Base Ingredients For Milk

The following are listed (more-or-less) from more sustainable, healthy, and ethical, to less sustainable and less ethical based on graphs and articles about ethics problems that some are creating. 

The following choices are generally better than dairy (environmentally speaking), but have some fixable problems that we felt should be discussed:

• Rice Milk uses less water than almond milk to produce, uses less land, but produces more emissions, particularly in the form of methane. Methane in agriculture mostly comes from animal products, and is much more powerful than other types of greenhouse gas such as carbon and ammonia. From the data seen during our research, rice is the greatest non-livestock agricultural source of methane.

• Coconut is a very fatty milk, and is an important part of many cuisines. However the flavor can ruin some dishes such as mashed potatoes. Despite assurances that coconuts are harvested ethically, every plantation investigated in Thailand found that endangered monkeys who were bred in captivity or taken from their families as infants are being abused and used to harvest coconuts. Coconut uses fairly little water, and the trees absorb carbon from the atmosphere.

• Cashews use a fair amount of water, but less than dairy, and the trees help absorb atmospheric carbon. They create extremely tasty milk which is prized for the amazing cheeses, ice creams, and other dairy alternatives it can create. However cashew production is particularly brutal on prisoners and underpaid or unpaid workers who lose fingers to the toxic chemicals that protect that cashews in their pods. It is possible to find ethically produced cashews. If you buy cashews or products with cashews, look for the Fair Trade label.

Flavorings & Colourings

• "Nooch" or Nutritional Yeast these yeast flakes have a cheezy flavor and are packed with nutrients including B12, niacin, protein and more. Make sure to buy the fortified type, and use to make your own DIY cheeses, to flavor dishes, or to sprinkle onto foods like tacos, pizza, shepherds pie, or pasta dishes including spaghetti.

• Garlic and/or Garlic Salt add the needed umami for many cheese recipes.

• Annatto and/or Turmeric are often used as a natural yellow colour for dairy alternatives. 

Butter

You can buy "vegan butter" in a stick just like regular butter (most people can't even taste a difference!), but margarine and vegetable lard can also be used.  You can use the same amount in recipes, but might need to add some salt if using lard instead of margarine or butter. 

Ghee

Vegan ghee is also an option which generally comes in a glass jar, and may need to be mixed up before use, if the heavier parts have separated and sunk to the bottom of the container. Vegan ghee is generall the most expensive, followed by vegan butter and margerine generally being the most afforable. Not sure where vegetable lard falls.

Cheeses

This section has some brand and recipe suggestions, plus other helpful tips. 

You can also check out: 

• VeganCheese "the smart vegan cheese discovery tool, where you can filter and sort the biggest database of vegan cheeses anywhere online."

Blue Cheese (& Brie)

This can be home made, but a growing number of companies are now offering brie and blue cheese which can be found in some deli and cheese sections of popular groceries. Even dairy-lovers have found these irrisistable.

Blue Cheese Sauce

Companies including Daiya and even some store brands now offer bottles of vegan blue cheese sauce, ranch dressing, and other delicious sauces which could previously only be found with egg and/or dairy ingredients. 

These have been great on salads, burgers, pizzas, and more, but be careful to check the expiration date. These don't seem to go bad in the same way that dairy products do, but instead become too thick to get out of the bottle, while developing an unpalatable plastic-like flavor.

Cheese Sticks

These can be found both breaded and un-breaded. Some shops sell the un-breaded kind in packs with dairy-based cheese sticks, or sometimes in the vegan cheese section depending on how your local groceries are organized. They come in a plastic pack with individually wrapped sticks so they can be easily added to a lunchbox.

If you want but can't find breaded cheese sticks, you can make your own by dipping cheese sticks in egg replacer and panko bread crumbs (you'll want to add seasoning if the panko isn't already seasoned).

Breaded cheese sticks can be found in the frozen aisle, ready to be toasted in an oven. They often come with packets of sauce such as marinara or garlic sauce. 

Cottage Cheese

Feta

This is probably the easiest type of cheese you can make. No blending, not cooking, just press the water from your tofu block, cut it into small cubes, and mix the following ingredients: 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tbsp fortified nutritional yeast, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp iodized salt, 1/4 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1 tbsp olive oil or other plant oil. 

Mixing all the non-tofu ingredients into a paste/juice before adding to tofu cubes can help ensure more even distribution of the flavors.

This recipe makes around 4-5 servings, and goes great on salads, pizza, or even in a sandwich. 

Medical Substitution 

If you have weed oil and don't like how it tastes in sweet edibles like chocolates, then you may prefer it in this savory recipe: 

Just exchange the 1tbsp of plain (olive) oil for 1 tbsp of weed oil, and the herbs will help disguise the marijuana flavor.

Gouda 

This can be found plain or smoked in a growing number of deli and cheese sections at popular groceries.

Shreds & Slices

These are among the easiest types of vegan cheese to find. So Delicious, Daiya, and even store brands have been competing to make tastier, meltier cheeses, so while they once tasted like plastic, they are constantly improving. Some companies like Vevan even specialize in melty cheese (warning, this brand kinda sucks if you want to munch on raw slices like you can with other brands, but once heated the cheese is THE BEST melted cheese we've found).

The Secret to Melting Vegan Cheese onto Burgers

Shreds and slices can be incredibly stubborn when you try to melt them onto a burger. If you are frying your burger up in a frying pan, then make sure your burger is (or burger are) cooked all the way through, then top with cheese, then immediately cover with a lid (a glass lid is best as it'll help you see when your cheese has melted). You may want to throw in a handful of water or two to help create some steam, which helps the cheese melt even faster.

Paneer

Custard & Flan

You will need:

• Bird's Custard Powder is egg and dairy free, also gluten-free. Plus you can add as much or as little sugar as you want, pick different milks to use with it. Other companies make custard powders, so check the British section in you local international isle for birds or at your local the Indian through Middle Eastern market in the pudding section for more exotic flavors like mango.

• Corn starch or similar powders like arrow-root can be used instead of pre-flavored custard mixes, but they require more care to get the recipe right.

• Any dairy free milk should be useable for vegan custard, but choices like soy will make it more protein rich, and options like oat milk will maximize creaminess.

• Sugar or a similar sweetener including syrups can be used, but they may effect the flavor.

Turning Custard to Flan

• Agar agar is a type of algae typically used in Asian cooking. It is wonderful for firming up the tofu in a tofurkey, for making vegan jello/jelly (the wobbly stuff, not the stuff from a jar), and for turning regular old custard into a fancy flan!

• Molds for flans can be a simple as a small bowl or come in fancy shapes. We generally make them in whatever is on hand and eat them as soon as they have set.

Seasonal Treats

Advent Calendars

You can buy this an a spray can with the dairy, or you may find an alternative in plastic tubs in the frozen desert aisle.

Whipping Cream

This can often be found next to the dairy version, and works exactly the same way in recipes.

Additional Resources

We don't always have the luxury of time to make our own dairy alternatives, just to avoid supporting giant corporations. If you want to avoid online shipping or your local groccery chains, the following buttons link to some directories of alternative business models that may offer some tasty dairy-free products or other useful ingredients.

You may also be interested in:

Grants & Funding

International

• Beyond Animal "Where investors and vegan businesses meet" "Using technology, for online funding, networking and business services, to accelerate the transition to an economy free of animal exploitation. Our vision: a kinder, cleaner, healthier world."

• EA Animal Welfare Fund "The Animal Welfare Fund supports advocacy, research, and movement-building work aimed at improving the wellbeing of nonhuman animals, primarily farmed and wild animals. This includes corporate and policy advocacy, research, and the promotion of alternative products."