any vegans out there?

pattitricia85

I am just trying to get more ideas for vegan lunches and dinners... anyone who has any yummy recipes please share!!!

Rivalee

I HIGHLY recommend Christina Pirello's cookbook Cooking the Whole Foods Way - it's totally vegan and the butternut squash and mushroom bake is out of this world!

For lunches I frequently do a bed of rice with a scoop of cooked red bhutanese rice and any kind of cooked bean, plus I toss in fig balsalmic vinegar and olive oil and chop up any extra veggies like some carrot, bell pepper or celery. Put on a tupperware lid and bring along a fork :-) If you haven't tried red bhutanese rice you must! The first time I served it to my BF (a big ol' meat eater) he though it was bacon bits because it has this wonderful meaty, chewy (in a good way) texture.

Another thing I like are Wasa crackers spread with tahini along side any veggies or fruits I have on hand, or with a bowl of soup!

tabbydog

Do vegans eat cheese? I have a great recipie (also low carb) for portobello mushrooms. Grill the large mushroom like a burger. Grill the gill side first. When you flip it over, put chopped garlic inside the cap. When it is almost done cooking add crumbled blue cheese until it melts. If you don't eat cheese you could omit it and it would still be delish! :bigsmile:

Oh, and by the way, it is very filling. And mushrooms are very low in calories, and have tons of nutrition in them.

fitgal411

I am thinking about becoming a vegan. What is the difference between that and being a vegetarian?

pattitricia85

thanks you for the book and rice suggestion! I haven't tried red bhutanese rice, but i am goign to look for it! Also, the difference between a began and vegetarian is vegans eat no animal products (no cheese, eggs, milk etc) Wheras vegetarians eat dairy and some still eat fish

fitgal411

Thanks for explaining it to me. I will look up some recipes. You can find a lot on the internet and in the "recipe" category of mfp.

aholly70

a good idea to get reciepes is oder vegetarian times it's awesome magazine.

mrd232

Check out vegweb.com - they have some good stuff.

Former vegan turned carnivore here.

Lil_Leah

i couldnt imagine not having dairy would be very healthy?! :noway:

Queenie000

You should pick up a copy of the engine 2 diet from your library. It has great vegan recipes in it. You could go online and check out recipes on their website, but i find the website to be cumbersome and not that great to use. But, you could check out info there to see if it is something you might use. I am a life long vegetarian and my dad who is a huge meat eater sent me this book after he tried it for 30 days. Although he still eats meat, he does make some of the recipes out of the book to eat healthier and enjoys them. The book also talks about how healthy it is to eat a plant based diet and why we don't need animal products. The author is a firefighter and extremely active athlete, and shows that a plant based diet isn't unhealthy or just for extreme vegans!

TheMaidOfAstolat

i couldnt imagine not having dairy would be very healthy?! :noway:

It's very healthy. To quote Skinny B*tch "we are the only animals on the planet that drinks another animals milk". It's kinda gross. I do drink milk, I'm a vegetarian have been all of my 24 years and was a vegan for quite some time but I enjoy honey and yogurt too much to go back to being a vegan.

AshBear

I am just trying to get more ideas for vegan lunches and dinners... anyone who has any yummy recipes please share!!!

I love this one!

Half avocado mashed
1 roma tomato chopped
2 garlic cloves, or 1 large chopped
1 TBS chopped onion
a pinch of black pepper
1 tsp lime juice
2 slices of whole wheat bread
2 slices of vegetarian bacon (I use litelife smart bacon)

Mash the avocado and add the chopped tomato, garlic, onion, black pepper, and lime juice. Stir ingredients. On a small skillet place 2 "facon" strips and cook on medium heat until it warms through (it says to lightly oil the skillet, but I don't find that necessary). Toast your whole wheat bread and spread the avocado mixture on the toast. Place your 2 "facon" strips on your sandwich and you're ready to enjoy a delicious sandwich! I like to serve with carrot sticks or baked potato chips.

monteig

I just made this stew from a recipe I found on Epicurious and it is really good! Great for a lunch, or you can have it as a dinner on rice or quinoia. It is super easy to make, probably even easier if you have a slow cooker and can just throw it all in. Enjoy!

Green Bean, Zucchini and Potato Stew

1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed, halved crosswise
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (use less if you don't like spicy foods...)
8 ounces zucchini, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
8 ounces russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
3/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 28-ounce can Italian-style tomatoes, drained, juices reserved, tomatoes chopped

Heat oil in heavy large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté 5 minute Add green beans and cayenne pepper and sauté until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add zucchini, potatoes and parsley. Pour tomatoes and their juices over vegetables. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, stirring frequently, about 55 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Serve warm or at room temperature.

Rivalee

I've been making a yummy lunch lately: I have cooked quinoa in the fridge, so I saute a half cup quinoa, a handful of fresh spinach, a 1/4 c garbanzo beans and a half cup chipotle diced tomatoes (I get the can at PCC) with some pepper in olive oil. I am not strict vegan so sometimes I sprinkle on a tbsp of crumbled feta, and it's YUMMY! It's the chipotle tomatoes that make it sooo good! And the quinoa provides good protein.