Going from vegetarian to vegan, any tips? Ideas on food and snacks for vegans?

Yay! That's awesome that you'd decided to become a vegan! Here are some web sites with some great vegan:

http://silksoymilk.com/ -chocolate and chai flavors are good

http://amys.com/

http://organicfoodbar.com/

http://gardenburger.com/

http://yvesveggie.com/

http://sunshineburger.com/

http://rightfoods.com/

http://veganstore.com/ -they have chocolate!

http://nakedjuice.com/

http://www.cedarsfoods.com/

http://bolthouse.com/

http://naturespath.com/

http://turtlemountain.com/ -vegan ice cream and yogurt

http://goodkarmafoods.com/ - vegan ice cream

http://fruitabu.com/

http://clifbar.com/

http://www.pacificfoods.com/ -has good almond milk

http://www.eatintheraw.com/index.php

Here are some good recipes:

Stir fry- You need cut up tofu, soy sauce, olive oil, steamed veggies, and cooked rice

Get a frying pan and coat it with olive oil. The put the tofu in the pan and brown each side of it. Next, add the veggies. Add a little soy sauce and put in the rice. Mix everything up and then let it sit on the stove, occasionally stirring it to make sure it doesn't burn. After about a minute and a half of that put it in a bowl and enjoy!

Hummus- chick peas, lemon juice, paprika, cumin, black pepper, and any other spices/seasonings you like

Puree the chick peas. Then add a little lemon juice, paprika, pepper, and other spices. Then stir. Serve with a pita, with cucumbers, or on a veggie wrap.

Favorite Classic Pancakes

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

1 cup soy milk

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Mix in the soy milk and oil, and with a fork or wire whisk, combine just until the batter is smooth.

Pour cup batter onto a hot, oiled griddle. When bubbles form in the center of the pancake, flip. Cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from pan and keep warm while you make remaining pancakes. Serve warm with maple syrup or fruit syrup.

Here are some snack and dinner suggestions:

Snacks:

Celery with peanut butter

Apples with peanut butter

Pita with hummus

Raisins

Amy's Apple Toaster Pops

All natural popsicles

Natural Valley bars

Clif Bar

Fruit Leather

Silk Chocolate Soy Milk

Naked Juice

Apple chips

Dinners:

Tofu Stir Fry

Amy's Pizzas

Amy's entrees

Sandwiches made with Yves meatless deli slices

Tofu Scramble

Gardenburgers

Natural Oven's bagels

Dr. McDougall's Soups and Noodle Soups

Soy Cheese Quesedillas

Veggie Wraps

Lentils with Wild Rice and Veggies

Whole foods is a great store for vegetarians/vegans, so I recommend grocery shopping there. You also can get a lot of the things I listed above there.

No Yeast Pizza Dough

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1 cups of unbleached flour

1/2 cups of soy milk

1/4 cup of olive oil

1 tblsp baking powder

Directions:

Mix the baking powder with the flour. Slowly add the soy milk and oil until you feel the consistency is right. Knead for about 10 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes and then use a roller to flatten it up.. Place in oven at 350F for 20 minutes, or until bottom part is light brown...Dont forget to oil the pizza pan, before placing dough.

Once cooked you can place some cooked or raw vegetables on it, sprinkle some tofu marinated in tomatoe sauce and then stick it back into the oven for 10 more minutes..

Simple yet Amazing Banana Muffins

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

4 large bananas

1/3 cup soy milk (or whatever kind)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup vegan margarine

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon (5 ml) baking soda

cinnamon

Directions:

Blend bananas. Add milk and vanilla.

Mix margarine and sugar and add to previous.

Combine wet ingredients with flour and baking soda.

Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup chocolate chips or nuts (optional).

Fill about half full 10-15 muffins or 24 mini muffins.

Bake at 350F (180C) for about 10-12 minutes, or for 45-60 minutes if making a loaf.

Serves: 10-15 muffins

Vegan Bagels

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1 cup warm water

3 cups unbleached white flour

1 1/2 tblsp. vegan sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon yeast

Directions:

Place all ingredients in bread machine and set for normal white vegan bread. Let the machine knead once and then turn off the machine and set a timer for 20 minutes. When time is up remove dough and cut into eight equal peices. Roll each piece into a rope about 1 inch thick, wet ends and stick together. Put all bagels on a greased cookie sheet, cover and let rest for 15 minutes in a warm place. Fill a wok (or whatever you use) with about three inches of water. Place two tblsp of vegan sugar in this water and bring to a boil. After the bagels rise for the fifteen minutes add them to the boiling water for 1 minute turning them as they boil. Drain and place on the greased cookie sheet again ( sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds if you like). Bake at 550 for 15 minutes or until desired browning occures.

Serves: 8

Easy Macaroni and Cheeze

1 pound pasta (regular or gluten-free)

Blend together:

1 1/4 cups water

1 cup plain, fat-free soymilk (may use other non-dairy milk)

3/4 cup nutritional yeast

3 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

pinch cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons tahini

1 teaspoon mellow white miso (or additional salt)

black pepper to taste

Put the pasta on to boil, according to package directions. While it's cooking, blend all remaining ingredients together in a blender. When the pasta is al dente, drain it, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water, and return the pasta to pan. Add the sauce mixture and cook, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens. Add a little of the pasta water if more moistness is needed.

If the sauce is not as flavorful as you'd like, add a little more mustard and onion powder.

Bean Chili

Very easy and yummy!

