Find balance...
For my favorite Everything Bread Recipe, I struggled for a while over the use of honey. For the time being, I've decided to use organic, local honey, and to just be ok with that for now. If I feel differently later as I continue to grow into my new humane plant-based lifestyle, then that's fine too.
For my to-die-for Whole Wheat Morning Glory Muffins, something that I eat for breakfast every day now, I didn't know what to do. The recipe contains two eggs. Watching videos of factory chicken farms makes me feel so guilty about this morning pleasure. So for now, I've decided to buy only organic, cage-free, vegetarian fed eggs. If I can talk to the farmer and buy them locally, even better. If I later find an egg substitute to replace this ingredient then great! Better yet, I'd love to get my own backyard chicken coop. But for now, I'm choosing to be ok with using my buying power to support only animal products that I want to support.
Butter. Hmmmm. It has always been one of my favorite flavors! For baking, I've been buying organic butter. For spreading and cooking, I use Earth Balance. I hope to eventually look for other vegan alternatives for baking too, but its just so scary to start messing with all your tried and true recipes!
Finally, the sugar issue. This is something I have not even started trying to conquer yet. You can buy raw natural sugar that is vegan, but I'm not ready to start experimenting with my recipes to see how this effects them, yet. Someday, in my fantasy world, I'll find the time to not only bake, but to experiment with baking too. For now, if I can squeeze 30 minutes in here or an hour there, I'm going to stick with what I know and get the job done. The point is, at least I'm making everything from scratch, which is definitely healthier and kinder to the planet in so many ways.
The biggest lifestyle change with trying to eat a mostly vegan diet, is all the homemade cooking and preparation in advance that needs to be done! I have found I really need to use my weekends to plan for the week ahead, because there are very limited fast-food or pre-packaged options available to me. Which really is a good think if you ask me anyway :)
Well, speaking of which, I better get back to my vegan Rustic White Bean & Mushroom dish that I'm bringing to pass at Christmas (to make sure I have a protein too). See, always have to think ahead!
I know quite a few vegans who still eat honey. I bet if you google it, you'll find all kinds of reasons why. I know http://loveveggiesandyoga.com is (or was) a Vegan and ate honey. She wrote a post on it somewhere on her blog.
ReplyDeleteI have used the flaxseed egg trick before in baking & it seems to work really well! Here's what I do:
To replace one egg:
1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
3 tablespoons water (or other liquid)
Stir together until thick and gelatinous.
I substitute Stevia for sugar in almost all my baked goods & though it's a bit temperamental on taste (you need very very little) most of them turn out okay.
I think you're doing great, Jess! Balance is for sure the key & buying the best possible quality of "no-no" ingredients makes all the difference! Lastly, making sure there is NO guilt when you do indulge occasionally.
Thanks for the egg replacement tip, I'll try that next time for sure, actually, I'll probably try it in my homemade Morning Glory Muffing recipe as soon as I get back home to WI!
DeleteI've been thinking about doing a post about honey too. When I do, I'll be sure to check out your friend's site among others to present all sides of the issue. As of right now, I haven't given it up, but I only by organic, so that's better than nothing :)