A Vegan Girl’s Guide to Cooking for Yourself

It took a global pandemic and a nationwide shutdown for me to truly enjoy cooking. Don’t get me wrong, I was very good at eating, but cooking was nothing more than a means to an end. While grocery shelves were empty and online orders were riddled with substitutions, the patience and creativity required helped me find a genuine love for the process.

Imitation is a Form of Flattery

The first thing I did to master cooking at home was to think about my favorite restaurant dishes and try to recreate them at home. It took a lot of floppy tofu and under seasoned veggies before I got it right, but by starting with food I already loved, I inched closer to liking food at home as much, if not more, than eating out.

Start with Ingredients you Trust

Plant-based meats, butters, and substitutes can operate differently than their non-vegan counterparts, so best to start with ingredients that are predictable. I made many awful pancakes before I got the right balance of vegan butter and alternative milk. I would say to look at what you can build upon using ingredients you already know how to work with. For example, I ate a lot of marinara pasta before I ever worked with vegan sausage or almond milk ricotta. Something as simple as adding red peppers, spinach, or olives into a pasta dish can elevate the flavor profile without much work or any unknowns.

Get the Right Tools for the Job

Before going vegan, I was perfectly content with my trusty ol’ IKEA knives. But somewhere between not cutting through a cauliflower steak and taking two cuts to slice celery, I knew I needed to up my utensil game. My husband and I invested in new knives and sharpening stones (his idea), cutting boards, and a mandolin where we could do thin slices and shreds. I also find myself using the potato peeler for coils of root vegetables (radishes, carrots, beets, etc.)

As I grew serious in baking, I invested in silicone molds and cookie sheet liners, stainless steel mixing bowls with airtight lids, and glass measuring pitchers. We also got a scale so we could measure by weight and be more precise.

Purchasing the right tools is a worthwhile investment, and makes cooking a more pleasurable experience. It also doesn’t need to be instantaneous; I just bought a potato masher (ironically to make pizza sauce with roasted tomatoes). This also gives time to seek out deals and sales.

Presentation Matters

Restaurants put time and effort into much more than the taste of food and it can make a big difference in the appearance and overall lure of a meal. I try to keep herbs (green onions, parsley, cilantro, basil) and vegan cheeses handy to garnish. I also think about plating and the look of the food. It helps bolster my pride in the food and improve my overall experience. Just a dash of something special makes all the difference.