4 Miracle Ingredients For Creamy Vegan Dishes

If you’re struggling to craft vegan entrees that are as rich and delicious as their meat- and dairy-containing counterparts, fear not. There are a variety of ways to give vegan dishes the same creamy, cheesy and lush texture that is so easy to incorporate into mainstream foods. With these ingredients in your arsenal, you’ll have no trouble creating ethical dishes in your online culinary school courses:

Nutritional yeast
Nutritional yeast is often used by vegan chefs to give their creations a cheesy taste and texture. Yeast – a fungus – is perfectly OK to eat by vegan standards, and is significantly less processed than many vegan cheese alternatives. Use nutritional yeast in Mexican dishes, casseroles, and in combination with butternut squash and ground cashews to give your animal product-free meals a “cheesy” kick.

Avocado
The options for avocado are simply endless. This delicious, creamy and healthy fruit has a taste that pairs well with almost anything. You can use avocado in any dish that calls for a creamy taste. Avocado is delicious when blended with olive oil in a food processor and added to pasta. It creates that cream sauce-like taste that is so difficult to recreate with vegan alternatives. Avocado can also be made to craft sweet and delicious vegan “ice cream.”

Chia seeds
Chia seeds are, as their name suggests, seeds, and therefore provide a bit of protein to your dishes, making them a good substitute for eggs. However, they also possess another egg-like quality: When combined with water, they cause the liquid to thicken and turn into a gelatin-like substance that many vegans call a “chia egg.”

Combine 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 1 tablespoon of water and let sit for about five minutes. After that time period has elapsed, you’ll have a thickened product that you can substitute for an egg in baked goods.

Tofu
Tofu is quite a handy ingredient. Not only can it be meticulously marinated to reflect almost any flavor profile, it can also be used as a substitute for certain types of cheese. Thirdly, it can be used similarly to avocado in terms of thickening up any dishes that may need a little extra creaminess.

One particularly genius way to use tofu is to blend it in a food processor. As it is mixed, the tofu will take on a crumbly texture similar to that of ricotta cheese. It can then be used accordingly in pastas and casseroles.