If you’re a vegetarian, you probably know exactly how to eliminate meat from your diet. But if you want to cut back on other animal products — like eggs and dairy — you may be at a loss when it comes to appropriate recipe substitutions. Try these clever tricks for replacing animal products in your favorite recipes:
Use half of a mashed, ripe banana to replace one whole egg in recipes for pancakes, muffins, and quick breads.
Replace cow’s milk with equal amounts of soymilk or rice milk in puddings, smoothies, and cream soups.
Instead of beef broth or chicken broth, use vegetable broth in soups, casseroles, and pilafs.
Use soy burger crumbles in place of ground beef in taco and burrito fillings and spaghetti sauce.
Mash a block of tofu and mix it with a few teaspoons of lemon juice. Use this mixture in place of ricotta cheese or cottage cheese in lasagna, stuffed shells, and manicotti.
Replace hard-boiled eggs with diced tofu when you make your favorite egg salad sandwich filling.