Texture Alterations for Vegan Diets

1. Remove skins, seeds, and pits.
2. Cut food into small pieces.
3. Cook food until tender. Canned or thawed frozen foods, such as canned or frozen peaches, may not need further cooking.
4. Add small amounts of liquid to food to thin to a drinkable consistency:
   • Use warm soymilk to thin puréed vegan macaroni and cheese or potatoes.
   • Melt frozen vegan ice cream and mix with rice milk or fruit juice.
   • Use soymilk to thin vegan pudding or strained vegan yogurt.
   • Use fruit juice to thin puréed fruit.

Combine the following ingredients in a blender and blend well. You can add more juice or more solid ingredients, depending on the texture you need. Each recipe yields 1 large serving.

Peach Pineapple Smoothie

• One 6-ounce peach soy yogurt
• 3 Tablespoons soft silken tofu
• 3/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Peach Cooler

• 3/4 cup cold plain or vanilla soymilk
• 1/2 cup chilled peaches, canned or frozen
• 1/2 cup frozen soy or rice ice cream

Apricot Strawberry Smoothie

• One 6-ounce strawberry soy yogurt
• 3 Tablespoons soft silken tofu
• 1 jar strained baby food apricots
• 3/4 cup apricot nectar
• Dash of ginger

Banana Smoothie

• One 6-ounce fruited soy yogurt (any flavor)
• 3 Tablespoons soft silken tofu
• 1 medium ripe banana (approximately 1/2 cup sliced)
• 1/2 cup rice milk or fruit juice
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup or rice syrup

Egg Nog Smoothie

• One 6-ounce vanilla soy yogurt
• 1/2 cup vanilla soymilk
• 1/2 cup soft silken tofu
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon rum extract (if desired)

Prune Nog

• 1 cup vanilla soymilk
• 1 jar strained baby prunes
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Level 1, 2, or 3 Cake

• 1 small piece of iced vegan cake
• 1 small scoop of soy or rice ice cream (no nuts)
• 1/4 cup rice milk

Blend cake and ice cream. Add milk and blend until smooth. Add additional milk if too thick.

Blended Canned or Fresh Fruit

• 3/4 cup canned or cooked fruit
• 2 Tablespoons syrup from fruit or fruit juice

Place ingredients in a blender. Cover. Process on low speed until smooth. Serve cold.

Yogurt 'n Fruit

• 4 ounces soy yogurt
• 1 banana
• 8 ounces frozen strawberries
• 2 Tablespoons soymilk

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Strain mixture through strainer or sieve to remove all seeds. Chill seedless mixture.

Hot Spiced Applesauce

• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Fruit Cobbler

• 1 cup prepared fruit cobbler
• 1 cup vanilla soymilk

Blend cobbler until smooth. Add milk and blend until of liquid consistency.

Strawberry Cheesecake

• 1 piece of prepared tofu cheesecake
• 1/2 cup vanilla soy or rice milk
• 2 Tablespoons seedless strawberry jam

Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Add more milk if necessary.

Tomato Cheese Soup (Serves 2)

• 1 can (10.5 ounces) condensed tomato soup
• 1 can soymilk (See soup can directions.)
• 1/2 cup grated vegan soy or rice cheese

In saucepan, stir together soup and milk. Heat. Just before serving, add cheese and stir until melted.

Potato Soup (Serves 2)

• 1 cup mashed potatoes
• 11/2 cups soymilk
• 1 teaspoon vegan margarine
• Seasonings, as desired

Put potatoes in a blender and add milk, margarine, and seasonings. Blend for 2 minutes.

Cream of Pea Soup (Serves 2)

• 1 cup cooked peas
• 1 cup hot soymilk
• 1 teaspoon vegan margarine
• 3 crackers (such as saltines)

Purée peas in blender. Add remaining ingredients and blend well.

Pumpkin Soup (Serves 4)

• 1 Tablespoon vegan margarine
• 2 Tablespoons minced onions
• 2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin (not sweetened or spiced)
• 21/2 cups vegetable broth
• 21/2 cups soymilk
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2-3 drops Tabasco sauce
• 1/4 cup soft silken tofu
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Melt margarine in heavy 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook 2-3 minutes or until transparent. Add pumpkin, broth, milk, cloves, lemon juice, and Tabasco sauce. Stir thoroughly to blend all ingredients. Bring to a boil and then cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Blend mixture in batches. Return blended soup to saucepan and stir in tofu. Heat. Add salt, pepper, or other seasonings desired. Serve hot.

