Vegan alternatives

lucille_heather

Introducing vegan foods into my diet is something I really want to get into! Mainly for the wonderful benefits it provides to the body and also due to the obvious against animal cruelty reasons. It would be great to meet other people who are either trying it too, or who are already having a vegan diet.

Unknown

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OyGeeBiv

Vegan doesn't *necessarily* mean healthy.

I'm not vegan but recently made this vegan recipe and it's really good.
http://pumpsandiron.com/2014/12/14/sweet-potato-veggie-burgers-vegan-gluten-free/

asltiffm

I am vegetarian, almost vegan but I do have eggs and honey on occasion. I have had great results feeling better eating this way. But I don't use meat replacements or most vegan packaged foods. Just good old fruits and veggies.

saraovoxo

Vegan Just stick to whole plant foods, unprocessed, eat as much as you want and you can have some meat/dairy alternatives once in a while!

janejellyroll

catscats222 wrote: »

always consider a daily multivitamin, since vegan diet can miss some nutrients

Vegans don't require a multi-vitamin. The only supplement that is required for vegans is B12 (unless one is eating fortified food, then the supplement can be skipped). Otherwise, vegans are just like non-vegans . . . we should take supplements to address specific concerns or based on what is not in our diets. A multi-vitamin isn't necessary.

I notice that you frequently advise vegans to take a multi-vitamin. However, even experts in vegan nutrition don't recommend this. Do you have a source for your claim that vegans should do this?

Traveler120

lucille_heather wrote: »

Introducing vegan foods into my diet is something I really want to get into! Mainly for the wonderful benefits it provides to the body and also due to the obvious against animal cruelty reasons. It would be great to meet other people who are either trying it too, or who are already having a vegan diet.

What vegan food will you be introducing that you weren't already eating or able to eat before? Most people who're not vegan already eat grains, legumes, tubers, fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds. These are not vegan foods, they're just normal foods. The only difference is the absence of animal products.

Physick

I would say to avoid the obvious pitfalls of the vegan diet- which is, pre-processed vegan food. For instance, french fries, potato chips, and Oreos are all vegan... but not great for anyone's diet! I discovered I liked grilled firm tofu with spicy-peanut sauce, and that once you made the decision to be a vegan, it was actually pretty easy to find food- it's not as hard as it used to be. Order salads in restaurants without cheese/egg/meat. Realize most breads are vegan as well. I found a lot of joy in someone giving me an old bread maker and making my own bread- it was quite nice! Find a few staple recipes to get you through the week, and then identify some vegan-friendly restaurants. I'd say that's the toughest part- going out for a meal on the weekend and having no choice BUT salad if you're not looking ahead at restaurant options. Finding a few good dishes to eat out is really key.

Finding the 'right' alternatives to dairy for you is also important. I taste-tested 15 different brands of milk before I found that I specifically liked Blue Diamond Vanilla Unsweetened Almond milk as my dairy replacement. 'Melt' is the brand of 'butter' I use- I love it and really can't taste the difference. It's also one of the first butter replacements you can cook and sautee with- which is really cool and adds so much flavor back into my recipes that I was just substituting olive oil in (yes, Melt has olive oil but not exclusively- try it, it has a lot of flavor!).

Recognizing dishes that are 'accidentally' vegan is also nice to focus on. So often I'll find a recipe I really love and then realize it was vegan or nearly-vegan all along, and I just never noticed! That kind of thing also really helps with the mindset - doesn't feel so much like 'dieting' as just eating more of the things that may be healthier for your body.

TrickyDisco

I'm in the UK and have been eating a meat/dairy-free diet for about four years now, sometimes cook meals from scratch and other times use frozen vegan food then add extra fresh veg as well and foods like quinoa, rice, pasta or potatoes. Diary's open to friends, add me if you want.

lucille_heather

Thanks for your advice guys! I already have a lot of Fruits and vegetables but my weakness is cheese!! Hah. That's one thing I'm defiantly struggling to find a yummy replacement for.

DaddieCat

Nothing will ever come close to cheese. No substitute is even remotely the same as far as taste or texture. That said, I find many of them to be enjoyable, but I don't pretend they are cheese substitutes... I just accept them for what they are, generally non-melting blocks of unidentifiable alien food material. I like it better that way.

lucille_heather

BecomingBane wrote: »

Nothing will ever come close to cheese. No substitute is even remotely the same as far as taste or texture. That said, I find many of them to be enjoyable, but I don't pretend they are cheese substitutes... I just accept them for what they are, generally non-melting blocks of unidentifiable alien food material. I like it better that way.

Hahah love it! Alien material! Which brands have you tried that are most decent?

peleroja

lucille_heather wrote: »

BecomingBane wrote: »

Nothing will ever come close to cheese. No substitute is even remotely the same as far as taste or texture. That said, I find many of them to be enjoyable, but I don't pretend they are cheese substitutes... I just accept them for what they are, generally non-melting blocks of unidentifiable alien food material. I like it better that way.

