Any Vegan's?

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Pamela3
Pamela3 Posts: 96 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My husband and I just made the switch and while I'm not having a problem sticking to it (we were never huge into meat or dairy anyway), I am having a problem coming up with MEALS... We often eat just snacks packed together to form a meal, or I dont eat at all, which isn't good. I love to cook and this is kind of killing my kitchen spirit. Help anyone?

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  • pdworkman
    pdworkman Posts: 1,342 Member
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    I'm vegetarian, so still eat eggs, but I cook lots of other things. I am also grain-free, dairy-free, and multiple allergies. Diary is open to friends.

    Snacks and side dishes are a great basis for vegetarian meals.
  • raevynn
    raevynn Posts: 666 Member
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    You can certainly friend me and look at my diary!

    I've been a vegan for years... and I'm totally at home in the kitchen :)

    You might also think about investing in the Happy Herbivore book (my favorite!!)... she has great recipes!! oh, and a blog/website, so you can try a bunch of her stuff. She lists nutritional info, too, which helps a lot!
  • nicolefooch
    nicolefooch Posts: 5 Member
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    I have been eating vegan for 25 days now. I think I'm sticking to it pretty well. I'm proud that I haven't settled for a salad for a meal yet :) I like it a lot. You can look online for lots of great recipes. Check out whole foods website.
  • cutie2b
    cutie2b Posts: 194 Member
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    I am ovo-lacto vegetarian, but a lot of my meals are vegan, without intentionally doing that. Honestly, I use a lot of online recipes for meal ideas even if I modify the recipes. For instance, this week I make my own veggie patties from lentils and quinoa. That recipe was vegan. I also made quinoa stuffed acorn squash with raisins and apples. Usually, I pick a vegetable or whole grain that I don't cook a lot with for each week and then google for recipes with that vegetable and until I find stuff I like. I am trying to learn to to cook more variety and better nutrient rich meals. And for breakfast I have started having just green protein smoothies - frozen banana, frozen mango, frozen strawberries, protein powder, milk (could be soy, almond, etc), spinach/kale/green leafy vegetable. I hope that helps a bit...
  • Pamela3
    Pamela3 Posts: 96 Member
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    Thans ladies! I appreciate it!
  • VitaLeta
    VitaLeta Posts: 19 Member
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    Pick up Appetite for Reduction... super yummy vegan cookbook! You can also find more of her recipes at Post Punk Kitchen http://www.theppk.com/
  • RangerSteve
    RangerSteve Posts: 437
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    I spent 6 months as a vegan. I ended up losing a lot of weight so I stopped.

    -Tofu. Learn every tofu dish you can. Go to the local stores (the ones that sell over-priced but amazing local foods) and get flavoring. They usually make amazing spices and herbs that are vegan. Use that for your tofu dishes. Tofu + cashew stir fry. Tofu + tomato sandwich. The list goes on and on.

    -Pasta. Depending on your carbohydrate beliefs (hopefully you're not a low carb vegan), you can make some amazing pasta dishes. The sky is the limit on this one too.


    Depending on how strict you are with this vegan thing, try to consider whether or not you want to do raw dairy. Raw milk and raw cheese are very popular here in California where I live and I know a few vegans who made the switch to allow raw dairy once in awhile. Plus, raw milk tastes amazing.
  • laurieagain09
    laurieagain09 Posts: 183 Member
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    Pick up Appetite for Reduction... super yummy vegan cookbook! You can also find more of her recipes at Post Punk Kitchen http://www.theppk.com/

    I agree! I love this cook book and also love Vegan with a Vengeance. Both are by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Her recipes are easy and amazing.
    My sister gave them both to me as gifts :) My sister and I have both been vegetarians for about 10 years.
  • MrsODriscoll
    MrsODriscoll Posts: 127 Member
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    Feel free to add me and nosey at my diary - I eat 90% vegan. Agreed re Appetite for Reduction. Also check out the Happy Herbivore books and her website happyherbivore.com and also fatfreevegan.com. Good luck!
  • CMXL
    CMXL Posts: 54 Member
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    I eat vegetarian. Please feel free to add me and look at my diary. If anything in that interests you, let me know and I will be happy to share the recipe.
  • jeccalou
    jeccalou Posts: 92 Member
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    To the cookbook suggestions, I will add Viva Vegan! and Veganomicon.

    Soups and chilis are always easy.

    One of my basic weeknight staples is to lightly saute a huge pan of veggies (tons of mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, spinach, garlic, peppers, spring mix, whatever.)
    Then use that as the base for either a tofu scramble, fajitas, veggie quesadillas, pasta topping, or with rice.
    Season the saute differently for different cuisine flavors. Like cumin, black pepper, and chilie for fajitas, or sweet basil and oregano for pasta.
  • xmoonlitex123
    xmoonlitex123 Posts: 14 Member
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    You could either try vegweb.com (they have everything) or add me to see my diary (I cook every meal for myself from scratch). :D
  • CosmicBella
    CosmicBella Posts: 195 Member
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    I'm vegan... I cook from scratch most days... Feel free to add me! :)
  • bespatter
    bespatter Posts: 73 Member
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    I'm vegan!

    Also, Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson is a good cookbook. Lots of meal ideas with easy to find ingredients. :)
  • alise_lmx
    alise_lmx Posts: 292 Member
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    ohsheglows.com has TONS of great recipes. i get lots of ideas there. I'm not 100% vegan but the more I stick to that type of diet the better I feel.
  • VeganInTraining
    VeganInTraining Posts: 1,321 Member
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    I'm not vegan yet but definitely on my way there (though, I'll probably end up ova-vegetarian b/c I have a humane egg source) but feel free to add me.

    I've been loving finding ways to tweak my menus and trying new things. I agree with the cook books people mentioned, I want all of Ina's books! If you're a sloppy joe fan check out allrecipes.com lentil sloppy joes DELICIOUS!
  • MichelleRenee13
    MichelleRenee13 Posts: 363 Member
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    http://theveeword.blogspot.com/
  • debsch3
    debsch3 Posts: 1
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    While I'm not a vegan, my son has been for almost 14 years. He too loves to cook. There are some great vegan cookbooks out there. Isa Chandra Moskowitz is a favorite and she has several out. Check your local library and see if they carry any you can test out before buying. Also websites, the post punk kitchen is a favorite. Just google vegan receipes and you'll be amazed! You can marinade and sauteed or grill tofu like you would chicken, just cut it into strips and it helps if you press out some of the water. Just press firmly between paper towels or lint free kitchen towels. Also, try cooking up your favorite beans, (black, white, navy etc) then throw them in a frying pan with your favorite veggies.
  • Geneive1
    Geneive1 Posts: 4
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    I tired being a Vegan but I stopped. I am hoping to get back into it with Shakeology. I read that the Tropical Shakeology is Vegan so I am giving it a try. Here is the link:
    http://teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/MDSUSH311G?referringRepId=112511.

    I hope that helps some of you on your journey.:flowerforyou:
  • determinedbutlazy
    determinedbutlazy Posts: 1,941 Member
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    I have a 99.99999% vegan diet. I made the decision for health reasons and I feel brilliant for it!
    I too advise vegan cookbooks, take a peek on amazon.com, you'll end up with so many meal ideas you won't know what to make first!
    It can be really exciting, and you'll find lots of new favourites :)

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