Vegan Yum Yum: Decadent (But Doable) Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaining & Everyday
Lauren Ulm is the founder of the website “Vegan Yum Yum” and author of a new cookbook by the same name. Lauren explains her vegan background and her motivation for starting her anmal free recipe website and writing her vegan cookbook:
“When I first went vegan, it was a bit of a mystery to me, too. I was totally amazed that you didn’t need eggs and dairy for baking, and that the resulting treat tasted just as good. Or that with a little imagination and a few swaps, you could make decadent things like doughnuts, cupcakes, and macaroni and cheese that rivaled my mom’s—enjoyable foods that weren’t just pathetic vegan stand-ins for the “real” versions. It was then that I became sort of obsessed with creating vegan food, both savory and sweet, that would be enjoyed by even the staunchest carnivores.
“Now my husband and I have a running joke: Whenever I make something ridiculously over-the-top and decadent, we chow down with glee and declare as sarcastically as possible to each other, ‘Man, it sure sucks to be vegan! I’m so hungry and unsatisfied!’
Vegan Food Doesn’t Mean Bland Food
“Once people find out that my husband and I are vegan, they proceed to ask us a lot of questions (I’m sure you’ve fielded these questions as well, if you’re vegan). Some of the questions involve ethics, factory farming practices, and hypothetical ‘But would you eat eggs if…’ situations, but one question persists: ‘What on earth do you eat?’
“While I rattle off the list, what most people usually picture is unappetizing steamed vegetables, a pile of beans with a sprig of parsley on top, or a block of wobbly tofu. They either haven’t had any experience with vegan food, or the experience they had wasn’t a good one.
“Would I want each and every person to try a vegan doughnut and declare him or herself a vegan convert? Sure. A much more attainable goal, however, is much less dramatic. I want to provide vegans with an armory of fantastic recipes that they can serve to their friends and family with pride. If you’ve just gone vegan and find yourself in need of kitchen skills—fast—I want you to have a book full of step-by-step recipes that will make you feel like a pro in no time. And, I’d simply like people not to cringe when I tell them the cupcake I’m offering them happens to be vegan. You don’t have to be vegan to eat vegan. You don’t have to be a vegan to put together a vegan meal. You don’t have to be vegan to like vegan food! I really truly hope this book convinces people of these things. And of course, if you are convinced, I hope going vegan is something that you seriously consider.”
Lauren Ulm, “Lolo,” is a vegan foodie and founder of veganyumyum.com who lives in Boston with her husband and two cats. She is not a chef, has never been to culinary school, and she’s not a professional photographer (but she has fun pretending!) When she went vegan in 2002, the kitchen became her favorite room in the house, and still is today. She has appeared on The Martha Stewart Show and has been featured in Vegetarian Times.
More Information About Animal Free Cooking and Eating:
- Vegan Pancake Recipe For Nonvegans
- Animal Free Vegan Diets Gain Popularity Due to Farm Cruelty and Health Studies
- Vegan Recipes That Make Nonvegans Say “Yum!”
- What is an Animal Free Vegan Diet?
Vegan Pancake Recipe Even Nonvegans Will Love – Animal Free Diets Are More Than Vegetables
Most people think that the only thing on a vegan diet is vegetables. Vegetables for breakfast, vegetables for lunch, vegetables for dinner, vegetables for snacks, all washed down with vegetable juice drinks. Most people would be wrong.
These days, animal free vegan cooking is as sophisticated as any other type of cuisine. Just about any “normal” recipe can be customized to be a healthier vegan version, with the removal of animal products and the addition of healthy swaps. When cooked correctly, most nonvegans can’t tell – and don’t care – that what they’re eating is vegan.
Not convinced? Try the recipe below, which is a vegan version of an all-American breakfast favorite – pancakes. The recipe was created by Lauren Ulm, founder of the website, “Vegan Yum Yum,” and author of a vegan cookbook by the same name. If you are brave enough to accept the challenge, serve the pancakes to nonvegan friends or family and see if they notice the difference. More than likely the only reaction you’ll get from unsuspecting nonvegans is “Yum!”
Ingredients for Animal Free Vegan Pancakes:
1 1/2 cups soy milk
1 cup spelt flour (can be substituted with all-purpose)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon extract (vanilla, or any flavor)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 – 2 tablespoons water (to thin batter, if needed)
Earth Balance margarine (optional, for service)
Maple syrup (optional, for service)
Cooking Directions for Vegan Pancakes Nonvegans Love:
STEP 1
Add the soy milk to a blender, followed by the spelt flour, all-purpose flour, oil, sugar, baking powder, extract, and salt. Blend for a few seconds until combined. Scrape down any dry flour stuck to the sides and blend again. You can use the batter immediately or place the top on the blender and refrigerate overnight. If using the batter the next morning, place the blender back on the base and add 1-2 tablespoons of water, and then blend to mix. This tins the batter, which thickens overnight.
STEP 2
Preheat the oven to 200F, or the lowest setting, and put an oven-safe plate on the middle rack.
STEP 3
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, then pour the batter direction into the center of the pan. I like silver-dollar-size pancakes, 2 1/2 inches to 3 inches in diameter, but you can make any size you want. This batter should create fairly think pancakes
STEP 4
After a few minutes of cooking, you’ll see the bubbles from on the top of the pancake. The batter will start to set, and it will change color from white to dull yellow. This is when you should flip the pancakes. If your pancakes aren’t brown by this tme, turn the heat up a bit. If it is overly brown, turn the heat down. While cooking the pancakes, place the finished ones directly into the oven on the plate. Stack the pancakes as you go. This will keep the whole stack warm while you’re cooking them.
STEP 5
While the pancakes are cooking, feel fre to add blueberries, chocolate chips, or anything else you can imagine. Serve wtih margarine and maple syrup.
Why Nonvegans Love This Vegan Recipe:
At first glance, it’s not even obvious what makes these pancakes vegan. Looking closely, though, compared to a standard pancake recipe, this animal free pancake recipe contains no milk or eggs. This is important to many vegans because they know with the simple elimination of these two animal ingredients the amount of animal cruelty on factory farms will be reduced.
This vegan pancake recipe is also a healthier version of a breakfast favorite because with the elimination of eggs and milk, you also eliminate the hormones and antibiotics contained in those products from your own diet.
More Information About Animal Free Vegan Cooking and Eating:
