Kid-Friendly Vegan Fare

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

Thank you, dear readers, for your kind and encouraging comments. I read them all and appreciate the time you take to write and send them to me. In answer to some requests I’ve had for vegan recipe ideas, today’s column is meat and dairy-free.

Now, first you may be thinking, what exactly is vegan food? While most folks these days are familiar with (and probably even know someone who eats) vegetarian cuisine, vegan diets take it a step further. Vegan diets and recipes don’t contain any ingredients that are animal-based, such as butter, milk, eggs, cheese or meat. I think of a vegan diet as straight up vegetarian-based eating in its purest form. And while the recipes and cooking that I’ve shared up to this point have been fairly traditional, I actually do have a decade of experience in eating a vegan diet (hailing back to my early 20s and college days). So I’ll do my best to include some vegan inspiration periodically.

Whether you choose to eat vegan—or not—for environmental, animal or health reasons, there are certainly still a lot of delicious ways to make a tasty meal. And remember, it can also help to have a good cookbook or two on the kitchen shelf to refer to when the well begins to run dry.

When I ate a strictly vegan diet, I relied upon tofu, tempeh and seitan to provide healthful protein. Since dairy and meat products are out of the loop for vegans, it’s vital to provide a variety of other healthy proteins—especially when feeding growing bodies. It’s important to make sure there is a source of B12 in the diet also—that’s one nutrient deficiency that can lead to impaired nerve and mental function. Because vitamin B12’s richest sources are animal foods, vegans are advised to supplement with B12, since it’s currently unknown if the form of B12 that’s available in fermented foods (such as tempeh) is exactly the form that fulfills our body’s requirements.

Thankfully with the delicious soymilk and soy cheeses that are now available, it’s easier than ever to accommodate or imitate more traditional tastes, if desired. However, it’s just as much fun—and sometimes preferred—to take the road less traveled and create and experiment with new foods that can be just as filling and probably even more healthy.

Try Tofu

The trick to tasty tofu is in the seasoning, since its bland flavor by itself is nothing to write home about. Add a dash or splash for a flavorful boost—anything from oregano to soy sauce to hot peppers will work. And talk about versatile: Tofu can be crumbled, cubed, sliced or even frozen to fit into almost any meal.

Tofu is a super source of iron and magnesium; it also has plentiful potassium, niacin, copper, calcium, zinc and phosphorus. And it doesn’t stop there: zero cholesterol, low in carbs, and 78 percent unsaturated fat makes tofu an economical protein stretch for those wanting to cut down on red meat (or any meat!) consumption.

Serves/Makes: 4

• 1 pound tofu, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon adobo seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 large garlic-dill pickle, diced
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise