Abracadabra: It’s Vegan, Witches.

Our spoons are magic wands, no biggie.

Maybe it’s just on my mind because ’tis the season, but lately I’ve been thinking more and more about how vegan kitchen witches and wizards are real-life alchemists, combining ingredients and techniques in clever, creative and skillful ways to help create a more compassionate and sustainable world, one with less unnecessary suffering and harm. I have collected 24 recipes that will replace the cheese, eggs and meat in your life, or at least give you a good start in that direction, plus some extra fun little tidbits.

First, though, we must address the Big Why so many people wonder when they learn that vegans might like animal-free versions of these foods. Namely, if we gave up eating them, why bother recreating them? The answer is really quite simple: We didn’t necessarily quit eating these things because we didn’t like how they tasted but because we didn’t want to support cruelty. My grandmother was shocked when I went vegetarian at 15 because, as she lamented, I was the grandchild who loved her brisket the most. Again, though, it wasn’t the taste I didn’t like, it was the cruelty. If we are able to replace the animals from our diets with plant-based alternatives, why would we not? We get to have our cake and eat it, too. (Or our steak, if the case may be.)