Looking for Delicious Vegan Recipes

Seitan
Tofu, Tempeh, edamame
Lentils
Beans
Nutritional Yeast
Spelt and other "ancient grains"
Hemp seed
Green peas
Breads made from sprouted grains
Soy milk
Oats and oat milk
Wild rice
Chia seeds
Nuts and seeds
Meat substitutes
Certain veg has more protein than others...ie potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc

I'm not a vegan, but in my experience, being vegan and meeting one's nutritional requirements takes a bit more knowledge than your average omnivorous diet or even vegetarian diet. B12 deficiencies are common as plants do not have meaningful amounts of B12 so you will need to make sure you're eating foods fortified with B12 and supplementation to avoid deficiency. Anemia (iron deficiency) is also fairly common with a vegan diet.

Many people who ultimately choose to go vegan start with a vegetarian diet or even pescatarian as it is easier to meet nutritional needs rather than diving in all the way from an omnivorous diet. Many find going straight to a vegan diet to be pretty overwhelming.

I would assume you are doing this for ethical reasons. Veganism is an ethical stance whereby they also do not wear animal products (leather, wool, etc) or use products containing animal products or that were tested on animals.

I'm not vegan, but have been vegetarian for 47+ years.

My advice would be to not only plan "one big protein" per meal (the omnivore routine, often, i.e., "what's for dinner" "chicken"). In addition, think about how to get small bits of protein in other things you eat, side dishes, snacks, even fruits and beverages. Those really add up, through the day.

To get ideas for food sources of protein that are relatively higher in protein, relatively lower in calories, this is a good thread:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

It links a huge spreadsheet with many, many protein-rich foods. You'll need to scroll past the mostly meaty/fishy things near the top, but the plant sources are there, further down the list.

One thing I'd suggest is that if you eat meat substitutes, you check the nutritional labels. Some of these have meaningful amounts of protein and are calorie efficient, but others are just "meaty tasting" or a meat-like texture for using in recipes. Just because something is sold as a meat substitute, it doesn't necessarily have meaningful amounts of protein. Some do, some don't.

For general information about nutrition for vegans, this is a really great source, run by registered dietitians who are themselves vegan:

https://veganhealth.org/

Frankly, there's a lot of advocacy nonsense on the web - propaganda, even in some cases - in which people with investment (actual $$) misrepresent nutritional fact to persuade people toward veganism. (I hate that sort of thing, they make people think plant-centric eaters like me are all anti-scientific and ignorant.) The site I linked is science based, but very vegan-positive.

Wolfman is right, vegans need to supplement B12. That's not the only nutrient that can be less available in plant foods, so requires some extra attention for best health. The VeganHealth site explains more, quite clearly.

The final comment I'd make also echoes one made above: I assume your motivation to become vegan is ethical, in some form. Specifically, I hope you're not adopting veganism because you believe it has special value for weight loss. It doesn't. Many people find plant foods filling, but they're not uniquely calorie efficient or uniquely nutritious.

Despite being a vegetarian for many decades (thin to fat and back to thin again, BTW), I think a vegetable/fruit-heavy omnivorous diet is probably the most healthful for most people, and requires less learning and care to keep in a healthy zone of well-rounded nutrition. Obviously, I do think vegetarianism/veganism is a good, worthwhile thing . . . but the reasons aren't superior nutrition or special weight loss usefulness.

Best wishes for success with your new routine!

Is it vegan (probably for ethical issues) or more a whole foods plant based (more for health) approach you've interested in? If the latter, there are a lot of great books with associated cookbooks/recipes. Dean Ornish has a few really good recipes. For reading/videos, I would also suggest you check out Michael Greger and others. If you are eating mostly whole foods and eating enough calories, you really don't have to worry about protein. In spite of what Americans seem to think, protein deficiency simply doesn't occur here under normal (see above) circumstances. On the other hand, many Americans are fiber deficient and a WFPB diet takes care of that, believe me! As a matter of fact, letting your body adjust to the increased fiber is something to take a little care with--much more than any nutritional deficit as long as you are eating mostly whole foods. As noted by a previous poster, if you eliminate all animal products (not all WFPB eliminate them entirely), for an extended period of time, you do need to add a B12 supplement (or start eating dirt, lol)--that's the biggest catch to going vegan. Hope this helps! I'm a SparkPeople refuge and very new here. Is there a vegan/vegetarian/WFPB group here?

esmereldaSP wrote: »

Is it vegan (probably for ethical issues) or more a whole foods plant based (more for health) approach you've interested in? If the latter, there are a lot of great books with associated cookbooks/recipes. Dean Ornish has a few really good recipes. For reading/videos, I would also suggest you check out Michael Greger and others. If you are eating mostly whole foods and eating enough calories, you really don't have to worry about protein. In spite of what Americans seem to think, protein deficiency simply doesn't occur here under normal (see above) circumstances. On the other hand, many Americans are fiber deficient and a WFPB diet takes care of that, believe me! As a matter of fact, letting your body adjust to the increased fiber is something to take a little care with--much more than any nutritional deficit as long as you are eating mostly whole foods. As noted by a previous poster, if you eliminate all animal products (not all WFPB eliminate them entirely), for an extended period of time, you do need to add a B12 supplement (or start eating dirt, lol)--that's the biggest catch to going vegan. Hope this helps! I'm a SparkPeople refuge and very new here. Is there a vegan/vegetarian/WFPB group here?

I don't think there are too many Americans who think protein deficiency is some rampant thing or much of an issue at all. Also, most Americans are omnivorous...so would generally get sufficient protein as to not be deficient. Protein needs can also vary widely depending on activity and how much stress those activities put on your body.

I love SweetPotatoSoul, ElaVegan, and ChocolateCoveredKatie (for baking). CookieandKate has vegetarian recipes that are yummy and some are vegan. They have blogs with lots of plant based recipes that are tasty.

I like connoisseurus veg, holy cow vegan, jessica in the kitchen, sauce stache and all the others mentioned above.

I love vegan food but am not vegan.

Minimalist baker website has amazing vegan recipes!