Picky Vegan?

bsmith986

I have been researching the benefits of going vegan.. i cut out dairy months ago and never looked back. I am nervous to go vegan, only because I am a pretty picky eater. I only like cooking with simple ingredients. If a recipe calls for lots of ingredients, i would probably overlook it and find something else.



So my question is this: Have you, or are you, vegan? Was it an easy transition? Any suggestions for a beginner?

JenMc14

I'm not vegan, but if it's something you're interested in, I'd suggest planning a bit first. Make lists of the foods you like and dislike that are vegan. Make sure you have several go to protein sources. Start swapping a couple of meals a week to vegan and gradually shift over.

sunshinestater

I'm working toward vegetarian but find myself eating vegan at times because of the great options available. For example, I love almond milk and coconut milk and switched to them for the taste and health benefits as well as because I disagree with the treatment of animals at factory farms. Check out your local bookstore for books of simple, few-ingredient vegetarian and vegan recipes. Those have been a big help to me. I love experimenting with all the different protein options, and I often just use them as a meat substitute in simple dishes I already make.

annasor70

I am vegan and I found it an easy transition but I DO enjoy cooking.

You can make things easier on yourself if you make a big stew or soup and eat it all week...like for example a Red Lentil and Quinoa stew ? You could even get a crock pot, throw all your ingredients in and let it cook
Another great idea and easy is to buy wholewheat pizza crusts and bake them in the oven with every veggie you can think of on top(mushrooms, tomatoes, sauce, kale, artichokes, palm hearts..whatever you like, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with nutritional yeast and crushed walnuts...SOO delicious!!!!
There are a lot of easy and fun recipes out there...as simple as you like.
Super easy too is a rice, quinoa, millet or pasta with veggies dish....make it spicy or tomato based or just with a little soy sauce and it's asian inspired

It is a great way of life...congrats for trying it out
I am happy to help in any way I can!

Tishrei

I am not vegan yet, am still trying to get there someday.
what I have done is to find vegan foods I do like and add them to my current diet. then I replaced one meat meal per week with a vegan meal. I did that for a few months (I am dragging my husband along for this ride and didnt want him to notice so I've been going slowly) until I was no longer eating chicken or meat aside from the very rare occasion (now I am down to about once/mo).
then I cut out eggs, but not yet from baked goods. although now that I am here, I have no plans for eating baked goods in the foreseeable future, and then I will probably start with egg replacers.
I'm still cutting out fish (eating fish about once a week) and I've not yet been able to give up the bit of milk in my coffee or sprinkle of parmesan on my salads. but I'm heading there.
most of my vegan recipes are relatively simple, they just involve some slicing, dicing and chopping.

so my advice is go slow. you dont have to label yourself 'vegan' and then beat yourself up because you had a piece of fish. thus far, with the exception of one person here, the vegan police have not yet come for me. dont let perfection be the enemy of progress.

I dont think you will regret the transition. I feel so much healthier eating this way and I'm not even there yet.

theblueladybird

I'm vegan, and pretty lazy. I cannot be bothered with slaving over a stove making a recipe that needs 8545305671 different ingredients including unicorn horn and all that madness. Simple and quick is my preferred cooking method and I actually have done well with being vegan, and I've found the transition (omni to vegan) pretty easy actually!

syedsaad

well actually i dont like meat .... but wont call myself vegan .... as i do eat it occasionally in some forms .... and i do consumer dairy and eggs .... but me personally dont understand y would any body want to go vegan ..... i m having so much problem consuming proteins without meat .... m not saying to eat a whole cow everyday .... but cutting a food type completely is not healthy in my view

deb3129

I have been vegan since March 2012, and it has not been that difficult for me. As far as the recipes being complicated, I think it is just like recipes with meat-- some are complicated and have a lot of ingredients, and some are simple with easy to find ingredients that you normally have on hand. I have a couple of vegan cook books that I bought and then discovered they called for a ton of things that I would not normally have on hand, and would have trouble finding. But I have a few cookbooks with simple, quick to prepare meals. I recommend any of Happy Herbivores Cook Books.

chatogal

I'm working toward vegetarian but find myself eating vegan at times because of the great options available. For example, I love almond milk and coconut milk and switched to them for the taste and health benefits as well as because I disagree with the treatment of animals at factory farms. Check out your local bookstore for books of simple, few-ingredient vegetarian and vegan recipes. Those have been a big help to me. I love experimenting with all the different protein options, and I often just use them as a meat substitute in simple dishes I already make.

