H and I watched a few documentaries recently that have us considering going vegetarian and possibly vegan. Two of our kids are vegetarians, so eliminating meat shouldn’t be too difficult. The hard part for us would be milk, eggs, cheese, butter, etc. if we try to eliminate all animal products.
Do you have tried-and-true vegan recipes or meals that you eat and are easy to incorporate into an eating plan?
Thanks in advance!
I have considered vegan as well, and have been vegetarian, both strict and not so strict, off and on since age 13. The hardest part of vegan would be no eggs, and I can see no reason to exclude eggs from my diet.
Asian, or Asian inspired, or Middle Eastern inspired is the easiest in my book. Tofu, rice and vegetables are a good mainstay of many meals. As are hummus, falafel, and pita. Or Indian, with dahl, curries, and many other delights.
The easiest approach to my mind is to make a pot of beans each week, black, refried, curried garbanzos, lentils, etc as a protein base. Then supplement with vegetables, bread, or rice. But that might be too '70s vegetarian for some.
Everyday Black Beans (adapted from The New Vegetarian Epicure)
1 lb dried black beans
3 large onions
6-8 cloves garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro
salt
1 1/2 T olive oil
1 large green pepper, cored and chopped, or several Anaheims, jalapenos or serranos if you want to go hotter
2 T cumin seeds (I used 1 T of good Penzeys cumin seeds. 2 T was too much. If you’ve got tired cumin seeds, then maybe 2 T)
1 T sweet or smoked paprika
Cook the beans with one peeled onion, a handful of cilantro and two or three cloves of garlic in the instant pot. I cook them for 28 minutes, but this is heavily dependent on how dry your beans are. Use the natural release method. Drain the beans partially, leaving enough liquid so you can simmer for a bit.
Meanwhile, cut up the rest of the onions and garlic. Saute them in the olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the peppers and cook a little.
Toast the cumin lightly (be careful, it burns fast) and crush in in a mortar. Chop some cilantro. Add the onion mixture, the cumin, the paprika and the salt to the beans. Cook for a bit. Salt to taste If you feel like it. Puree some or all the beans for a smooth texture.
We eat them in corn tortillas, with Salsa Cruda and shaved cabbage. I also add some Queso Fresco, but that’s not vegan. Thin the leftover beans for soup.
Salsa Cruda
2 lbs ripe tomatoes
1/2 medium onion, a sweet one if possible
2-3 jalapenos
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
salt
Dice the tomatoes small. Dice the onions tiny. Remove the seeds from the jalapenos and dice finely. Chop the cilantro. Put them all together, and add a good deal of salt. Done.
A blog and Facebook page I like is called Running on Real Food. I also subscribe to her newsletter. Easy recipes with easy to find ingredients. This salad is delicious! https://runningonrealfood.com/chopped-salad-with-spicy-peanut-sauce-and-crispy-tofu-2/
@psychmomma I’ve been vegetarian for about thirty years, and have been trying to be vegan for the past few. I’m not perfect, I do crave eggs once in a while or when traveling, and if traveling I don’t make a fuss about dairy if non-dairy isn’t available. I have found it’s very easy to do without milk - the non-dairy options are very good now. Almond milk works well in cereal and in baking or cooking. There’s also soy milk and a bunch of other options now. I found cheese hard to give up at first, but there are some really good facsimiles now, albeit expensive. For semi-soft cheese, Miyokos is very good (based in Bay Area of CA, available at Whole Foods) - little round cheeses you can serve with crackers or in salads - and they also make a vegan version of cream cheese. For cheese slices, Violife Aged Cheddar are really good - kind of addictive! Violife also makes a parmesan substitute that comes in a wedge that you can grate onto pasta, etc. which is quite yummy!
@“great lakes mom” the reason to give up eggs is cruelty, which is the same reason I gave up dairy. I know a lot of people don’t want to hear about it so I won’t say anything but if you aren’t aware of it, just google “egg industry cruelty”. I think pasture-raised is the best option if you do eat eggs, but there is still an issue that even that doesn’t address.
There are so many good sites for vegan cooking. One that I like is https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/ (she happens not to cook with fat). There’s also https://www.loveandlemons.com/ (that one has both vegan and vegetarian recipes), about half and half, but you can filter by which are vegan. I like https://ohsheglows.com/ and there’s an app you can get called Forks Over Knives with many recipes and it give you a shopping list for what ingredients you need.
@sabaray that salad looks delicious - thanks for the idea!
"the reason to give up eggs is cruelty, which is the same reason I gave up dairy. I know a lot of people don’t want to hear about it so I won’t say anything but if you aren’t aware of it, just google “egg industry cruelty”.
I find it pretty easy to source ethically and humanely produced eggs.
In addition to the cuisines mentioned above, also look at many Moroccan dishes which fit a vegan lifestyle, especially the vegetable side dishes/salads that are common to Moroccan cuisine.
There are some great hearty vegan soup recipes too. Probably better for cold weather but paired with a salad they can make a great meal.
I agree on being able to find humanely produced eggs - my neighbor has chickens in the backyard and in our old house we got our eggs from the local hobby farm. Their kids looked after their chickens, they all had names, and were like pets.
@doschicos @momofsenior1 that’s great if you have your own chickens or get from your neighbor. I’ll just say what I’m talking about without beating around the bush, since people may really not know about it if they haven’t researched it: male chicks are routinely killed in the egg industry, and not in a humane way. However, it seems that there may be some reforms coming https://www.nationalgeographic.com/people-and-culture/food/the-plate/2016/06/by-2020–male-chicks-could-avoid-death-by-grinder/ Of course, if you have your own female chickens and just use their eggs, then great. But if you buy eggs from a store, even if they are pasture-raised, etc. I don’t think you have any assurance as to how they handle this issue.
