How To Make Any Dish Vegan

You may be looking for some new recipes to expand your culinary options. However, it can be difficult to find recipes that are vegan. Fortunately, you can tweak a lot of different recipes in order to make them free of animal products. Here’s how to make any dish vegan even if you are a novice cook.

Look For Substitutes

Sometimes the key to making a dish vegan is finding the right substitutes. For example, you can replace scrambled eggs with scrambled tofu, beans for crumbled meat and soy milk for cow’s milk. By finding the right substitutes, you can make a dish as close to the recipe as possible without having to use animal products. You could also use prepacked substitutes for things like cheese or butter. There are a whole host of products available on the market that taste similar to the real thing.

Simply Remove The Animal Products

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of finding a substitute for certain ingredients, you may be able to simply remove the animal products. For example, you can make vegan ramen noodles by just removing the seasoning packet. In some recipes, you don’t really have to replace certain ingredients with anything else as the dish will be flavorful enough without them. If you are looking for an easy way to make a dish vegan, you might find that it’s as simple as just removing animal products from the recipes and not replacing them with a substitute.

Get Creative

You might have to get creative if you are trying to turn some of your favorite dishes into vegan ones. Don’t fret though! This is your chance to really let your culinary expertise shine through. Don’t be afraid to experiment a bit. You won’t really know what will work well in a dish until you try it. You just might be surprised by what flavor combinations work well with each other. If you are having difficulty, you should talk to other vegans to find out what foods pair well together.

Don’t Forget The Spice

Vegan food doesn’t have to be bland. Many new vegans forget to add spices to their food. By doing so, they end up with a lot of disappointing dishes. When you get rid of things like butter and dairy, you may find that it is sometimes a struggle to come up with flavorful dish. However, just the right spices can make all of the difference in the world when it comes to making a vegan meal.

In conclusion, don’t settle for less than flavorful food just because you are vegan. By utilizing the above tips, you can turn any dish into a vegan one. It may take you some time to determine what you need to do in order to make a dish taste right. However, by not giving up and experimenting a little bit, you will become a master at vegan cooking in no time.
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Best Pasta Recipes for Winter

Pasta dishes are among the heartiest and most delicious foods to enjoy in the winter months, especially. Although they’re great any time of year, in the winter you can cover up those extra pounds with a coat, so when you go for seconds you don’t experience the kind of nagging guilt you almost can’t escape in other seasons. Pasta dishes provide comfort and warmth that is unequaled by almost any other kind of food.

Spaghetti Puttanesca

This dish is brimming with flavor, but don’t try to serve it to someone who doesn’t like anchovies because that is the main thrust of this dish. Some people may argue that pasta dishes don’t have much nutritional value, but this is not necessarily so. Spaghetti Puttanesca is very nutritious, anchovies being rich in omega-3 fatty acids. A great way to enjoy a favorite pasta meal is knowing you’re helping lower your cholesterol while you’re at it. There is one more thing you might want to know: The name of the dish is supposedly derived from the puttanas or prostitutes who lived in Naples. It was an easy dish to make in-between “appointments.” It may or may not be something you want to serve on a first date, just in case your date knows this.

Macaroni and Cheese

Who hasn’t experienced the awesome delight of this dish? Most people can remember it from their childhoods, making it the comfort food of comfort foods. A mac and cheese casserole brings back so many fond memories to so many people that it’s got to be therapeutic. When you find yourself caught up in the winter doldrums, wishing you were on a beach somewhere in the tropics, a piping hot serving or two (or three) of this dish will undoubtedly lighten your heart and, yes, that is about all it will lighten, but remember what I said at the beginning.

Pasta Fagioli

This is yet another heartwarming dish made with pasta and beans. Some vegetarian dishes lack the heartiness that is needed for cold, winter days, but pasta fagioli leaves you feeling pleasantly full and satisfied. The beans are bursting with protein, and the tender ditalini pasta adds its own unique elegance to this peasant dish. It’s so quick and easy to make that you can whip up a batch in no time at all, while it’s delicious enough to taste like you spent hours on it. You can make a big pot of it and put it in the refrigerator for a few days. It will taste as fresh as the day you made it when you heat it up.

We could go on for hours talking about the wonders of winter cuisine with pasta. These are just a few of my favorites, and I’m sure you have your own. If winter isn’t exactly your favorite season, pasta dishes can certainly see you through it. If winter is your favorite season, pasta dishes can make it even better.
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How to make the perfect strawberry cake

If strawberries are your weakness, the perfect way to satisfy your sweet tooth is by treating yourself to a strawberry cake. While there are several box mixes available at local stores that you can turn to in a pinch, you can make the perfect cake by following a few easy steps.

Choose a Delicious White Cake Recipe or Mix

The strawberry mixes in stores already have the strawberry flavor incorporated in them, and this can create a rather generic taste. If you want to enjoy the flavor of natural strawberries in your cake, a better idea is to start with white cake. You can use your favorite white cake recipe as a base, or you can take a shortcut by using a white cake mix from the grocery store.

Add Strawberry Gelatin

To give your white cake the bold strawberry flavor that you crave, simply add a small box of strawberry gelatin to the prepared batter. You generally do not need to make any recipe adjustments in order to accommodate this addition. While this will add the perfect touch of strawberry flavor that far surpasses what you can get out of a flavored box cake, this is only one flavoring step that you need to elevate your cake to a new level.

