The Everything VEGAN Thread

[disneyfav4ever]

I know I'm not the only poster on the DIS that enjoys good vegan cooking!

I can't call myself a true vegan, since I will eat fish on occasion, and will end up eating a piece of pizza or something at least once a week it seems, but I do eat a diet that's 99% vegan when I'm at home, and thought it would be fun to have a place to talk about here.

We can talk about vegan books, health and environment benefits, animal welfare, vegan clothing and beauty products, and of course food! Basically whatever goes.

I just want to find some like-minded friends.

 

[npmommie]

Hi, I'm in
my favorite vegan cookbooks, anything by Isa Chandra Moscowitz

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Hi, I'm in
my favorite vegan cookbooks, anything by Isa Chandra Moscowitz

She's one of my favorites too! Her, and Colleen Patrick Goudreau.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

For dinner tonight I had the Chesapeake cakes from Isa's Vegan Brunch book if you have that. They're so yummy, I've made them several times before.

 

[Poohforyou]

There are plenty of days the I don't eat meat, fish, poultry or dairy but wouldn't consider calling myself a vegan. That isn't something you can be part time. Either you're in 100% or you aren't. That being said, I love using quinoa in place of pasta to up the protein.

 

[fall08CP]

Hey cruelty free friends!

I maintain a 100% vegan diet for health reasons. It just makes sense to me and I never feel deprived.

I currently live in the deep south so it's difficult to find any fun vegan foods, but I'm very much looking forward to my return to the North and TJ's/Whole Foods!

My favorite vegan blog is Angela of ohsheglows. For sweets, can't beat chocolate covered Katie.

Love this thread! Keep the compassion tips and tricks coming!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

There are plenty of days the I don't eat meat, fish, poultry or dairy but wouldn't consider calling myself a vegan. That isn't something you can be part time. Either you're in 100% or you aren't. That being said, I love using quinoa in place of pasta to up the protein.

I don't call myself a vegan, I just eat vegan whenever possible, and try to use animal-free products, or anything that's tested on animals. I think it's better to make as many practical changes as possible, then to do nothing.

I find a lot of vegan/vegetarian message boards online to be very strict with the either you are or you aren't rule, and that's great that they have their communities, but for someone like me, I don't really fit in there.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Hey cruelty free friends!

I maintain a 100% vegan diet for health reasons. It just makes sense to me and I never feel deprived.

I currently live in the deep south so it's difficult to find any fun vegan foods, but I'm very much looking forward to my return to the North and TJ's/Whole Foods!

My favorite vegan blog is Angela of ohsheglows. For sweets, can't beat chocolate covered Katie.

Love this thread! Keep the compassion tips and tricks coming!

I LOVE Trader Joe's. I only get there once in awhile because the closest one is about 45 minutes away, but when I do get there, I stock up. I was on their website the other day looking at the new Fearless Flyer and there are so many things I want to try, especially the sweet potato tortilla chips, hopefully those are dairy free, I don't see why they wouldn't be.

I'll have to check that blog out, sweets are the hardest thing to avoid dairy with.

 

[MyMagicKingdom]

Hi guys! Have you seen the cookbook Vegan Cooking for Carnivores by Roberto Martin? I saw it on Ellen last week (super love her) and we went out and bought it over the weekend and love it. I haven't had fried chicken in years so I was super excited for his vegan version! Yay!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Hi guys! Have you seen the cookbook Vegan Cooking for Carnivores by Roberto Martin? I saw it on Ellen last week (super love her) and we went out and bought it over the weekend and love it. I haven't had fried chicken in years so I was super excited for his vegan version! Yay!

I saw that on Amazon the other day. You'll have to let me know how it is! I like the vegan cookbooks that are aimed at carnivores and omnivores because they seem to be more comfort food type dishes, but I HATE vegan cheese. I've tried several brands and still haven't found any I like, but they seem to be in a lot of those types of recipes. So I'm worried that book will have a lot of recipes with cheese in too. That's what I got from the description anyway.

 

[mombrontrent]

I have been a vegetarian for 15 years now, since I was 17. My 5 year old DD is also vegetarian. I have seriously been considering going completly vegan. My problem is I think it will too hard to fully make the switch. I don't eat much dairy at home and use alot of soy and almond milk. However I do eat yogurt and cheese sometimes. I also use butter and eggs in baking. I know that there is subtitutes for these but haven't experimented yet. I also grab a coffee through the drive through somethimes with cream, how can I give that up I very rarely eat out at all, usually only when we are on vacation (even then we usually get a condo with a kitchen so I can cook alot of my own meals). However when I do eat out it can be hard to find vegetarian items on a menu let alone vegan items. I definatly would become a full time vegan if I had a full time cook to make me delicious vegan meals I love to cook and cook with a very wide range of foods but not sure if I want to make the switch to vegan cheese, yogurt, sour cream ect. When I do buy dairy I tend to buy mostly organic. I have been reading John Robbins book Food Revolution and it's a great book. I would love for the rest of my family to become vegetarian but they still eat meat a few times a week. I will definatly be following this thread

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I've been vegan for nearly six years. Love it! Just bought Victoria Moran's Main Street Vegan, and before that I got Dreena's Let Them Eat Vegan. Her "Nutty Burgers" are very popular with my grandkids.

