When you want to eat healthier or go more plant-based, you don't have to swear off any future bite of dairy or skip your favorite meals, like lemon pancakes. Instead, it's the little things that make the difference, and it's easier to take one step at a time. The simplest way to start is by swapping dairy for plant-based alternatives, like your usual yogurt for dairy-free yogurt, or instead of your usual creamer, trying one of the best dairy-free creamers.

That's the message Chef Charity Morgan is sharing. Don't worry about trying to make every bite you eat plant-based, just do the swaps where you can, and your family won't even know the difference. She shows how to do it with her dairy-free Lemon Pancake recipe, below.

Morgan's favorite way to sneak healthier-for-you plant-based ingredients into her kids' meals is by making signature comfort-food dishes, like her pancakes, which they love, with ingredients like lemon coconut-milk-based Greek-style yogurt from Silk. Morgan loved the product so much that she partnered with Silk to get the message out: For dairy-free options that are as creamy as the real thing, try this yogurt in your favorite recipe (or eat it as a snack).

You First Met Charity Morgan in The Game Changers

Charity Morgan, who came to fame in The Game Changers documentary, is married to former NFL star Derrick Morgan and is an author of the book Unbelievably Vegan, a cookbook that reinterprets her favorite dishes using plant-based ingredients. In the 2019 documentary, filmmakers went to the training table where Charity showed how she routinely made plant-based meals for over a dozen of the Tennessee Titans, where her husband Derrick played nine distinguished seasons.

Morgan has since made it her life's work to help others eat more plant-based, and she consistently shows how to take a "more veggies is better" approach to meals any family will love. Morgan has partnered with Silk to promote their social campaign that urges consumers to add the hashtag #SwapItWithSilk to show how they have swapped out dairy in favor of Silk's non-dairy products. Morgan joins other Silk celebrity ambassadors Kelly Rowland, Master Chef Gordon Ramsay, and actress and animal activist Alicia Silverstone, among others who have all recently touted the taste of Silk's Oat Milk to their fans and followers.

Dairy Has Been Linked to Heart Disease and Cancer

Dairy has been shown in scientific studies to increase the risk of heart disease (due to the high saturated fat in whole milk and cheese) as well as breast cancer and prostate cancer. Many people who have lactose intolerance or are sensitive to dairy find that it causes inflammation in their joints, leading them to seek out dairy-free alternatives, and now there are more non-dairy products to choose from than ever before.

Read More: 8 Reasons Why Dairy is Unhealthy

"These pancakes were tried and tested by my kids, who devoured them and asked for more," Morgan said recently. "I am not one to be saying, everything has to be vegan, but when you can make an easy swap like this, why not do it? Silk's Greek-style yogurt is the perfect way to start."

Dairy-Free Lemon Pancakes with Plant-Based Yogurt from Charity Morgan

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups of self-rising flour
1 tbsp of vanilla
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup plant-based milk
1 tbsp neutral oil
1 cup Silk Greek-style Lemon yogurt
Lemon zest
Berries and Maple Syrup for serving

Instructions

In a large bowl mix together your dry ingredients
Add wet ingredients including Silk Greek-style yogurt and whisk together until well combined
Add lemon zest to the batter and fold it in
Heat your skillet over medium heat and grease with oil
Scoop 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle
Cook until golden brown (about 90 seconds) then flip
Once golden brown on both sides, remove and plate
Top with a dollop of yogurt, syrup, berries, and more lemon zest
Serve

For more great plant-based dishes from culinary stars, visit The Beet's Guest Chef recipes.