{"id":65452,"date":"2015-11-23T20:14:44","date_gmt":"2015-11-24T02:14:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=65452"},"modified":"2015-11-24T03:22:45","modified_gmt":"2015-11-24T09:22:45","slug":"diy-vegan-shares-tips-on-creating-plant-based-staple-foods-drinks-from-scratch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2015\/11\/23\/diy-vegan-shares-tips-on-creating-plant-based-staple-foods-drinks-from-scratch\/","title":{"rendered":"‘DIY Vegan’ shares tips on creating plant based staple foods, drinks from scratch"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"DIY<\/a>
DIY Vegan by Nicole Axworthy and Lisa Pitman
(Photo from Google Books<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TORONTO\u2014Nicole Axworthy and Lisa Pitman grew tired of scrutinizing food labels to ensure products adhered to their vegan diets.<\/p>\n

They decided the only sure bet was to steer away from the store and towards the kitchen to customize their own homemade plant-based cuisine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think one of the biggest things that we see in the food industry is the overabundance of processed foods and fast foods,\u201d said Axworthy.<\/p>\n

\u2018We really wanted to break it down and make it simple for people. And show people that it’s easy, that you can still enjoy nachos and mac and cheese and cereals and all those things with basic ingredients.\u201d<\/p>\n

Axworthy and Pitman feature 135 recipes for everyday food staples free of animal byproducts in their new cookbook “DIY Vegan” (St. Martin’s Griffin).<\/p>\n

The coobook offers a comprehensive breakdown of vegan pantry essentials including natural sweeteners; oils and fats; nuts; dried fruits; vinegars; oats, quinoa and millet; and flours derived from almond, buckwheat or chickpeas.<\/p>\n

The Toronto-based pair, who are both contributing editors at VegNews magazine, also provide insight into lesser-known items that can help enhance dishes. They include xanthan gum, used as a thickening agent in liquids, and lecithin, an emulsifier derived from sunflowers or soybeans that is used to bind ingredients.<\/p>\n

Once the pantry is stocked, readers can start off with the basics such as making their own dairy-free milks and cheeses, broadening into breads, dressings, sauces, seasonings and condiments, and rounded out by comfort foods like mac and cheese, pizza and desserts.<\/p>\n

While it may seem daunting to create such food essentials from scratch, Axworthy said what’s key is making the process routine, such as soaking cashews prior to bed to make dairy-free milk first thing in the morning.<\/p>\n

With the holiday season looming, some individuals hosting dinners may be unsure of what to prepare for vegan guests.<\/p>\n

Axworthy said as a vegan, she finds \u201cside dishes (are) really where it’s at.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey can be especially nutritious and filling if they’re made with whole grains and vegetables and greens and beans,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing that the host can do is just make some easy substitutions. For example, replacing the butter for vegetable-based oils, or putting the cheese on the side for people who want it … or replacing the chicken broth with vegetable broth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cashew-based cheeses teamed with crackers would be \u201can awesome holiday appetizer,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

As for sweet treats, Axworthy said there are substitutions that can be made for ingredients that are central in many baked goods.<\/p>\n

For example, a mixture of flax seed and water replaces egg, and cold coconut oil can add a flaky texture to a premade pie crust.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TORONTO\u2014Nicole Axworthy and Lisa Pitman grew tired of scrutinizing food labels to ensure products adhered to their vegan diets. They …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":65453,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[35],"class_list":["post-65452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-food","tag-original","mauthors-lauren-la-rose","mauthors-the-canadian-press"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65452\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}