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Monday, October 31, 2011

Vegan Kitchen - Must Have Spices

 

As a reminder  being Vegan means you don't eat meat, dairy, or any other animals by-products so that means we need to replace those unhealthy gross flavor hogs with some great exciting spices to ensure that everything made still tastes amazing.

When talking about vegan food that most people have eaten in the past they often describe it as bland or boring. That is because the people cooking it are used to cooking meat and don't know how to up the spice ante (poker pun :-) I <3 Phil)  When you take the meat and fat out of the equation ( I am really good at math) then you have to replace it with something else.

My number one most used spice is black pepper.  It adds heat and a depth of flavor to anything you are cooking.  It also gives you some of the replacement taste for the crust or skin on meat, don't know why, but it does. (Oh and of course it is better if you have freshly ground, so if you have to settle for the already ground stuff you need to double up the dosage.)

Second behind black pepper is smoked paprika.  This is actually just a red pepper than has been dried, smoked, and powdered.  This adds no heat but a sweet smokey flavor to anything.  It is great in Chili, on burgers, in lasagna, pasta sauce, sprinkled on roasted veggies,...ok you get it, its great on everything.  It also makes up some meat flavor in dishes where you substitute mushrooms for meat. If you like more spice ground chipotles are a great addition to the pantry and do the same as smoked paprika but also add heat.

Third for me is basil.  This is an herb that has tons of flavor and you can also use in almost every dish.  It doesn't have to just be in Italian season mix.  I use it is soups, stocks, deserts, Asian, Mexican, Thai, and American classics.  Try it in a few new things and see how great it is.  It is an herb to that really helps you trick your friends into believing that you know how to cook.  If you use fresh basil is really makes things look fancy.  It is also a super easy plant to grow so for 5 bucks and a bucket on your porch you can have enough basil for the entire summer!

The next is not a spice at all but is crucial to the vegan  kitchen, nutritional yeast or brewers yeast. This is the only place on the planet that vegans can get important B12 naturally.  Although it can be synthetic and in vitamins it is important to use the natural version if at all possible.  Nutritional yeast took a long time to grow on me, but now I use it in almost everything from as a cheese replacement to an addition to homemade salad dressings.  You can sprinkle over just about anything to amp up the flavor.  It has similar natural properties as MSG, but doesn't give the headaches so it kind of tricks your mind into thinking things taste better.  Cooking faux comfort food is all about trickery!

Although, I think there are thousands of important herbs, my last absolute must have is a bottle of your favorite curry powder.  I usually buy a bottle of Indian curry powder that is salt free (you always want to be able to add salt at will so try not to buy spices with it already mixed in).  Curry powder is NOT just for curries, it is a combination of a LOT of different types of spices so one bottle packs a huge flavor punch.  I use curry powder in my fake mac and cheese, potato dishes, and almost all gravies and sauces.  It kind of confuses people, because they can never figure out your secret ingredient.


Ok there are my 5 most important spices to have on hand.  Also when cooking with fresh herbs you need to use double what you think.  When using herbs in vegan food in general always use about 10 times the amount you think you need.  No I am serious.  That is what makes food taste good.  Ok well maybe not 10, but at least 5 times.  When you think it is spiced enough have a non-vegan friend taste test, and they will probably tell you that you need more smokey, peppery flavor.  In that instance, add more of all 5 ingredients listed above and your dish will be perfect!

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