Vegan for beginners - Swiss Edition

Do you want to become vegan? The change is a big challenge for many people, but it's not that difficult.
The key to success: shopping properly. But what is vegan and what tastes good? We help you find the best vegan alternatives from Swiss supermarkets. But it's also worth trying one or two for all non-vegans!

You don't need a cow to make this milk

Anyone who chooses plant-based drinks instead of traditional cow's milk is not only doing something good for the environment, but also for themselves. Plant-based milk alternatives are healthier and save a lot of animal suffering. But I don't want to go into that in depth here. If you're reading this, you probably already know about it. Tastes are different, so at the beginning it's just a matter of trying, trying, trying...

• For beginners, I recommend switching to soy milk - the classic. Low fat and protein content make them a healthy milk substitute. The taste is relatively neutral .
• Almond milk : The nutty and slightly sweet milk substitute is particularly suitable for baking and coffee. The milk can be foamed and is therefore perfect for your cappuccino.
• Coconut milk is considered exotic and refreshing . It is a great alternative for those who like to experiment. It is quite healthy and is also great for cooking.
• Oat milk tastes very grainy and therefore goes well with muesli and can be used for baking. The taste is definitely not for everyone.
• Tastes sweet and a little watery: rice milk . There are now also mixed variations such as Karma's coconut rice milk, which I always use for my iced coffee. You can find the recipe here .

By the way, many of the milk alternatives can also be prepared at home.

Yoghurt without cow's milk

Soy, almond and coconut yogurts taste similar to “normal” yogurts. My favorite alternatives are the following:

• For yogurt lovers , alpro soy yogurt offers an identical-tasting alternative. You can find soy yogurt in large Coop supermarkets and in some Aldi branches.
• The Emmi brand also recently introduced a vegan product line called beleaf . The yoghurts come in the jungle design and are based on madel milk .
• The Coop own brand Karma offers Sojo's and Joco's . The names reveal what the yoghurts are made of. Joco's are made from coconut, Sojo from soy.

Meat substitute

There are many and more and more purely plant-based products that can be consumed with a clear conscience. There are those that taste just like meat but also those that have their own taste but are just as delicious. The meat substitute variants are suitable for all dishes such as spaghetti Bolognese, curry or goulash. Here are some of my favorite alternatives:

• planted : Naturally vegan and without any additives, only with vitamin B. The planted chicken is available natural or already marinated. Taste and consistency very similar to chicken, but according to the motto “I can do without animals”.
• There are many other brands that offer great alternatives to all kinds of meat and fish, be it chicken nuggets, sausages, Landjäger or fish fingers. I can recommend Garden Gourmet , veganz , Yolo , Delicorn , Beyond Meat and Quorn .
• Tofu is the classic among meat alternatives, but it doesn't taste exactly like meat but has its own flavor. It now exists in countless variations. It is versatile and is considered a healthy source of protein.
• Tempeh , Seitan , lupins , jackfruit and beans are also considered healthy meat substitutes. If you enjoy trying out new things, I recommend these alternatives. Because when prepared correctly, these alternatives taste best!

Vegan sweets: ready-made or homemade

No vegan has to go without sweets. There are countless vegan recipes that you definitely have to try. With a few simple alternatives, vegan baking will be easy for you. Here are a few tips

• When it comes to baking, the easiest way is to simply google your favorite recipe and add the word “vegan” to the front. There you get the tried and tested variants, which certainly taste good.
• Egg and milk can always be easily replaced when baking. Simply replace the milk with your favorite plant milk . The egg can be replaced with many things. For example, half a mashed banana or flaxseed (1 tablespoon of flaxseed and three tablespoons of water equals one egg). You can make perfect iced snow with chickpea water .
• It doesn't have to be homemade to contain no animal products. There are also recommended sweet snacks from the shelf. Veganz offers many great alternatives to cookies , gummy bears and the like. Black chocolate with over 70% cocoa content is usually already vegan and all Lindt fans will love the Karma Fairtrade Sea Salt chocolate balls from Coop.
• Vegan ice creams are available from Ben & Jerry's, among others. But there are also many other vegan ice cream varieties at Coop and Migros.
  
  

These aren't all the great vegan alternatives. If you are still looking for a suitable alternative for your recipe or already have experience, please write us a comment.