Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Choose A Vegan Butter Alternative







Avocado can serve as an alternative to butter spreads on sandwiches.


Vegans do not consume animal products of any kind, including dairy. If you have to bake a dessert suitable for a vegan or someone on a strict diet, you can choose several alternatives to butter. Such alternatives tend to be cholesterol-free and all-natural. Like butter, however, they are high in fat and should be used in moderation.


Instructions


1. Try a nonhydrogenated oil spread on toast or in baked goods. This is the most butter-like butter alternative in terms of flavor and texture.


2. Drizzle flax seed oil over cooked vegetables instead of butter. It has a light, slightly buttery flavor that even many meat eaters find satisfying when it's served this way. It can also be used in salad dressings, but it's best not to heat flax oil. It has a high concentration of essential fatty acids that become unstable at high temperatures.








3. Use olive oil on bread or toast. In some countries it is more common to eat toast with olive oil and salt than butter.


4. Try organic light sesame oil or organic corn oil as a butter alternative in baked goods. Make sure the oil is organic and good quality, especially if you are using corn oil. Nonorganic corn is frequently genetically modified.


5. Use mashed avocado as a spread on bread or in sandwiches. Although it has a different flavor, it is rich and creamy and has a mouth feel that is similar to that of butter.


6. Try onion butter on bread or vegetables. Onion butter is just onions cooked very slowly with a little bit of salt and oil until they become very soft and spreadable. When made correctly, the long cooking time brings out the sweetness in onions, and onion butter can be sweeter than apple sauce.


7. Spread carrot butter or carrot cashew butter on toast or cornbread. The sweet, rich flavor of carrot or cashew butter combines perfectly with cornbread.


8. Try fruit butters like apple butter and pear butter on warm bread or as a pancake or waffle topping. Fruit butters are thicker than traditional fruit spreads like jam or preserves, and when made with fruits like apples and pears, the skins are generally left on.

Tags: baked goods, carrot cashew, carrot cashew butter, cashew butter