Incorporate Fresh Fruit in the Cake and Frosting

A strawberry cake would not be complete without incorporating fresh fruit into the batter and frosting. For the best results, use fresh fruit that is in season. If you crave this desert when the fruit is not in season, you can use frozen strawberries. These should not have syrup. Cut the strawberries into very small pieces. One cup of cut strawberries should be sufficient for the cake. A half-cup may be sufficient for the frosting. An alternative is to use strawberry jam rather than fresh strawberries in the frosting.

Add an Enticing Garnish

Your cake will not be complete without the perfect finishing touches on top. You can decorate with whipped topping, fresh strawberries or even a well-placed dollop of pureed strawberries. There are numerous design ideas that you can follow, and you can get ideas from a cookbook or online. Your toppings or decorations add flavor and also may make your cake difficult to resist.

There are many variations to the perfect strawberry cake, such as using cream cheese or sour cream in the frosting for a touch of twang or adding a jam-like puree between layers. With so many possibilities, you can use these ideas to get started, and you can play with the recipe until you perfect your cake to suit your preferences.
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How To Cook Steak And Cheese Quesadilla In A Frying Pan

Steak quesadillas are the perfect crowd-pleaser, combining the rich flavor of grilled beef with fresh veggies, gooey cheese, and a warm tortilla. Whether you are making quesadillas for a Tex-Mex family dinner or an easy appetizer for a party, you need to find the perfect recipe to ensure that your dish turns out as planned. This is the perfect steak quesadilla recipe that you can rely on to satisfy your family and friends every time.

Gather Your Ingredients

The best steak quesadilla has the perfect amount of lean beef combined with sliced onions and Monterey Jack cheese. Use New York strip steaks that are slightly less than an inch thick for the best results. Avoid slicing the steaks until after they have been grilled. You may also want to top your grilled steak quesadilla with pico de gallo, sour cream or even guacamole, but refrigerate these items until they are needed. Butter, flour tortillas and seasonings, such as salt, pepper and garlic powder are also essential.

Prepare the Grill

While you could make steak quesadillas in the kitchen using a frying pan, the best steak quesadillas are prepared over an open flame. Light your grill, and prepare it so that you can cook with medium-high heat directly over a flame. While your grill is heating up, you can slice the onions and season the steak. Some people also prefer to put sliced red and green peppers in their quesadillas. Use these sparingly as you want the full flavor of the cheese and meat to pop.

Grill Steaks and Veggies

When your grill is ready, place the steaks directly on the grill over the flame. Grill each side of the steak for two minutes. The inside of the steak should be warm and pink, and the outside should be perfectly seared. Then, use a cast iron griddle to heat the veggies. Apply butter and seasonings for flavoring while the veggies are cooking. During this time, you can also slice the meat into long, thin pieces.

Warm the Stuffed Tortillas

Lay each tortilla flat. On one half of the tortilla, cover the tortilla with cheese. Then, place the sliced beef and veggies over the cheese. Add another thin layer of cheese before folding the tortilla in half. You are now ready to place the stuffed tortilla directly on the grill. Heat each side for a minute or two until the cheese is melted.

You can learn more about how to make a steak quesadilla [available here]. Experiment with different types of cheese and veggies for variation. 
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What Is The Best Temp And Time For Baby Back And Spare Ribs

Now that warm weather has arrived, it’s time to dust off that grill that has been taking up space in your garage and put it to some use. Instead of going for the same old boring hot dogs and burgers, why not stir things up a bit by making delicious and juicy pork ribs? Before you go to your local supermarket or butcher shop, learn what are spare ribs, what are baby back ribs and the differences between them.

SPARE RIBS

After the belly of the pig is removed, spare ribs are the meaty ribs that are cut away. Most frequently, they are cut into what is known as St. Louis-style ribs, which are more rectangular in shape because the cartilage and breastbone are sliced off. Because they are flat, they are easy to brown. Their high-fat content makes them extra flavorful although they do contain more bones than other types of ribs. Each slab feeds three or four people and usually weighs over two pounds.

BABY BACK RIBS

Also known as loin ribs, back ribs, and pork loin back ribs, baby back ribs are a costlier alternative to St. Louis-style spare ribs. Although their name might make you think that they come from a very young pig, their diminutive title comes from the fact that they are shorter than spare ribs. Baby backs come from the place where the rib meets the pig’s spine after the loin has been removed. Each curved rack has an average of 10 to 13 ribs that are 3 to 6 inches long. If you’re really hungry, you can probably polish off a rack by yourself, but you should probably be able to share with your dinner companion if you’re serving your ribs with some yummy side dishes.

Now that you understand what are spare ribs and baby back ribs, it’s time for the fun part. Buy enough to serve yourself and your hungry group of friends, then give your ribs some time to cook. Whether you smoke them, braise them, grill them or make them in the oven, they are most delicious when cooked slowly at low temperatures. They also lend themselves to rubs and sauces both sweet and savory. The bottom line is that nothing says summer like a heaping platter of hot, juicy ribs. Make some today, and you’ll be the hit of the neighborhood.
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