Cream of Carrot Soup (Serves 3)

• 1 Tablespoon vegan margarine
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups soymilk
• 2 jars strained baby carrots

Melt margarine. Add flour and salt. Stir until smooth. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Do not brown. Gradually add milk and stir until creamy. Add carrots. If too thick, add water for desired consistency. Heat and serve.

Apple Peanut Butter Soup (Serves 3)

• 1 medium cooking apple, peeled, cored, and diced (approximately 1 cup)
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 1/4 cup chopped carrots
• 2 Tablespoons vegan margarine
• 21/2 cups hot soymilk
• 1 Tablespoon smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon (or more to taste) brown sugar

Sauté apples, celery, onions, and carrots in margarine until soft. Pour half of the hot milk into the blender container, and add half the sautéed vegetables, all of the peanut butter, and all of the hot sauce. Cover and blend until smooth. Pour this mixture into a saucepan. Blend the rest of the mixture. Put this mixture in the saucepan. Add brown sugar to taste. Heat and serve.

Foods in Level 1 should be puréed or run through a food mill until a smooth texture, similar to that of mashed potatoes, is attained. As mentioned, the puréed foods can be shaped by adding a thickening agent.

If you are puréeing protein foods, such as seitan, tempeh, vegan meatballs, or bean loaves, use approximately 1/4 cup hot vegetable or mushroom broth for each cup of protein to help create a smoother texture.

Some foods do not purée well. These may require a bit more work or need some additional ingredients. For example, vegetables with seeds, such as summer squash or tomatoes, have to

have the seeds strained out if they do not purée. Puréed rice is very thin and tasteless, so you can try to purée rice with very little water or combine it with starchy vegetables, such as winter squash, and spices. Spinach, which has a high water content, is very, very thin when puréed, but collards and kale purée to a pleasant texture. Combine the spinach with these other greens to attain an acceptable consistency. Cooked mushrooms purée well, but a bowl of gray food may not be very appealing. Mix puréed mushrooms with tomato sauce for a more appetizing appearance.

Here are some ideas for a Level 1 Diet:

• Puréed tofu salad (like chicken-less salad), served with puréed peaches and apricots
• Puréed scrambled tofu and vegan cheese, served with thickened apricot nectar
• Thinned cooked cereals (no lumps), served with a soymilk-silken tofu-coffee smoothie
• Puréed pancakes, served with a maple-soymilk-silken tofu smoothie
• Mashed sweet potatoes, served with spinach hummus
• Puréed potatoes au gratin (sliced potatoes baked in a creamy soy cheese sauce), served with a thickened vegetable juice cocktail
• Puréed noodles with vegan sour cream, served with puréed vegan fruit yogurt
• Puréed minestrone soup, served with puréed baked apples

Breakfast

• Orange juice smoothie
• Cream of Wheat, thinned
• Scrambled tofu with vegan soy cheese
• Decaffeinated green tea
• Almond or soy milk

Lunch

• Pineapple juice
• Puréed black beans with mushroom- vegan sour cream gravy
• Mashed potatoes
• Puréed fresh broccoli and cauliflower
• Cinnamon applesauce

Dinner

• Puréed barley-vegetable soup
• Puréed teriyaki tempeh
• Puréed udon noodles
• Puréed spinach and kale
• Frozen soymilk ice cream with puréed apricots

Foods for Level 2 should be minced or chopped into very small (1/8-inch) pieces. Each piece of food should be not bigger than a grain of rice. Foods can be chopped by hand, or a food processor can be used.

Here are examples of the appropriate types of foods for Level 2:

• Minced firm tofu, tempeh, seitan, cooked mushrooms
• Minced cooked casseroles, pasta dishes
• Minced vegan meatballs, veggie burgers, or vegan entrées, such as frozen vegan lasagna
• Soft scrambled tofu, with or without melted vegan cheese
• Thickened fruit nectars, applesauce
• Minced very ripe fresh fruit, such as peaches or plums (peeled)
• Mashed ripe bananas
• Minced, soft baked fruit, such as apples or pears
• Minced pancakes with a creamy maple-tofu sauce
• Cooked cereals
• Smoothies
• Minced baked potatoes (peeled) with a mushroom gravy or soy cheese sauce
• Minced noodles with a creamy tomato sauce
• Minced, soft cooked vegetables, such as carrots and beets
• Puréed vegetable soups or bean soups

(Foods to be appropriately chopped)