TP

 

[mombrontrent]

We but the sweet potato tortillia chips from Costco, it's probably the same brand. My whole family loves them. Delicious with home made salsa

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I've been vegan for nearly six years. Love it! Just bought Victoria Moran's Main Street Vegan, and before that I got Dreena's Let Them Eat Vegan. Her "Nutty Burgers" are very popular with my grandkids.

TP

I was looking at those two too! I buy entirely too many vegan books, I have entire bookcase (case, not shelf,) dedicated to vegan literature and cookbooks.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Vegan bookcase;

There's actually a couple in there that are just vegetarian, not vegan, but I think that's only two or three of them. That's not even all of them, I have a pile in the kitchen that I've used recently and one or two that I was looking at in my room.

 

[MyMagicKingdom]

I saw that on Amazon the other day. You'll have to let me know how it is! I like the vegan cookbooks that are aimed at carnivores and omnivores because they seem to be more comfort food type dishes, but I HATE vegan cheese. I've tried several brands and still haven't found any I like, but they seem to be in a lot of those types of recipes. So I'm worried that book will have a lot of recipes with cheese in too. That's what I got from the description anyway.

So far I really like it. I hear you about the vegan cheese though, I usually have the same problem. My family is from Italy and I have yet to find a vegan parmesan that doesn't make me want to throw up. The best I've found so far, and I think Roberto Martin recommends, is daiya. There's am amazing vegan restaurant here called Strong Hearts and everything they make is super yummy, I'll have to ask what kind of cheese they use because they're grilled cheese is sooo good. I'll let you know what they say!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

So far I really like it. I hear you about the vegan cheese though, I usually have the same problem. My family is from Italy and I have yet to find a vegan parmesan that doesn't make me want to throw up. The best I've found so far, and I think Roberto Martin recommends, is daiya. There's am amazing vegan restaurant here called Strong Hearts and everything they make is super yummy, I'll have to ask what kind of cheese they use because they're grilled cheese is sooo good. I'll let you know what they say!

I've tried Daiya, I don't really like it. I know that's the cheese Amy's uses in their vegan macaroni and cheese, and that I don't mind, but I've tried cooking with it, and I just don't care for it.

Plus I like more sharp and aged flavorful cheeses, like Gorgonzola, and there's just no substitute out there for that, at least not that I've found yet.

 

[MyMagicKingdom]

I've tried Daiya, I don't really like it. I know that's the cheese Amy's uses in their vegan macaroni and cheese, and that I don't mind, but I've tried cooking with it, and I just don't care for it.

Plus I like more sharp and aged flavorful cheeses, like Gorgonzola, and there's just no substitute out there for that, at least not that I've found yet.

Bummer! I hear ya though, I like really sharp cheddar cheese and haven't been able to find that. I was vegan for a while but started going vegetarian basically because I missed cheese so much...I still don't really eat eggs and I only drink soy milk though. I figure since I'm 99% vegan anyway I should just get rid of the cheese and I definitely wish there was something even tastier than daiya. Hopefully they'll come up with something soon. Sometimes I'm surprised there aren't more substitutes considering how much more aware people are of veganism now.

 

[mombrontrent]

I wish there was more substitues but it has come along way. When I first became vegetarian 15 years ago there wasn't much out there at all. Just one or two brands carried a few products like "ground round" ect. Alot more choice now. I don't know if I can give up real cheese either. Alot of my vegetarian meals I make for my family has cheese or dairy products (not all but alot). My meat eaters are fine with that when I don't cook meat but they might start complaining if I go all vegan on them all the time.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Bummer! I hear ya though, I like really sharp cheddar cheese and haven't been able to find that. I was vegan for a while but started going vegetarian basically because I missed cheese so much...I still don't really eat eggs and I only drink soy milk though. I figure since I'm 99% vegan anyway I should just get rid of the cheese and I definitely wish there was something even tastier than daiya. Hopefully they'll come up with something soon. Sometimes I'm surprised there aren't more substitutes considering how much more aware people are of veganism now.

That's why I limit myself to dairy as a treat when I eat out only, and even then it's usually only a minimal amount of cheese, and everything else is vegetable and grain based. But seafood is hard for me to give up too, though that I'm able to limit to about once a month. The day I gave up red meat was it, I have never once looked back or really wanted to eat that, or poultry again, though I will admit to it sometimes looking or smelling good.

I wish there was more substitues but it has come along way. When I first became vegetarian 15 years ago there wasn't much out there at all. Just one or two brands carried a few products like "ground round" ect. Alot more choice now. I don't know if I can give up real cheese either. Alot of my vegetarian meals I make for my family has cheese or dairy products (not all but alot). My meat eaters are fine with that when I don't cook meat but they might start complaining if I go all vegan on them all the time.

I have issues like that too, and 90% of the time I'm cooking for just me! But the other 10% of the time, whenever I cook something, people will always ask me what's in it, and I don't want to lie, so I always tell them, and when they hear things like tofu, they get scared and won't try it. I don't think with most substitutes, if there was a blind taste test, most people wouldn't even be able to tell the difference. Except with cheese. Cheese is always going to be my major problem, but Earth Balance is just like butter, I've found milk brands I really like, (Earth Balance original unsweetened soy is my current favorite, but I can only get it at Whole Foods which is 45+ minutes away, usually I drink Blue Diamond unsweetened original almond,) and I think scrambled tofu is just as good as scrambled eggs, even better to me, because I was always picky with eggs, and needed them to be cooked "just right," and tofu is the perfect texture IMO.