Vegan baking isn't that different from regular baking, explains Christine Hennessey, a local vegan with a self-described "sweet tooth."
"The only difference is a few, simple substitutions," she says.
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Christine Hennessey blends a batch of vegan peanut butter cookies. On a recent Friday, she and Amy Sanford made cookies, pies and cakes for a bake sale to benefit the Nacogdoches Animal Shelter.
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Amy Sanford, on left, and Christine Hennessey prepare to put a pecan fudge filling cooking on the stove into a pie crust made with no dairy products.
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On a recent Friday, while whipping up batches of cookies and pies for an upcoming bake sale, Hennessey and fellow vegan Amy Sanford agreed to demonstrate some of those substitutions, and in the process, revealed a bit about what it's like to live a vegan lifestyle in East Texas.
Milk and eggs are the two biggest items that have to be substituted when baking, says Hennessey, as her cooking partner stirs a bowl of dairy-free cookie batter the duo made from scratch.
"I usually use applesauce in place of the eggs," she says. "It's about three tablespoons of applesauce per egg."
Sanford says depending on what she bakes, bananas can also be used, but she opted for applesauce for the chocolate chip cookies.
Milk, the other main ingredient found in most baking recipes, has several different substitution options. Sanford says she prefers rice milk, while Hennessey likes soy. Other substitution milks include almond and coconut milks.
While not every dessert recipe calls for it, butter is another ingredient the women, as vegans, must substitute when baking. Sanford says she typically uses oil, but adds that there are several brands of vegan butter made from soy beans.
As the women continue to work on the chocolate chip cookies, they note that the chips are semi-sweet, vegan chocolate, rather than milk chocolate. The chips came from a local health store, but Sanford notes that vegan chocolate chips are also available at Kroger. She also points out some of the other odd items individuals might not think of having to substitute for a vegan diet, like honey. The women use agave nectar instead, another ingredient that is easily available at most local grocery stores.
As Sanford finishes with the first batch of cookies, Hennessey pulls out a package of pre-made pie crusts, and grins. She explains the package isn't a vegan brand, but the crusts were not made with milk or butter, two common ingredients in pie crusts.
"You do a lot of label reading when you're a vegan," she says.
Hennessey, an SFA librarian, practiced veganism off and on for several years. She says it was easier when she was in college because the New York art school she attended had a vegan cafeteria option. But, when she moved to Nacogdoches, she found it more difficult, and reverted back to vegetarianism. About nine months ago, she started back on a vegan diet.
"This is the first time I've attempted it at a time when I actually like to cook," she says. "If you want to be a vegan in East Texas, you kind of have to learn how to cook. You can't really do it otherwise."
The counters of Hennessey's green and beige kitchen are filled with evidence that she does just that. She says she bakes at least once a week, and typically on Sundays.
"I never really baked before," she says of prior to her becoming a vegan. "But I do have a sweet tooth and so when I went vegan, if I wanted a cake or pie or something the only way to have it was to make it myself. Before, I could just buy a box of cookies or buy a box of cake and be fine. So becoming vegan has made me adventurous."
Both of the women say they feel better about themselves as vegans, and they each chose the lifestyle because of their compassion for animals.
Sanford, owner of Morning Glory Yoga studios, has likewise been a vegan for approximately nine months.
As the chocolate chip cookies make their way into the oven, the women pull out a vegan cookbook for an oatmeal raisin recipe.
"A lot of times if you use a recipe that is vegan to begin with, then you don't have to worry too much about replacements, " Hennessey says. "... But, if you use a recipe that you want to make substitutions for then you can play around with applesauce and bananas and things like that."
As the evening winds to a close, the women have several batches of cookies, a fudge pecan pie and a coconut cake, all of which were made without one animal product.
Top it off with some vegan ice cream
Marty Prince offers a summertime treat, vegan style.
Equipment:
- Blender or food processor
- Ice cream machine (the kind with the tub you chill in the freezer works fine, and they cost less than $50)
Ingredients
1 tetra box firm silken tofu (like Mori-Nu) -or- 8 ounces soy yogurt
Between 3/4 to 1 cup plain soy milk or chocolate soy
1/3 cup maple syrup or brown rice syrup (or a combination)
2 tsp vanilla
Directions
Combine all 4 main ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until thoroughly combined and smooth. Blend in any desired flavoring ingredients (see below). Pour into your ice cream machine, and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions.
Add-ins:
For various flavors, add to the food processor:
For Banana Soy Ice Cream, blend in 2 ripe bananas
For Strawberry Soy Ice Cream, blend in 12-16 frozen and partially thawed strawberries.
For Pineapple Soy Ice Cream, blend in 1 can or 1 cup of pineapple (well drained). You may want more sweetener.
For Ginger Soy Ice Cream, add either 1/4 cup preserved ginger or 1 to 2 inches grated fresh ginger (for preserved ginger, add to food processor so it gets ground up).
Flavored liquers or syrups are a great way to add punch. Try creme de menthe and chocolate chips, or coffee liqueur, or instant coffee powder...
Use your imagination to come up with new flavors!
