Vegan Ideas??

05suu

Hi Everyone...

I have been Vegetarian for years, but due to the apalling cruelty of the Dairy Industry is some instances...:noway: feel I would like to try the Vegan diet....
I'm not sure I can manage it full time but would like to start with afew days a week and see how I go....
Does anyone have any ideas of quick and easy foods to start off with? I don't want to be put off by spending hours preparing foods either, so any short cuts...
I found a range of FREE FROM foods in Tesco which seem to be for vegetarins and vegans
I would also like to find a quick and easy cookbook for vegans...
Any help greatly appreciated!!

Cheers!:bigsmile:

LessHeavyVeggie

I'm vegetarian, but I eat vegan sometimes (not really on purpose, just so happens some meals are).

I had a quick google and found a list of blogs that might help get you started: http://www.thekitchn.com/10-inspiring-vegan-blogs-136662

I've been getting into tofu recently - protein source and can be used to replace scrambled eggs. There are tons of recipes online for baked tofu with differing marinades. Here's some examples:
http://fussfreeflavours.com/2008/08/sesame-crusted-baked-tofu/
http://www.emmafrisch.com/2012/09/crispy-italian-baked-tofu.html

Also some veggie staples are also vegan - peanut butter, hummus, falafels, some dark chocolate (Bourneville is I think).

The vegan society's website might be helpful for you too http://www.vegansociety.com/

That's all I can think of for now! I hope something in there has helped!

ChristinWrites

The biggest challenge with being vegan is you must be mindful of what you are eating so that you are getting complete proteins. In time, you will want to supplement with B12 also so that you don't become deficient in that vitamin. Otherwise, there are many wonderful things you can discover on a vegan diet, but it will be better if you enjoy cooking and experimenting. If you just switch to all processed vegan foods, you won't get the adequate nutrition you need and you will burn out on it faster.

Quinoa is a very versatile grain with complete protein. You can cook it easily, use it to make desserts, side dishes etc. I'd look up some good recipes for it. There are truly many interesting things you can do. Tofu can be ok, but for me it's a texture issue - learn about methods of preparation. For example, freezing it, then thawing and pressing out all the water before cooking will give you a great "meatier" texture that holds together well.Squash and zucchini make great heartier dishes and absorb flavors well. They are inexpensive and a great staple that is low cal. depending on how you prepare them.

Plenty of blogs out there. Use Pinterest - find recipes that look intriguing and then go check out how to make them. I commend anyone who does it and sticks with it. When done right, it can be one of the healthiest ways of eating out there.

05suu

Thank you both for some great ideas and sources....
I think the main thing I would miss is cheese and eggs..have some vegan cheese but its not really very nice...might be ok to cook with though....

RaJoCo

Orange Carrot Cornmeal Cookies (Vegan and Gluten Free)



INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature <

---

substitute with vegan butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon packed finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled) <----I substituted with almond flour to make it Gluten Free
1/2 cup fine cornmeal
1 medium carrot, grated on small holes of a box grater (about 1 cup)

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until pale and fluffy. Stir in vanilla, orange zest, and salt. Add (almond) flour and cornmeal and mix until mixture is crumbly. Add carrot and stir until a thick dough forms.
STEP 2
Drop dough by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are light golden brown at edges, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool completely on wire racks.

SugarDiva

check out "Oh She Glows". Her blog is amazing. Loaded with recipes and help and she has a cookbook out as well. It's the holy grail of my kitchen. Even my meat eating boyfriend enjoys the recipes in there.

LessHeavyVeggie

check out "Oh She Glows". Her blog is amazing. Loaded with recipes and help and she has a cookbook out as well. It's the holy grail of my kitchen. Even my meat eating boyfriend enjoys the recipes in there.

Just browsing her blog now.. and salivating... Thanks for the link!

Also for the OP, if you're missing ice cream, try freezing a banana (I chop it up and put on greaseproof paper first to make things easier) then blend it - honestly it really tastes/feels like banana ice cream! You can add peanut butter/vanilla extract/cocoa powder or whatever else you like to it too.

writergeek313

The Post Punk Kitchen was my first exposure to vegan cooking. I have a few of her cookbooks, but Appetite for Reduction is my favorite. I've found so many delicious dishes in there. I'm not vegan (or even a vegetarian, for that matter), but this is my favorite cookbook. A few of my favorite recipes from it are on the PPK site.

Miso soba stir fry with greens and beans: http://www.theppk.com/2010/10/miso-soba-stir-fry-with-greens-and-beans/

Quinoa, white bean, and kale stew: http://www.theppk.com/2010/10/quinoa-white-bean-and-kale-stew/

Hottie black-eyed peas (I sometimes make it with the mashed sweet potatoes, but I also like it with brown rice or polenta): http://www.theppk.com/2011/12/hottie-black-eyed-peas-with-ginger-sweet-potatoes-apples/

crystig

Peta has a great recipe section on their website, there are even categories for menu ideas for various holidays and get togethers. I agree Oh she glows is an awesome blog! Chocolate covered Katie is great too! Both of Chloe Cocarelli's (chef Chloe) cookbooks are awesome!

I found once I got the hang of vegan eating and deciding which substitution products I enjoyed, it's been easy to recreate my old favorites to be vegan. One of my favorite go to meals is Taco salad. Sometimes I saute chickpeas with a little water, onion and taco seasoning or use left over cooked tofu. For the dressing I mash avocado and mix it with salsa. It makes a nice creamy dressing, perfect for the taco salad!

Kbelicious

I eat a lot of foods from The Gluten-free Vegan cookbook which I love, it's by Susan O'Brian. I've cooked from this for my family, none of whom are gluten-free or vegan, and they love the recipes from it. Also it seems that what you expect to miss from the dairy and eggs is a textural thing so you might want to focus on that in your search. I occasionally have a soy cheese slice on a veggie burger and it does satisfy.

sistrsprkl

Easy, vegan staples in my diet include: pureed veg soups (usually roasted root veg), salads, and rice and beans.

ArtGeek22

Certainly would suggest "Oh She Glows" as well as "Incredible Smoothies" (http://www.incrediblesmoothies.com/), which both give great recipes and flavor ideas. I have been vegan for a little over a year now and looking to make some more vegan/veggie friends! Sent you a request so hope you accept