We are not vegetarian, but we eat a lot of vegetarian meals. We had this tonight and it was delish. You could easily substitute vegan butter and parmesan options.
https://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/mushroom-and-asparagus-grain-bowl
Here’s another fav, kind of a pain to make but worth it (I don’t use the goji berries).
https://www.cleaneatingmag.com/recipes/curried-cauliflower-rice-bowls-with-crispy-chickpeas
That first recipe looks good, @taverngirl I forgot to mention that Miyokos, who makes one of the vegan ‘cheeses’ I mentioned above, also makes a very good vegan ‘butter’
One of the things I’ve done with my diet in general is focused on what I can eat instead of what I can’t. By not placing the focus on eliminating animal products, I’ve found I’m naturally expanding my plant based meals. Hope that made sense! With the money I don’t spend on meat, I can try those exotic mushrooms or a new fruit. I am not vegan but am fortunate to live in a community where I know my producers. That makes a huge difference in my comfort level with eggs and dairy.
Back to recipes! I second the ohsheglows and forks over knives sites. Good stuff.
Regarding the egg comment, of course! When able, I buy from those who produce their own, and if not, one of the many egg producers who let their chickens outside.
Ethics are a slippery slope, when it comes to food production, produce and almonds included. Easy to argue. Let’s stick to recipes!
I’ve never met a vegan baked good I thought was worth eating. We’ve been vegetarians on weekdays and omnivores on the weekend for a few months now. When vegans visit I do try to accommodate them.
Like others middle eastern and Indian cuisine provide lots of tasty options. Yesterday I stuck some cauliflower, carrots and peppers in the oven for 20 minutes. Opened a can of chickpeas and a jar of sauce cooked it about 10 minutes more to soften the vegetables. Serve with rice or naan. When I’m feeling less lazy I make my own sauce, I have both store bought garam masala mixes or the ingredients to make my own. Ottolenghi’s cookbooks have some fabulous recipes with unusual flavor combinations. His cauliflower salad with hazelnuts is delicious. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/well/healthy-recipes/recipes/roasted-cauliflower-hazelnut-and-pomegranate-seed-salad
I started eating vegan about 2 years ago. I pretty quickly added fish to my diet (eat lots of fish, maybe 3 times a week), and I will eat eggs when it is convenient with no guilt. When we go out to eat I will “settle” for vegetarian, which could include cheese, but so many places now serve a decent veggie burger I am usually ok.
At home it is pretty much no meat and no dairy. Gardein (brand name, look it up) makes some amazing fake meat substitutes. Their meatless meatballs and fake ground beef are fantastic with homemade tomato sauce on spaghetti. I probably eat Gardein less than once a week because as good as it is, I still prefer non processed foods. Tofutti makes a very good cream cheese substitute that I use on bagels.(I prefer the product they label “sour cream”). I use almond milk on cereal and in coffee (or just drink it black), and I use soy milk if I make a smoothie (because it is high protein). I snack on nuts and recently became “addicted” to salted roasted (shelled) pumpkin seeds.
My go-to dish is lentils that I prepare with a variety of Indian curries, spices,veggies, coconut milk, and diced tomatoes. I used to make the same dish with chicken. I can make it thick, like a stew, or add more vegetable stock and it becomes Muligatawny soup.
I eat turkey on Thanksgiving, but have been almost 100% diligent about not eating any meat. But I don’t get too hung up or obsessive about the whole thing. If I eat baked beans at a party and find out later they had bacon in them I don’t freak out.
We eat dark chocolate for dessert almost every night. I probably eat too much. We don’t eat any other dessert. We used to eat ice cream almost every night. Now I never eat ice cream, and rarely eat cake, and I don’t even miss it.
Here are a few that are on the regular meal rotation at my house:
https://cookieandkate.com/thai-peanut-quinoa-salad-recipe/
https://www.budgetbytes.com/mediterranean-farro-salad-with-spiced-chickpeas/
https://runningonrealfood.com/3-bean-vegan-chili/
https://www.saltandlavender.com/15-minute-garlic-lime-cashew-zoodles/
This is a delicious, vegetarian recipe that can easily be made vegan by leaving out the goat cheese or subbing in some nut-based “cheese”.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/maple-roasted-carrot-salad-3523135
I also like to make a riff on ratatouille, heavy on the eggplant, to serve on pasta, rice or grits/polenta. Especially great in the summer with fresh, local produce.
These are all such helpful ideas!
I’m acquainted with the Gardein products since my sons have been vegetarians for a long time and occasionally eat those products.
I tried lentils for the first time at Costco yesterday. Lol. I think I can learn to like them. I have some paneer to use up but will try non-cheese alternatives next.
My H is going to last less than 48 hours on this healthy eating plan. He’s already been foraging through the kitchen in search of “food” which to him is sweets and ready to eat foods (not fruit). Now he went out and I expect he will return with his own “foods” later.
Tastyasfit.com has some great plant based recipes. A few of our favorites are the “no chick” chickpea chicken salad, glowing lentil soup and mushroom walnut bolognese over zoodles.
In our vegetarian days, when the kids were young, we used Moose Restaurant Cooks at Home a LOT.
https://www.amazon.com/Moosewood-Restaurant-Cooks-Home-Recipes/dp/0671679929
Our copy is definitely “well-loved”. A lot of the recipes are also vegan, or can be adapted. For some of the best bean-based dishes, we added fake meat.