I love this....it is so cute, reminds me of my daughter who is TOTALLY vegetarian dontcha know...oh except she likes real meat gravy on her "vegan" chips etc etc....oh and by the way as an out and out, never-left-but-would-be-born-again-if-I-had-carnivore, I ADORE almond milk....yum yum...am I allowed to drink it if I am not vegan??

crista_b

Good advice above.

If you want to check it out, there's an MFP group for vegetarians and vegans: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/45-happy-herbivores
There are some good recipes in the group forums.

bwogilvie

I'm not vegan, but a good friend of mine is, and I like having her over for dinner, so I cook a lot of vegan meals. It's not hard, especially if you stick with variations on rice and beans, or soups.

When you say you're a picky eater, though, do you mean that you don't like many things, or that you just don't want to spend the time making recipes with many ingredients? There's a huge difference. Mark Bittman's cookbook "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" is great for vegetarian and vegan cooks who don't want unnecessary ingredients or steps; like his other cookbooks, it has recipes that are reduced to the fewest possible steps compatible with the basic essence of the dish.

His braised lentils, Spanish-style, are exquisite. (The recipe uses smoked paprika; you'd swear it has some meat in it.)

chatogal

I'm vegan, and pretty lazy. I cannot be bothered with slaving over a stove making a recipe that needs 8545305671 different ingredients including unicorn horn and all that madness. Simple and quick is my preferred cooking method and I actually have done well with being vegan, and I've found the transition (omni to vegan) pretty easy actually!

so what do you eat?? I love vegetarian food...but the kind you take time over...if you are just eating the processed version of vegan how is that of benefit to you or anyone??

Tishrei

well actually i dont like meat .... but wont call myself vegan .... as i do eat it occasionally in some forms .... and i do consumer dairy and eggs .... but me personally dont understand y would any body want to go vegan ..... i m having so much problem consuming proteins without meat .... m not saying to eat a whole cow everyday .... but cutting a food type completely is not healthy in my view

I feel much healthier eating as little animal protein as possible. it keeps my fibromyalgia in check, keeps my migraines and neuralgia at bay, and menstrual cramps are a thing of the past. that's why I am trying to go vegan. if I get a bit less protein than recommended, well, I am ok with that.

perrinjoshua

I am vegan. I was vegetarian and still ate fish and seafood but went completely vegan about three years ago. For me it was easy, I was motivated by some books on the ecological damage we are causing in the oceans and two minutes later I was vegan. That said, I needed to really get myself a variety of vegan cookbooks and found a multitude of recipe sites as well. Depending on what you are looking for as far as simplicity, one that I liked for quite a few reasons was Vegan Diner by Julie Hasson. I have never calculated calories on her recipes however. There is also another called 125 best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes by Judith Finlayson.

theblueladybird

I'm vegan, and pretty lazy. I cannot be bothered with slaving over a stove making a recipe that needs 8545305671 different ingredients including unicorn horn and all that madness. Simple and quick is my preferred cooking method and I actually have done well with being vegan, and I've found the transition (omni to vegan) pretty easy actually!

so what do you eat?? I love vegetarian food...but the kind you take time over...if you are just eating the processed version of vegan how is that of benefit to you or anyone??

I don't know where I said I just eat processed food? :S

jwdieter

Cooking a vegan meal doesn't take me any more time than cooking a non-vegan meal.

Cooking time depends on your objective and technique.

Alphastate

If you want great tasting, easy to cook, feux meat...Gardein is a great brand with a bunch of varieties. Target is probably the easiest place to find it. Some products come with a sauce (mandarin orange, teriyaki, bbq, even a fake turkey and gravy), cook some noodles and veggies and you're good to go!