Living Well Tips

Baking The Plant-Based Way

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Maintaining a healthy, plant-based diet can become difficult during the fall and winter months. Cookies, cakes, pies, and other baked goods can become a dangerous temptation. But before you get discouraged and think you have to write off baking al- together, take a look at these simple baking substitutes!

Substitutes:

Flour Substitutes

  • Almond flour:     is probably the most similar to regular flour and can be used as a substitute for any baking recipe. Almond flour is gluten-free and high in protein. It can be bought in stores or even made at home by finely grinding almonds into powder.
  • Coconut flour:     is dried, powdered coconut and gives whatever you bake it with a slight coconut flavor. It is high in fiber and low in carbs and gluten-free. I suggest combining this substitute with another if you do not like the coconut taste it can create and also for texture purposes.
  • Black beans:      is strictly for brownie recipes. Precooking and draining the beans is a must and gives whatever it is baked into the perfect amount of moistness.

Sugar substitutes

  • Applesauce:    is a great way to substitute sugar without sacrificing sweetness. it also adds moisture to your baking mixture.
  • Bananas:     has the same effects as applesauce just with an added sweetness and can give a hint of banana flavor. It is also rich in potassium.
  • Agave:     is a liquid sweetener made from the agave plant and is sweeter than sugar.
  • Honey:     has more calories than sugar, but is equal in sweetness. It is also not as processed as most sugar and healthier.

Butter

  • Coconut oil: although coconut oil is one of my favorite butter substitutes, be careful substituting more than one coconut-based product.
  • Olive oil: is one of the most widely accepted butter substitutes.
  • Avocado: although it might sound unconventional, avocado is one of the best baking substitutes. The avocado flavor cannot be detected and it adds extra nutrients to the finished product.

Milk

  • Soy milk:     comes from soy beans and is one of the most popular milk substitutes in the plant-based world. It’s creamy texture is perfect for baking.
  • Rice milk:     is similar to 1% milk in texture but has more of a milk flavor than soy.
  • Hemp milk:     is made from soaking hemp seeds
  • Almond milk: is much like soy milk and possesses a great flavor that translates well in baking

Eggs

  • Water with 1 teaspoon baking soda: this is a simple substitute that functions exactly like eggs in baking

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