A new friend of mine is vegan, so naturally, I needed to check this out. I love to cook, and I’ve cooked a ton of vegetarian dishes in my time, a fresh Caprese Salad drizzled in balsamic glaze on a hot sumer day or a Portobello Mushroom pasta with Sherry Cream Sauce on a cold winter’s night… Trouble is, those aren’t vegan! For those who don’t know, a vegan diet is (true) vegetarian, but also excludes butter or cream, eggs, cheese (from cows or goats), gelatin and honey. This means not having any animal products or by-products in your diet.
I’ve learned a few things already about vegan cooking that are worth sharing. To replace cream or milk in a recipe, try coconut milk. For cheese, try Daiya Foods. I tried Daiya cheese this weekend when I made Chloe a dairy free pizza. She loved it! Thai food is one of my favorites and as as it turns out, there are a ton of vegan and gluten free Thai recipes! Here’s one that I’ve cooked for ages, but didn’t even realize it’s vegan, Thai Coconut Red Curry with Vegetables.
There are a lot of reasons to think about a vegan diet. For me, well, this new friend of mine… For the rest of you, it’s extremely healthy! Here’s a list of Vegan friendly restaurants in Portsmouth, in case you want to give it a try. I’ve been to The Green Elephant, and it was fantastic.
The Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro and Bar
Black Trumpet Bistro (by the way, the Black Trumpet just came out with a fantastic new cook book)
Matt Becker
Live from Matt’s House
