Vegan alternatives

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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!

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