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1 can black or pinto beans

1/2 of a onion

1/2 of a green pepper

2 cloves of garlic

1 packet vegan taco seasoning

1 vegetable bouillon cube OR 1 cup of vegetable broth

Directions:

Dice onion, green pepper, and garlic and fry in olive oil in a pan.

Heat beans in a separate pot.

Once onion and pepper are cooked, add beans to the pan.

Sprinkle over taco seasoning powder.

Add vegetable broth. (I use the little cubes that you dissolve in water and dissolve it in about a cup or so of water.)

Mix together and enjoy with crackers or bread or just by itself. It's yummy! I made this from scratch one day and it's so easy!

Serves: 2-3

"Chicken" Soft Tacos

A simple and satisfying meal.

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1 cup textured soy protein chunks

1 cup vegetable broth

oregano, thyme, marjoram

2 ripe tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)

1-2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon lime juice (lemon works too)

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Suggested toppings: lettuce, green onion, olives, plain soy yogurt or vegan sour cream

Directions:

Bring vegetable broth to a boil, remove from heat and add soy protein chunks. Add a couple dashes of oregano, thyme and marjoram. Soak until the chunks are soft and liquid absorbed.

In a medium sized saucepan heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and jalapeno and saute until softened. Add textured soy protein, tomatoes, lime juice and spices. Simmer until the tomatoes have cooked down, about five minutes or so. Remove from heat and fold into soft wheat tortillas and top with suggested toppings or whatever toppings you enjoy!

*Please note I don't really measure my ingredients, so all measurements given are approximations, especially the spices. Please feel free to experiment and adjust to suit your own tastes. Happy cooking!

Serves: 2

Baked Fried Eggplant

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

2 medium to large eggplants - peeled and sliced into rounds

Fat free Italian salad dressing

Seasoned breadcrumbs

Vegetable cooking spray

Directions:

Serves: 4.

Preparation time: 20-30 min..

Dip eggplant slices into the fat free Italian dressing. Allow the excess dressing to drip off (too much dressing will wet the vegan breadcrumbs and make them a pain to work with). Coat the eggplant with the vegan breadcrumbs and place on a cookie sheet sprayed with vegetable spray. Lightly spray the eggplant with the vegetable spray. Bake at 400 degrees F until brown and crispy turning at least once (about 10 to 15 minutes).

Congrats on making the switch! I went from vegetarian to vegan in March and will never go back! It may seem hard and impossible at times, but just stick with it and I promise it'll get better.

A vegan diet is based around fruits, veggies, whole grains, bean/legumes and soy. Be sure to eat a variety of different things. And don't be afraid to try fake meats! I often make a tofurkey sandwhich with tomatoes, onion and avocado.

A great vegan bar is a Clif bar. You can get them at any health food store but I've even seen them at Target. I believe that some Luna bars are vegan as well. Those are yummy when you want something that tastes more like a candy bar.

A good snack option is trail mix. You can make your own or buy a pre-packaged one, but be sure there is no chocolate in them! =] Eating nuts is essential for a vegan diet. Even peanut butter will work!

I hope this has helped you, and if you want to ask me anything, feel free too!

Congrats again for being veg!

Try here for a whole list! I would not have been able to do it w/out this list!! lol!

http://www.peta2.com/STUFF/s-accvegan.asp

I would also take a multi vitamin to make up for any lack of nutrients. I do, if your going to solely eat veggies and fruit then thats one thing, but if ur going to eat processed stuff then i would go for a vitamin (make sure it has no gelatin).

Feel free to check out ?'s that i asked a couple months ago when i made the switch to vegan. : ) Good luck & congrats!!!

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Congrats on your decision to go vegan!

I would make the transition at your own pace. It doesn't need to be an overnight, all-or-nothing switch. Also, I recommend just focusing on taking meat, eggs, and dairy products out of your diet. Don't worry about whether the unpronounceable ingredients are vegan. Veganism is about trying to make choices that reduce suffering; personal purity isn't the goal.

Food ideas:

Use soy cheese to replace cheese in your favorite foods and recipes. (Follow Your Heart is the best soy cheese brand, in my opinion.) You can make grilled cheese, quesadillas, pizza, nachos, mac and cheese, etc. I usually melt the soy cheese in the microwave first and then pour it onto the bread / chips / etc.

There are vegan versions of just about everything... butter, cream cheese, milk, ice cream, mayo, sour cream, even whipped cream! Check out your local health food stores to see what kinds of vegan foods they carry. Here's a list of popular vegan products: http://www.vegcooking.com/guide-favs.asp

Examples of my favorite vegan foods:

-Pasta, tomato sauce, and Nate's Meatless Meatballs

-Subs with Tofurky Deli Slices and Vegenaise (vegan mayo)

-Bean burritos with Tofutti Sour Supreme (vegan sour cream)

-Vegan fried chicken made with Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik'n Strips (Here's the recipe: http://www.vegcooking.com/recipeshow.asp?RequestID... )

Other vegan meal ideas and recipes:

http://www.chooseveg.com/vegan-recipes.asp

http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=07budget

http://www.vegcooking.com/everydayliving.asp

I hope this helps. Good luck!

I can certainly help when it comes to snacks. It's my favorite meal!! :p

-Veggies

-Tortilla chips (I like to make my own by George Forman grilling whole wheat wraps)

-Crackers and hummus

-Unfrosted Pop Tarts

-Tons of "sandwich" cookies (Famous Amos, Golden/Uh Oh! Oreos)

-Granola

-Nuts

-Rice cakes