ‘very light. subtle, and aromatic’.

Little known fact? This Angela’s favourite new flavour!

Packed with hemp seed, flax seed, coconut, and natural peanut butter. Each bar has 20 mg of caffeine; just enough to give you a kick to your step and a boost during your busy day!

100% Certified Organic Ingredients: Oats, brown rice syrup, gluten-free crisp rice cereal, natural peanut butter, non-dairy dark chocolate, hemp seeds, dark roast coffee, unsweetened coconut, ground flax seed, evaporated cane juice, pure vanilla extract.

If you want a chance to win a pack of these bars, just leave me a comment on this post by 7pmET on Friday night. I’ll randomly select one person to get the goodies!

Want a second chance at winning? Follow me and Michelle on Twitter, then tweet this: I’m supporting #VeganWeek and entering to win an @globakery pack from @kwidrick! http://bit.ly/1AZlaZ

**In order to get your second chance at winning, be sure to leave me another comment telling me about your tweet! I’ll be randomly selecting a winner from those who leave comments on the post.

Want a chance to win a Get Glo-ing Glo Bar Variety Pack from Glo Bakery? Go to Michelle’s post and follow her instructions.

If you do all of this, you’ll have four chances to win two Glo Bakery packs!

But wait, there’s more!

• Use the hashtag #VeganWeek in your tweets about this adventure, or your own vegan-minded thoughts!
• Check out my page of Vegan Week stories here and Michelle’s here.
• The fabulous Ryan of Greens for Good and Lindsey of Sound Eats have a guest post on Michelle’s blog. Check it out!
• Tomorrow, I’ll have an interview with vegan triathlete (and super-hottie) Brendan Brazier, who makes the Vega products we all know and love so much.

You want to take part? You want to win yet another cool prize? Read on, my friends:

On Thursday, November 19, we are asking that you devote one or all of your meals to being vegan. We just kindly ask if you could link back to either my blog or Michelle’s when you make your posts about Vegan Week. We will be compiling a list of all who participate throughout the day, on our blogs under the ‘VeganWeek’ tabs. If you could make sure to either send us the link and/or leave it in the comment section of the ‘Vegan 4-A- Day’ official post on Thursday then we can give you proper accolades.

If you know of any other friends, bloggers or not, who are up for the challenge…spread it around! Everyone who takes part will have a chance at a really cool prize — details of that to come soon!

          

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By Katy, November 17, 2009

(Make sure you read through the entire post for details on how YOU can take part in #VeganWeek and enter to win some awesome prizes!)

It’s amazing the new friends you meet in the healthy living blog world. I never would have connected with Michelle, my #VeganWeek partner in crime, if we didn’t both write about our lives.

And one of the best experiences I’ve had recently was at the Healthy Living Summit in Boston. I flew home to visit with my mom, meet bloggers and learn all about healthy living.

One of the speakers was Janel Ovrut, a registered dietitian, triathlete-in-training (now a REAL one!) and Syracuse grad. Winner, winner, tofu dinner.

Janel and I got to talk a little bit at the summit, and I took lots of notes during her presentation:

And I really appreciated her realistic, down-to-earth approach to food. Like chocolate? “Eat it,” she said. Want some wine? “Drink it!,” she said.

All in moderation.

So, when Michelle and I started brainstorming our must-have list of guest bloggers for #VeganWeek, Janel was the first person I thought of. Who better to speak about the challenges of balanced nutrition while on a vegan diet? So, I present to you, Dietitian Janel from Dine Dish Delish.

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Five years ago I switched cold-turkey (pun intended!) from a meat-eating to a vegan diet, literally overnight. I found it opened my palate to so many new foods and flavors and it was a time in my life when I really started learning about food, cooking, flavors, and the health benefits of plant-based meals. Sure I had just spent the last four years studying nutrition and getting my Registered Dietitian credentials, but this new way of eating really opened my eyes…and mouth. I adopted a veg diet primarily for health reasons, and it was an experiment I wound up sticking with. But I actually found it to be a simple swap for me since I already was a big fan of fruits, veggies, beans, and whole grains, and since I was lactose intolerant, I didn’t do dairy anyway!

Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to counsel clients who are also opting to switch to a vegan diet and I make sure to caution them on some veg mistakes to avoid, and clear up some misconceptions. Let me share with you some of my top talked about veggie topics:

But how do you get enough protein?

This is my favorite. Really, most Americans consume WAY too much protein and our excessive portion sizes are partly to blame. A 16 ounce steak at Outback could probably meet the protein needs for you and the bodybuilder next to you (ok maybe not quite). Too much protein does not build bigger muscles, and it’s not necessarily a good thing either as it can be damaging to your kidneys. I make sure to get plenty of protein through foods like beans, lentils, nuts, tofu, and seeds. But most people don’t know that veggies and even grains contain protein too. Look at this breakfast:

• ½ cup oatmeal – 3g
• 1 banana – 0g
• ½ cup soy milk – 4g
• 1 slice wheat bread – 3g
• 1 Tbsp peanut butter – 3g
• Total: 13g protein

That’s nearly 25% of a 150 pound healthy adult’s needs for the day, and you didn’t’ see a single bean, lentil, or block of tofu in there. It surprises a lot of people to see they can get protein from non-meat or dairy foods.

