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There’s something about Southern Soul Food that just makes you warm and fuzzy inside. Between all of the fried food, the warm, sweet pies, and all the buttery biscuits, Southern cuisine just screams comfort. While, admittedly, a lot of the “comfort” in this food comes from liberal use of meats and dairy, it’s totally possible to get the same hearty meals with vegan ingredients! After all, as long as there are meat replacements and dairy substitutes (and boy, are there ever) recreating a dish is as easy as a few simple ingredient swaps. Buttered biscuits, fried chicken, chicken fried steak, buttered corn on the cob, grits … if they eat it in the South, the Food Monster app has it!
Still skeptical? We understand. We’ll let the recipes speak for themselves and show you that not only is it possible to eat Southern comfort food without using meat or dairy, it’s delicious!
Breakfast
Is there anything better than waking up to a hot Southern-style breakfast, the kind where the most wonderfully delicious smell wafts into your room and kisses you awake? Yeah, we can’t think of anything either. The comfort food chowing starts early in the South. As soon as the rooster crows, there will be biscuits on the griddle, gravy on the stove, and eggs getting their scramble on.
The Southern cuisine section in the Food Monster app (available right here, y’all) has everything you need to recreate this lovely scenario right in your own home. We’ve got Southwestern-style tofu scrambles, fluffy biscuits made with secret ingredients like white beans and almond milk, and of course plenty of savory gravy to go around. See ya later, granola bar!
Lunch
In the South, the meals just get progressively better throughout the day. For lunch, you can enjoy some buttery corn on the cob, just sub vegan butter or coconut oil, you can make extra creamy mac and cheese using non-dairy milk, and make the famous Southern Po’ Boy but with fried mushrooms instead of chicken!
And let’s not forget that cooking Southern-style Food without meat and dairy isn’t always a constant game of replacing! There are plenty of staple dishes in the South (and on the Food Monster app) that are vegetable-centric or just vegan-friendly by nature. Take legumes, for instance.Butter beans (lima beans), black -eyed peas, black beans, pintos, and green beans are all common foods enjoyed in the South.These would all make delicious stand-alone sides, or could be mixed together and made into a protein-packed pot pie. That’s right,Southern food can be healthy too!
Dinner
Dinner time is when Southern Food really takes it up a notch, and you better believe we scoured the Internet to keep up with all of the deliciousness. From Creole-style Etouffee, minus the shellfish, and fun and flavorful Cajun Jambalaya, we have all of the classics! Tempeh and seitan make great alternatives for steak and chicken, and since they’re such great flavor absorbers, they soak up all of thescrumptious BBQ sauces, gravies, Caribbean marinades, and Spanish flavors the South is known for. All it takes is just a little flavor knowledge, some killer breading, and authentic side dishes, and you can cook yourself up a Southern meal so genuine you may just start to develop an accent.
And just like the lunch dishes, Southern cuisine doesn’t always mean you have to go all mad scientist in the kitchen. Collard, mustard, and turnip greens are all favorites in the South, and believe us, it doesn’t need to be cooked in corn oil or bacon fat to be yummy. With just a little olive oil, coconut oil, or vegan butter, you can make delicious sautéed greens to accompany all of your Southern creations. Let the Food Monster app guide you down the right path!
Dessert
No matter how hearty or healthy you make your Southern dishes, if there’s one thing you can’t skip out on, it’s dessert! Southern sweets are some of the best around. Where else do you hear about people leaving pies out on their windowsill or delivering fresh baked goods to new neighbors?
Sweet pies and cobblers reign supreme in the South. Whether it’s sweet potato, banana cream, chocolate silk, peanut butter, apple, cherry crumb, or blueberry, the Food Monster app has all the Southern sweets you need to round out your dinner. And considering our recipes tend to favor the use of dates, maple syrup, and agave nectar over regular sugar, chances are these are the healthiest versions you’ll find!
Try your hand at traditional Southern cooking with the Food Monster app today! We guarantee you’ll be so blown away by the authenticity of our collection, that it may just feel weird getting on the subway after eating our Southern classics.
One Green Planet’sFood Monster Appmakes eating plant-based and planet-friendly easier than ever! The App boasts 5000+ recipes (10+ added daily), making it one of the largest collections of meatless and dairy-free recipes. Scroll through thousands of mouth-watering recipes that contain no meat, dairy, or eggs, and no major environmental impact. The Food Monster app will bring thousands of delicious plant-based recipes into the palm of your hands and make it easier for everyone to#EatForThePlanet.
