Veganism is a great way to lose weights, and if you believe books like "The China Study," to potentially extend your lifespan and prevent illness. If you grew up vegan or come from a culture that cooks food that lends itself to vegetarianism (there are great Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Southeast Asian and Indian dishes that fit the bill here), then making the switch to a fully vegan diet may be a simple matter of making a few dietary tweaks or of dropping a few of your recipes off of your list. If you have grown up in a meat and potatoes family, the concept of a vegan diet may seem very restrictive and difficult to maintain. Luckily, it's not as hard as it might appear to be, and the changes you make can be fun.
It can take some work to learn how to cook new food, but it needn't mean that you never get to eat anything fun. Just because you have decided to go vegan doesn't mean that you have to get rid of your most favorite, decadent foods. There are a number of foods that can serve as substitute staples. Tofu makes a great cream substitute, and soy and almond milk can work as milk. Xantham gum can be a binder that works like eggs and jackfruit is a great meat substitute.
Chocolate Mousse is one recipe that you can easily make with vegan substitutions. This recipe traditionally calls for cream and eggs. Instead, it uses silken tofu and almond milk. Chocolate chips are one item that you won't need to substitute if you go with dark chocolate; in many cases, chocolate chips are already vegan. Read below for one great recipe adapted from Food.com:
What You Need
12-ounce package of firm or extra firm silken tofu
3/4 cup of almond, coconut, or soy milk
1 cup of vegan chocolate chips
1 tsp of vanilla extract
Optional enhancements
chili powder
mint leaves
peppermint oil
coconut oil and shredded coconut
Step 1: Heat milk and chocolate
You can do this on the stovetop or in the microwave, so long as you are stirring constantly as you warm. Either stir over a low stove or microwave for about 2 minutes at a time, stir, and add a bit more time. The exact amount will vary with the time out of the microwave and the power of your oven. You should have a rich chocolatey milk when you are done. Let this cool before proceeding to step 2.
Step 2: Blend with remaining ingredients
Take all of the ingredients plus the optional enhancements of your choosing and blend them together. Make sure you taste this when you are done. If you still taste tofu, you can add a splash more of an enhancement or more melted chips, but don't add more milk or it won't properly set.
Step 3: Chill to set
This is the final step in the recipe. Pour the mousse into a bowl (or a set of smaller, individual ramekins for best results) to set. Let it chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours. When it is done, you can garnish with your favorite items: mint leaves, shaved vegan chocolate, sea salt, candied flowers, and cinnamon are all great choices.
While it takes some work and some reteaching of your culinary skills to learn to cook delicious vegan food, learning some basic retakes on your favorites will go a long way toward having a successful vegan diet.