What about athletes? If we’re talking the regular runner or gym-goer, yes they have higher protein needs but not excessively higher (unless you’re an endurance athlete but that’s not what this post is about!). I do half marathons, duathlons, triathlons, and frequent the gym and yoga studio and just make sure all of my meals are balanced. The way I see it, if you’re eating a balanced diet that’s meeting your calorie needs with whole grains, plenty of fruits and veggies, and nuts, beans, seeds, etc. you’re likely meeting your protein needs. However, it’s not a bad idea to meet with a Registered Dietitian if you’re not sure, or need some guidance. And, ahem, if you’re in the Boston area, allow me to plug myself: eatwellwithjanel.com

The Unhealthy Vegan: Whether you go vegan for health or humane reasons, veggies should be an integral part of your diet. I’ve met my fair share of veg who don’t eat or like vegetables but survive on white pasta, fries, bagels, and onion rings alone (all vegan). It is also very easy to get wrapped up in vegan junk food. There is a place, in moderation, for those packaged vegan foods, but remember they’re still processed products and it’s best to focus on whole foods as much as possible. Look at the ingredient list, which tends to be pretty long. Some vegan packaged foods are chemical-containing with lots of additives. Vegans should beware that some meat substitutes or even veggie burgers contain ingredients like egg whites, cheese, and dry milk so read carefully!

When people come to me to tell me they want to go vegan, or even vegetarian, I always ask why. There are some sassy books out there (ahem, Skinny Bitch) as well as some science-y informative ones (China Study) and I just want to get a sense of where my clients are coming from, what they know, and what they don’t. I work with clients to help them plan what they’ll eat. I think if you’re going to jump into a vegan diet, it’s going to take some planning initially to make sure you’re meeting your nutrient needs. Fortunately there is a wide variety of grains, veggies and beans out there just waiting to be eaten that are so good, and so good for you!

When people ask me why I chose to go veg, I tell them it’s because I feel better eating this way, and I love how it has expanded my food and health knowledge. I will never tell them why I don’t eat animal products but rather why I do eat plant-based. As a Dietitian, I counsel meat-eaters, flexitarians and everyone in between, and keep an open mind – personally and professionally – about all ways of eating. So instead of focusing on why one might not eat meat, I focus on the benefits of eating more plant-based foods.

I also try to stay away from using the word vegan as much as possible, for a few reasons. I have nothing against the word, but for starters I really can’t say I’m ever 100% vegan – I will eat birthday cake someone made with eggs and butter (but won’t use either if I make it myself), yes I have had pizza in the past five years, and the boyfriend just loves those soy meatballs that have egg in them so they have a place in our freezer. I cook and bake vegan. But I also don’t think I need to label the way I eat. I eat foods that make me feel good. They just happen to all be plant based and void of animal products for the most part. I just eat. And I love to educate people by telling them what I DO eat, instead of what I don’t. Want to know? Check out my blog Dine Dish Delish to find out what I eat, how I cook, and more!

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Isn’t she fantastic? I strongly encourage you to check out her blog for great recipes, photos and more. And you can also follow Janel on Twitter.

Speaking of…here’s some exciting information:

• Follow me on Twitter here and Michelle on Twitter here.
• Use the hashtag #VeganWeek in your tweets about this adventure, or your own vegan-minded thoughts!
• Check out my page of Vegan Week stories here and Michelle’s here.
• Healthy Ashley did a great guest post on Michelle’s blog. Check it out – love her!
• Tomorrow, I’ll have a guest post on vegan baking from Angela of Oh She Glows, along with a Glo Bakery giveaway you won’t want to miss!
• On Thursday, I’ll have an interview with vegan triathlete (and super-hottie) Brendan Brazier, who makes the Vega products we all know and love so much.

Those are just some of the things that are rocking my vegan face off. And, what’s that? You want to take part? You want to win a cool prize? Read on, my friends:

On Thursday, November 19, we are asking that you devote one or all of your meals to being vegan. We just kindly ask if you could link back to either my blog or Michelle’s when you make your posts about Vegan Week. We will be compiling a list of all who participate throughout the day, on our blogs under the ‘VeganWeek’ tabs. If you could make sure to either send us the link and/or leave it in the comment section of the ‘Vegan 4-A- Day’ official post on Thursday then we can give you proper accolades.

If you know of any other friends, bloggers or not, who are up for the challenge…spread it around! Everyone who takes part will have a chance at a really cool prize — details of that to come soon!