Breakfast

• Orange juice
• Oatmeal with baked apple pieces
• Scrambled tofu with vegan cheese
• Decaffeinated green tea
• Soymilk smoothie

Lunch

• Pineapple juice
• Chopped black beans with mushroom- vegan sour cream gravy
• Mashed potatoes
• Chopped fresh broccoli and cauliflower
• Minced apple pie with vanilla sauce (soft silken tofu, blended with orange juice concentrate and vanilla extract)

Dinner

• Barley-minced vegetable soup
• Minced teriyaki tempeh
• Chopped udon noodles
• Finely chopped spinach and kale
• Frozen vegan soy ice cream with chopped peaches

Foods in Level 3 should be ground or diced into approximately 1/4-inch pieces. Each piece of food should be the size of a piece of orzo or pastina (pasta that is a bit larger than rice).

Here are some ideas for a Level 3 Diet:

• Ground veggie meats, such as Tofurky™ or ground round
• Ground vegan meatballs
• Ground tofu or veggie meat salads, made with vegan mayonnaise
• Smooth soy yogurt with small pieces of soft fruit
• Fruit juices or nectars (not thickened, if tolerated)
• Ground canned or cooked fruit
• Ground ripe bananas
• Scrambled tofu with vegan soy cheese
• Cooked cereals
• Ground pancakes with maple sauce
• Ground baked potatoes (with skin, if it can be ground)
• Ground noodles with sour cream sauce
• Ground well-cooked vegetables (no corn, peas, or mixed vegetables)
• Ground beans with mushroom gravy
• Creamy soups (made with silken tofu)
• Ground fruit pies

(Use appropriate grinding.)

Breakfast

• Orange juice
• Oatmeal with baked apple pieces
• Scrambled tofu with vegan cheese
• Decaffeinated green tea
• Soymilk smoothie

Lunch

• Pineapple juice
• Ground black bean loaf with mushroom- vegan sour cream gravy
• Mashed potatoes
• Chopped fresh broccoli and cauliflower
• Ground apple pie with vanilla sauce (soft silken tofu, blended with orange juice concentrate and vanilla extract)

Dinner

• Barley-minced vegetable soup
• Ground teriyaki tempeh
• Chopped udon noodles
• Finely chopped spinach and kale
• Frozen soymilk ice cream with chopped peaches

Foods in this group should be chopped into 1/2-inch pieces. These pieces of food should be approximately the size of a small crouton or half of a piece of penne pasta. You can use all the foods listed in Level 3. The food would just be chopped or minced into food pieces that are a bit bigger.

The menu items would be the same as Level 3, again, with the food pieces just being a bit bigger.

Foods for Level 5 are 'regular' table foods that can be served soft and moist. Depending on the person's ability, they are served whole, rather than cut up or chopped.

Here are some ideas for a Level 5 Diet:

• Soft, moist vegan meats, such as Tofurky™ with gravy, veggie burgers served with gravy on a soft bun, vegan ground round 'meat' sauce, etc.
• Baked firm tofu
• Vegan cold salads (such as chicken-less salad) mixed with vegan mayonnaise (Do not add celery, crispy veggies such as bell peppers or carrots, or veggies with skins or seeds such as tomatoes or pickles.)
• Vegan lasagna, stuffed shells, or ravioli
• Cold cereal without nuts, seeds, or dried fruit
• Toast, crackers, and cookies without seeds, nuts, or dried fruit
• French toast or pancakes, steamed tortillas
• Noodles or pasta (Rice is too difficult to chew.)
• Whole (not chopped) canned or cooked fruit
• Baked, boiled, or steamed potatoes
• Soft, cooked vegetables, but no corn or beans
• Peeled, ripe fresh fruit, such as peaches, apricots, and seedless grapes (Citrus fruits and berries are not a good idea.)
• Creamy bean soups
• Fruit pies, cornbread

Breakfast

• Orange juice
• Oatmeal with baked apple pieces
• Scrambled tofu with vegan soy cheese
• Decaffeinated green tea
• Soymilk smoothie

Lunch

• Pineapple juice
• Black bean loaf with mushroom- vegan sour cream gravy
• Steamed tortillas
• Sliced fresh broccoli and cauliflower
• Apple pie with vanilla sauce (soft silken tofu, blended with orange juice concentrate and vanilla extract)

Dinner

• Barley-vegetable soup (no corn, celery, or whole beans)
• Teriyaki tempeh
• Udon noodles
• Steamed spinach and kale
• Frozen soy ice cream with peach slices