Cheeseburgers, meatloaf, American-style pizza, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and hot dogs are some of the quintessential American dishes. All Americans have eaten, prepared, or gone to restaurants to enjoy some of these classics. They define their culinary culture and take part in their daily meals. American cuisine is all about the fusion of different culinary traditions, vegie, flavors, and spices. They are mouthwatering and copious.
Most of these dishes include meat, grease, and sauces. But what about people who can not eat some ingredients due to food intolerance or dietary choices? Fortunately, there are ways to enjoy the classics by switching some components but maintaining iconic flavors and textures.
Vegetarianism And Veganism
Vegetarian and vegan regimes are diet plans based on eating no animal products. Their meals contain plant-based ingredients such as grains, seeds, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and edible mushrooms.
Vegetarianism (vegie) is less restrictive than veganism. Vegetarians can eat eggs, dairy, fish, and honey. Vegans exclude all food derived from animals, including dairy ingredients and honey.
Using Wisely Plant-Based (Vegie) Foods
Despite these food restrictions, these diets have multiple options to create delicious, hearty, and nutritious meals.
There are endless recipes without meats, eggs, or dairy products that are still copious and satiating.
Grains like rice and legumes like beans play the principal role in vegan preparations. Classic vegan recipes are:
- Chipotle cilantro lime rice
- Lebanese Mujadara.
- One-pot Cajun rice
- Rice Pilaf
- Tofu with stir-fried Veggies and rice
- Vegan fried rice
Alternative Ingredients In Vegan Regime
There are plenty of simple swaps to replace non-vegan components with plant-based alternatives.
Some of these substitute ingredients include:
- Flaxseeds: It replaces eggs in baking.
- Firm tofu: A good replacement for making scrambled eggs or any meat.
- Agave syrup: The ideal substitute for honey.
- Nutritional Yeast: It is considered a vegan cheese. It is added to eggs, soups, stews, sauces, and pasta.
- Jackfruit: It can replace chicken or tuna.
- Seitan: It is a substitute for chicken, duck, beef, bacon, or sausage.
- Tempeh: The replacement for bacon and meat.
- Mushrooms: The perfect substitution ingredient for steaks and beef.
Cooking Some American Dishes
Some of these alternative ingredients recreate the favorite American classics with a plant-based twist. For example, mushrooms are the key ingredient for making recipes with ground beef like successrice.com/recipes/vegan-brown-rice-bbq-meatloaf/successrice.com/recipes/vegan-brown-rice-bbq-meatloaf/. For making macaroni and cheese, soaked raw cashews, non-dairy milk, and nutritional yeast are the ingredients used to get a delicious dish. Fried chicken is made with firm tofu wrapped in a rice paper wrapper.
The popular cheeseburger is prepared with black beans and vegan cheese.
Let’s try a classic American dish with a vegan twist.
Rice Burger With Mushrooms
Ingredients (4 servings)
Rice bun:
- 4 cups of cooked sushi rice.
- Neutral oil to taste.
Burger:
- 4 clean large king oyster mushrooms.
- Water to cook the mushrooms.
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.
- 2 tablespoons of mirin.
- 1½ tablespoons of maple syrup.
- 1 teaspoon of grated ginger.
Garnish:
- 3 tablespoons of vegan mayonnaise.
- Avocado slices.
- Nori sheets.
Preparation
- Make the sauce by mixing soy sauce, mirin, maple syrup, and grated ginger in a bowl. Reserve.
- Prepare the rice patties by using plastic wrap to make the shape.
- Place ½ cup of rice in the plastic wrap and press the rice until it forms a round patty.
- In a saucepan, add neutral oil and heat at medium temperature.
- Cook the rice patties until they get browned on both sides. Brush with the sauce and continue browning. Set aside.
- Arrange the king oyster mushrooms. Cut off the mushroom top, and halve the stem crosswise.
- In a pot, pour enough water and add the mushrooms. Boil them until they get grayish.
- Drain and cut them lengthwise to make a cutlet.
- In a saucepan, add neutral oil and sear the mushrooms. Brush with the sauce and continue cooking.
- Serve the burgers by placing a rice patty, and top with avocado slices, nori sheet, mushrooms cutlets, and vegan mayonnaise. Finish with another rice patty.
Feature Image: Pixabay
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