Make Your Favorite Comfort Foods Vegan
"Comfort food was added to the dictionary in 1977, as 'food that comforts or affords solace; hence any food (freq. with high sugar or carbohydrate content) that is associated with childhood or home cooking,'" says The Daily Meal special contributor Bridget Creel while explaining what comfort foods are. "Whether or not your comfort food is mashed potatoes, lasagna, or a big slice of chocolate cake, the term usually refers to a change in [one's] mental state, by providing warmth and a sense of 'fullness.'"
Click here to see 15 Comfort Foods Around the World.
Unfortunately for vegans, comfort foods that include animal products such as meat (think Brazil's pernil) or dairy (we know a lot of you are in a committed relationship with pizza, you Americans) are out of their wheelhouse. But don't fear, there are ways to enjoy a filling, comforting meal that don't need to involve any animals other than the ones that wear moon boots and sunglasses (we're talking about you here, humans — if you choose to dress your dog in moon boots and sunglasses, well, that's on you).
So, as a human who doesn't want to harm other animals, you have many ways to veganize (we're counting that as a word) meals. In fact, you don't even need to go through the veganization (there it is again) process — many praised and appreciated comfort foods involve solely vegan-friendly products. For beginners, if you just underwent the breakup of the century (via text) and you want to drown your sorrows in a comforting, cheese-free pizza, consider ordering some vegan pizza and eating six to eight slices of it. That being said, any recipe you find comforting that calls for cheese can undergo a vegan cheese veganization.
The United States is currently undergoing vegan-mania, and with that there are more vegan cupcake and ice cream recipes and in-store options than we can count. Non-dairy milks make these possible, and, by incorporating things like almond or soy milk into your recipes, your desire to have your cake and eat it too can finally be fulfilled.
Vegans can't eat chicken — that's a no-brainer. What they can do, however, is replace chicken with tofu. Many recipes (like this one we found for Tofu Popcorn Chick'n) will leave you with that fried chicken satiety without having to eat any fried chicken.
There's no giant secret when it comes to veganizing comfort foods. If you're sad, or undergoing some other change in mental state, and looking for a food to eat and eat plenty of, don't feel like you have no options. The definition of comfort food is subjective, but we assure you that there is a vegan recipe for whichever meals make you feel the most full and, ultimately, comforted.
The accompanying slideshow is provided by special contributor Hayden Field.