Vegan/vegetarian grocery list

jaciejaciexoxo

Other people have been doing the grocery shopping and I hadn’t realized I was stuck eating nearly carb only meals since I’m allergic to dairy and strongly dislike meat other than the occasional salmon. So if I actually took the step to be vegetarian I’d be basically vegan

What are some things I should start adding to our grocery list so I can cook good wholesome meals (high protein)
Id love any suggestions especially from people who really cook from scratch.

Thanks

janejellyroll

Higher protein plant foods include tofu, tempeh, beans, and seitan. You can buy seitan pre-made, but I find it cheaper and easier to make your own using vital wheat gluten. Dried beans are amazingly affordable and you can do just about anything with them. They freeze very well -- you can cook a whole bunch and then just freeze what you aren't going to eat within a few days.

MikePfirrman

To add to above, Mung Beans and Quinoa are great. I utilize raw nuts a lot. I don't care for the ones roasted in veggie oils, I only buy raw ones. I use cashews and walnuts most but blanched almonds are also great to have around. Goji berries are also great for salads and they have protein too.

apullum

TVP or soy curls are really versatile and will keep for a while in your pantry. Both of these are just dehydrated soy protein, so you can either rehydrate as needed or toss directly into a dish with enough liquid for them to rehydrate as they cook. One of my favorite quick meals is to soak soy curls in warm water for about 10 minutes, drain well (press out the extra water) and then marinate in a low calorie sauce. Salsa, barbecue sauce, teriyaki have all worked well for me. I usually prepare this in the morning and then leave it in the fridge to marinate while I'm at work. When I get home I heat it up and serve with veggies and a carb that complement the marinade I used--tortillas if I used salsa, rice if I used teriyaki, etc.

sheloves89

I second dried beans in a big, big way. They're super easy to cook, you just have to remember to get them soaking a day in advance - unless you have an Instant Pot, in which case you can skip the soaking step. =]

I always keep besan (aka chickpea/garbanzo bean flour aka gram flour) on hand, mostly to make this stuff. You can also use besan to make high protein tortillas! I make these and then stuff 'em full of brown rice, black beans, and avocado. If you don't mind other types of fish, white fish would be really good flaked in this recipe with some lime juice and salsa on top.

Eggs are always a good, vegetarian source of protein, if you aren't allergic to those. =]

I also always keep a jar of nutritional yeast around, and I use that to spice things that would benefit from that classic, cheesy flavor. I top popcorn with it, some dried dill, and a bit of garlic powder - so good!

Finally, I start my day with a whey protein shake (I buy Elevation - Vanilla from Aldi). Two scoops of that plus half a cup of almond milk and a handful of ice cubes in a blender makes an amazing, thick, creamy shake. Or you can heat a cup of almond milk on the stove top, add in a dash of pumpkin spice (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, cardamom, and allspice), and then blend that with your protein shake powder (I just made this this morning - it was delicious!)

Just picked up a bag of TVP from the grocer yesterday, and am looking forward to trying my hand at making seitan at home!

If you're looking for other, really good vegan/vegetarian recipes, I strongly recommend The Thug Kitchen cookbook series.

estherdragonbat

Quinoa is a complete protein, but it's not really high in protein. It's about 8 grams per cup cooked. For perspective, edamame is 11 grams per half cup. Chickpeas are 15 per cup, and lentils 18 per cup. (Source: https://www.myboomernutrition.com/top-10-high-protein-vegetarian-foods/ and https://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/diet-tips/high-protein-foods)

kshama2001

Here are 120 vegan recipes featuring beans and lentils https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/search/ ?f[0]=field_special_diet:158786&f[1]=field_recipe_main_ingredient:789

Here's a good split chickpeas (chana dal) recipe. I serve with rice. I've stopped before Step 2 because it is already plenty flavorable at that point.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014366-chana-dal-new-delhi-style

Chana dal looks like lentils.

https://smile.amazon.com/Spicy-World-Chana-Split-Chickpeas/dp/B07BW2RBH5/



There are lots of vegan Indian recipes featuring various legumes. I have a simpler version of Kitchari in the paper cookbook: https://kripalu.org/resources/kripalu-recipe-nourishing-kitchari

kam26001

Bake some tofu. Simply cut the block into 1/2 inch slices, marinate them (I use the Soy Vay brand), and bake for 30 min. (flipping over midway through) on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Make sure the tofu is drained beforehand. The vacuum packed varieties are more popular now and quite convenient.

JaxxieKat

Tofu, quinoa, chickpeas, eggs if you aren't totally plant based, hummus.

Cbean08

My coworker is vegan and we were recently talking about her menu. She says her staples are -

oatmeal
granola
soy-based yogurt (Silk, or cashew yogurt)
soy milk
bread
tortillas
rice
quinoa
potato/sweet potato
almond butter
avocado
vegan mayo
olive oil
all vegetables
all fruits
vegan protein powder
extra firm tofu
canned beans
edamame
almonds/pistachios/cashews
RX bars
pita chips
hummus
guacamole
liquid aminos
nutritional yeast

janejellyroll

apullum wrote: »

TVP or soy curls are really versatile and will keep for a while in your pantry. Both of these are just dehydrated soy protein, so you can either rehydrate as needed or toss directly into a dish with enough liquid for them to rehydrate as they cook. One of my favorite quick meals is to soak soy curls in warm water for about 10 minutes, drain well (press out the extra water) and then marinate in a low calorie sauce. Salsa, barbecue sauce, teriyaki have all worked well for me. I usually prepare this in the morning and then leave it in the fridge to marinate while I'm at work. When I get home I heat it up and serve with veggies and a carb that complement the marinade I used--tortillas if I used salsa, rice if I used teriyaki, etc.

This post reminded me I need to order some soy curls. They're great!

janejellyroll

Cbean08 wrote: »

My coworker is vegan and we were recently talking about her menu. She says her staples are -

oatmeal
granola
soy-based yogurt (Silk, or cashew yogurt)
soy milk
bread
tortillas
rice
quinoa
potato/sweet potato
almond butter
avocado
vegan mayo
olive oil
all vegetables
all fruits
vegan protein powder
extra firm tofu
canned beans
edamame
almonds/pistachios/cashews
RX bars
pita chips
hummus
guacamole
liquid aminos
nutritional yeast

I've never seen an RX bar without eggs. Did they just start making them?

Cbean08

janejellyroll wrote: »

Cbean08 wrote: »

My coworker is vegan and we were recently talking about her menu. She says her staples are -

oatmeal
granola
soy-based yogurt (Silk, or cashew yogurt)
soy milk
bread
tortillas
rice
quinoa
potato/sweet potato
almond butter
avocado
vegan mayo
olive oil
all vegetables
all fruits
vegan protein powder
extra firm tofu
canned beans
edamame
almonds/pistachios/cashews
RX bars
pita chips
hummus
guacamole
liquid aminos
nutritional yeast

I've never seen an RX bar without eggs. Did they just start making them?

You're probably right. Maybe she said a different bar and I'm remembering wrong. Some sort of vegan protein bar.