Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Louzilla on July 7, 2011 at 9:03am

First off, congrats on the switch!!

Are you packing a lunch or looking for something you can eat at home?

 

Recently I've been doing a lot of salads, as it's salad season... some recipes I enjoy:

Mock Tofu Salad

Tofu Dill Salad Sammiches

 

Some awesome sandwiches:

Marinated baked tofu with spinach, tomato, onion, and goddess dressing

Hummus & avocado

Homemade bean burgers (I used to use this recipe, now I just throw stuff in a bowl and make something based off that recipe)

 

Hopefully those will be some good recipes for you to start off with! As you can see, I'm a major fan of Isa Moskowitz & Terry Romero. You can always find more awesome recipes and a great community over at the PPK.

 

What did you eat for lunch before you made the switch?

StudentPermalink Reply by Snicklefritz on July 7, 2011 at 4:40pm

Hey Becca,

I've been a vegan for 5 or 6 years= many lunches, maybe I can help you out. 

Firstly www.vegweb.com is chock full of vegan recipes :) also through PETA you can order a free "vegetarian/vegan starter kit" really its just a little pamphlet, skip the pages on animal cruelty you already know all that if your here, but it is free & they will ship it to you for free & it shows some popular vegan products.

Salads are awesome, I love putting on as many toppings as possible: first off lettuce (lots of variety to choose from: red leaf, green leaf, romaine, or spinache), marinated or flavored tofu cut into cubes, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, artichoke hearts, fresh arugula, savory or nasturtium (adds a bite), carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, red onion, olives, etc usually with a tahini based salad dressing (annie's naturals godess or (my favorite) woodstock salad dressing. but many salad dressings are vegan, it shouldn't be hard to find one.

Sandwiches: Variations on plain (or whole wheat) bread could be a wrap or a pita. 

A sweeter tasting sandwhich: Old school Pb&j with variations like sunflower seed butter or cashew butter or almond butter and apricot preserve or sliced bananas (also tastes good with cinnamon raison bread). 

A more savory sandwhich: Hummus is a godsend, with some lettuce, carrots (shredded), cucumber (sliced), tomatoes (sliced), bean sprouts.  Baba ganoush is a middle eastern dip/spread with an eggplant & tahini base is also very good with hummus or with a filafel (middle eastern chickpea ball).  Avocados make everything better, I usually smush between bread with tomatoes and/or deli-style vegan slices (ex Yves is a good brand & very high in protein) or a boca burger (original, original chicken or spicey chicken).  Careful, morningstar farms products (to my knowledge) are not vegan!  Mustard and/or Frank's red hot are good sandwich condiments.     

For snacks I pack an apple or orange, trail mix, ginger snaps.

And if I don't pack a sandwich or salad its usually because I pack some leftovers from dinner.

Also a good tip is to have a snack on you whenever you leave your house, weather you are prone to getting low blood sugar or not its always good.  Many times food will be offered/available or served that is not vegan and you don't want to deprive yourself of food all-together.  I bring a snack, whenever I leave the house just in case, & to be completely honest I have brought a sandwich or piece of fruit with me to concerts, amusement parks, etc. If anyone asks I tell them I am diabetic (a little white lie) but low blood sugar (due to lack of energy/calories/food) can happen to anyone and cause fainting, weakness, etc.  Or you could always just say you have low blood sugar or are on a "strict" diet. 

StudentPermalink Reply by Becca Boo on July 8, 2011 at 4:27am

Brilliant, thanks so much for the information. I've had a look at some of those sites and the recipies look great, can't wait to give some a try, mmmn, lentil meatballs!

 

A little more background; I've got 2 young children; nearly 5 and nearly 2, I gave up being a vegetarian after my family pressured me and made me feel very guilty for 'not giving the baby the nutrients she needed', I know that's BS now, but at the time I believed them and started eating meat again, it's only recently I've gone back to veggie. I don't want my children to eat meat, but my OH does, so when he takes them to his parents he feeds them up with chicken which makes me feel a bit ill, but there isn't anything I can do to stop that.

 

The meals I will be cooking/eating are family meals at home. My children and I love pasta, my OH likes spicy food, but me and my eldest don't like anything spicier than falafel! My eldest is going through a bit of a fussy stage because the food I'm cooking these days looks different to what she is used to, so I'm hoping if we start with lots of pasta and things that look similar to what she is used to, the transition will go smoothly!

 

Thanks again for all the advice. x x x

Permalink Reply by Louzilla on July 8, 2011 at 12:51pm

Vegan Dad is an awesome resource for recipes that are kid-approved. He cooks for 3 kids and oftentimes gives their reviews on the recipes!

StudentPermalink Reply by Carolyn B on July 9, 2011 at 1:10pm

Congrats as well on the switch!!   

 

Some products if you haven't tried them yet are Veganaise and Daiya Vegan Cheese.   The cheese is the best it melts and is stringy just like the other stuff!  

 

When I cook for my meat eating friends I usually get a recipe from Chef Chloe, 

http://www.chefchloe.com/

 

As a new vegan do you know about vitamin B12? 

Just in case,  here is a link,   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYPhmjJ5A8Q

 

If I were you,  I would send a copy of Earthlings and Forks over Knives (once it is out on DVD) for your OH's family to watch.   

 

Again Congratulations!!!

 

 

StudentPermalink Reply by Becca Boo on July 13, 2011 at 1:54pm

Thank you for that. I've had a look at Chef Chloe's site, it's fab! I'm in the UK, so not sure if we have the same products as you. I've looked for vegan cheese but haven't found it yet. I know we have it, just not sure where. Will have to visit a health food shop I think! x x

Permalink Reply by Louzilla on July 15, 2011 at 1:25pm

Oh man the UK has Cheezly fake cheese, which I've heard nothing but great things about! We don't get it over here in the states, so I've never had it.

StudentPermalink Reply by Heather Conley on January 30, 2012 at 9:00am

YAY for you!! congrats on switching & thanks for the thread. Even long time vegans sometimes are just not sure what to eat or could just use more options & ideas. I LOVE Amys products. Their shepheards pies are YUMMY & so is their lentil veggie soup. I also like Kashis Mayan harvest bake. They make them with plaintains & sweet potatos..yummy! I also sometimes do a whole wheat bagel w/ peanut butter & a bananna. Good luck & hope this helps a little!

Permalink Reply by Allyssa on November 1, 2012 at 11:28am

I have been slowly making the switch to vegan over the last 5 years - since the full transition (about 4 months ago) I find that I have some tummy troubles in the morning time. I will admit that we eat a decent amount of frozen 'fake meats' and I'm wondering if those processed foods are what is making me feel not so settled when I wake up. I don't want to become raw but I'm wondering if you all could direct me towards some recipes that are easy to make and a fresher! I say easy to make because I live in the Midwest and there's really no way of accessing vegan foods in my town or with my food stamp benefits (So I've got Schnucks, Aldi's and Walmart - bleck). I've not been able to access any vegan mayo, tahini, or alternative anythings really. All advice is appreciated :)