Hahah love it! Alien material! Which brands have you tried that are most decent?

The issue I always have with vegan "cheese" is that I can taste a distinct sweet flavour in them no matter the brand, so now I pretty much only buy flavours with some distinct savoury addition - the Daiya jalapeno havarti for example or the chive and onion cream cheese both cover up the weird sweet flavour nicely.

I'm not a vegan, but I prefer to cut down on my animal products when possible, so I've eaten plenty of vegan cheese alternatives in my time and every single kind I've tried suffers from that issue in my opinion.

DaddieCat

Daiya is pretty good for what it is. Treeline makes some nut based spreads that are actually pretty delicious. Field Roast makes a Chao sliced product that has good flavor.

Other than that, I just make my own. All you really need, depending on what you are trying to make is a blender and some nuts for stuff like ricotta, or nutritional yeast for a good liquid "cheese" for use in things like macaroni, or casseroles or something.

The sauce in this recipe is pretty darn delicious http://vegweb.com/recipes/best-vegan-mac-and-cheese-entire-worldseriously just make sure you fit it into your calorie goals as it's pretty calorically dense.

GaleHawkins

I prefer Vegan Simple Truth Organic Virgin Coconut Oil Unrefined Cold Pressed but I like the taste of coconut and need a good source of fat.

kshama2001

lucille_heather wrote: »

BecomingBane wrote: »

Nothing will ever come close to cheese. No substitute is even remotely the same as far as taste or texture. That said, I find many of them to be enjoyable, but I don't pretend they are cheese substitutes... I just accept them for what they are, generally non-melting blocks of unidentifiable alien food material. I like it better that way.

Hahah love it! Alien material! Which brands have you tried that are most decent?

When I lived in a vegetarian community that had a few vegan cooks, they never used fake cheese but did use avocados and nuts as a fat-from-dairy replacement.

DaddieCat

kshama2001 wrote: »

lucille_heather wrote: »

BecomingBane wrote: »

Nothing will ever come close to cheese. No substitute is even remotely the same as far as taste or texture. That said, I find many of them to be enjoyable, but I don't pretend they are cheese substitutes... I just accept them for what they are, generally non-melting blocks of unidentifiable alien food material. I like it better that way.

Hahah love it! Alien material! Which brands have you tried that are most decent?

When I lived in a vegetarian community that had a few vegan cooks, they never used fake cheese but did use avocados and nuts as a fat-from-dairy replacement.

This works incredibly well but it depends on the recipe. If you are trying to make a non-vegan recipe vegan or cook for picky non-vegans, sometimes it helps to use something familiar.

Also, replacement products are a great gateway to learning how to make or prepare your own alternative methods.

*ETA most vegan "cheese" replacements aren't all that high in fat, so are not a good fat substitute.

kshama2001

lucille_heather wrote: »

Thanks for your advice guys! I already have a lot of Fruits and vegetables but my weakness is cheese!! Hah. That's one thing I'm defiantly struggling to find a yummy replacement for.

I would use avocado on sandwiches and for entrees switch to cuisines that don't include cheese, like Thai or Indian.

Here's one of my favorite vegan recipes. It is NOT vegan mac and cheese, but something entirely new.

https://kripalu.org/article/755/

Squash-a-roni

Serves four to six.

• ¾ pound elbow pasta
• 4 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• Pinch salt
• 1 small onion
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1⁄3 cup tahini
• 3 tablespoons white miso
• 1½ teaspoons umeboshi vinegar
• Stock water as needed
• 1 cup chopped roasted nuts or seeds (optional)

Place the peeled and cubed squash in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, add a pinch of salt, and simmer until soft. When soft, drain the squash, setting aside the cooking water for later use. Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente and drain.

Sauté the onion in the olive oil until caramelized. Combine the squash, sautéed onion, and all other ingredients (except the pasta) in a blender, and blend until smooth. Add stock water a little at a time, if needed, to create a smooth, thick sauce consistency.

Toss pasta with sauce and place in a baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

To garnish, try chopped roasted walnuts or almonds, or pepitas. Enjoy!

kshama2001

I add celery, onions, fresh herbs and/or dried Italian seasoning to this, because, as the reviewer says, it is bland otherwise. Also, as the three grains have different cooking times, I first toast the millet and then add the water, bring it to simmer, then add the rice, and finally the quinoa. I do this in an oven-proof pot so I can cover it and put in the oven. (350 degrees.)

The Anjelica Home Kitchen Three-grain Pilaf

This recipe calls for 1 cup basmati rice, 1/2 cup of millet, 1/2 cup of quinoa, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1/2 cup scallions, 2 Tbs. olive oil, and 3 cups of water or vegetable stock. You toast the grains and scallions in the oil, bring the water to a boil on the stove, then bake the pilaf for 30 minutes in the oven.

kshama2001

The Whole Foods website has over 1,100 vegan recipes: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/search/ ?f[0]=field_special_diet:158786