When my eldest son Jacques lived under my roof in Cape Town during his teenage years, I couldn’t keep up with the eggs and meat purchases. However, many things have changed. I live in Zurich, and he follows a plant-based and gluten-free diet. As a result, we had various discoveries to share during his recent visit.

Covid contributed to Jacques` food knowledge and focus

Jacques is a born entrepreneur and obtained a business management degree after school. Covid caused a total turn in his initial career plans. During Covid, he lived as a student in the Kruger household. His contribution was to prepare balanced meals for the family that had to cater for various food allergies. He broadened his food knowledge and quickly realized that a plant-based diet achieves many health and environmental goals.

Jacques started a vegan bakery, The Cinnamon Club, in February 2021. His creations are vegan and cater for food intolerances such as gluten, lactose, or sugar. I was amazed at the creative presentation of his cakes and his business’s marketing and service delivery. The Cinnamon Club is growing, and it is heart-warming to read the feedback and messages of appreciation from existing and new clients.

Plant-based diet

Worldwide, the number of people choosing to follow a plant-based diet is growing. Some people do it for health reasons, and others to protect the environment or animal welfare. This trend has a significant impact on the food industry. There are many new vegan products on the market. Restaurants and the fast-food industry also make more plant-based options available.

Veganuary is an initiative that creates awareness and encourages people to follow a plant-based diet during January. In Zurich, there was a lot of marketing and awareness creation for Veganuary. Jacques was an excellent ambassador and helped me expand my knowledge on the subject.

At first, I thought it was mainly young people who follow vegan diets. After many guests at our house recently, I can conclude that many people of all generations adjust their diets for different reasons.

Gluten-free diet

Many people develop a gluten intolerance over time and consequently must cut gluten out of their diet for health reasons. They, therefore, avoid foods made of flour. Gluten is a family of proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye. It gives the flour a chewy texture when mixed with water and gives bread the ability to rise when baked.

My new food knowledge and discoveries

As a result of Jacques’ visit, I made some valuable discoveries. I share more about the ingredients we used in preparing gluten-free and vegan meals.

Chickpea flour (gram flour) and aquafaba

Every week I bake a seed bread, rich in protein and filling. I adapted the bread recipe by replacing the bread flour with a gluten-free mixture of chickpea flour, almond flour, and oats. In addition, I replaced the yoghurt and milk with soy options. The bread is vegan and gluten-free and still delicious.

We also used gram flour with Maizena to make gluten-free tortillas.

In vegan cooking and baking, the water from canned chickpeas (Aquafaba) substitutes the egg white in recipes. I was amazed when Jacques told me how he makes his meringue for his beautifully decorated cakes from this. Aquafaba is also used to make vegan mayonnaise.

Lentils

Some of my quick and easy dinners contain minced meat. I learned to use lentils instead, which also have a relatively high protein content. I am also using more and more different coloured lentils in vegetable soups to make them more nutritious for the growing teenager in my house who is constantly hungry.

Quinua

Quinua was a versatile discovery and an option I have never used in my dishes before. It is available in black, red, and white or a mixture of the three. Quinoa is rich in protein and a good source of nutrients such as manganese, magnesium, and copper. We made the most delicious Vegan Burrito Bowl with Quinoa and a protein-rich and multicoloured Vegetable Quinoa Salad.

Soy yoghurt, Soy milk and Coconut milk

Many of my recipes call for cream, milk, or yoghurt to make them creamier. I have now discovered soy yoghurt, soy milk, coconut milk and cream, which are plant-based ways to achieve the same goal.

It was great to have my children under my roof again. I am also grateful that Jacques’ visit inspired me to accept the vegan and gluten-free challenge in January, learn more about plant-based food and start to think differently about it.

Regards

Emsia