Vegan 101: Second in a Series
Well I know the first “Vegan 101″ post was a bit philosophical, so here are a few PRACTICAL tips for newbie vegans. This actually comes from an email that I keep and send out to friends who are trying the vegan thing out. It’s kind of like “Veganism for Dummies”!
Hopefully it helps you too!
IF YOU ARE VEGAN YOU MUST LEARN TO LOVE:
Fresh fruits & vegetables: especially vegetables. The fresher they are, the more nutrients you get out of them. Have vegetables with every meal. This seems obvious, but to a lot of people it is a chore. Steam, don’t boil, veggies as it keeps more nutrients in that way! And don’t be afraid to use frozen vegetables in a pinch. In general I don’t think they taste as good as fresh, but they are easy and just about as nutritionally dense as fresh vegetables. Just steam, don’t boil them…
Brown Rice: some call it “hippie food” but brown rice is totally nutritious and quick/easy to make. Get a rice cooker if you don’t already have one. I have one I got on amazon and I LOVE it. I think it was like $20. I can make rice and vegetables and tofu in like 30 mins tops. Mine has a little steamer attachment on top that I throw vegetables/tofu into and they cook while the rice is cooking. White rice is bad because it has very low nutritional value— that’s why it’s white! When you go to a chinese place ask if you can have brown rice instead, they usually have it.
Tofu: I can eat tofu out of the carton but most people don’t like it because it’s so bland. Actually that’s whats so great about it— it can take on a million flavors. I like to steam mine and then throw some lemon juice on it. Or, use firm tofu, cut it into little pieces and brown it in a little olive oil. They also sell “tofu steaks” at the market (Ralphs has them) that are thick, firm tofu– some kinds are seasoned— that make that really thick, fried tofu.
Tempeh: probably my favorite vegan product that most people don’t know about. It’s also a form of soy, but the most digestible kind. You can get it in a variety of flavors from Whole Foods (that’s pretty much the only place that has it). It has a distinct nutty flavor, and is really easy to cook. You just cut it up into little cubes and brown in some oil. You can also cut it into pieces and grill them. Really good with vegetables and rice or really anything. This is the kind I buy (I love the flax one):
http://www.lightlife.com/product_category.jsp?c=tempeh
Quinoa: like couscous, but really really high in protein (over 15%) and has a complete range of amino acids so it is a “complete food” (unlike rice). It is really easy to digest. It has a nuttier flavor than couscous but is just as easy to make. Use a ratio of 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water and simmer for 20 mins or until it is light and fluffy. You can buy this at whole foods and there are usually more than one flavor. You can also get quinoa pasta which tastes great, and doesn’t make you fill as bloated/gross as regular pasta.
OTHER THINGS I LIKE:
Protein shakes. My perfect breakfast is a home-made protein shake made with rice milk, protein powder, frozen strawberries & blueberries, flax oil and almond pieces. Whole foods has a good variety of protein powder, I use a Vanilla one made by Rainbow Light. It has 15 grams protein per scoop. A good way to start the day.
Soy Delicious. Pretty much every ice cream made by this brand is amazing.
NEW So Delicious Yogurt: the best soy yogurt I have EVER had. You can get it at Whole Foods only right now but worth a buy. Get blueberry!!
Quinoa, brown rice, soy and corn pasta. You don’t have to fear pasta any more! These are much healthier than the other kind and you don’t have to feel guilty eating them. You can get these all at Whole Foods in the pasta section. They have more protein and fiber than the regular white pasta and I think tastes better. It also cooks in half the time. Trader Joe’s sells a great brown rice pasta in a bunch of different varieties.
Morning Star Farms vegan products:
http://www.seeveggiesdifferently.com/dietary_choices.aspx?healthy=42
My favorites are the “Meal Starters” Steak & Chicken strips: http://www.seeveggiesdifferently.com/product_detail.aspx?id=5231&healthy=42
They look kind of gross in that picture but I swear to god they are amazing. I have made the best fajhitas with them and the next product…
Tofutti Sour Cream and cream cheese. God’s gift. Seriously. Their “Better than Sour Cream” IS better than Sour Cream!! I have given it to many non-vegans who can’t believe its dairy free. The cream cheese is also good too.
Amy’s frozen foods. When you don’t have time to cook eat Amy’s. My favorite is the black bean vegetable enchilada.
http://www.amyskitchen.com
Tofurky deli slices. You can make amazing sandwiches with this stuff and it is MUCH MUCH better than the competition. I like the “oven roasted”…
http://www.tofurky.com/products/delislices.htm
GOOD WEBSITES:
http://www.vegcooking.com/
Peta’s website on vegetarianism
http://www.foodfightgrocery.com/
AWESOME vegan mail-order grocery with reasonable prices. You can get anything here, they even have vegan caviar.
http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/
List of random junk foods that you wouldn’t think are vegan but ARE!
http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/
Great blog about a mom and her quest to make her son healthy and hip vegan lunches every day for school. I have her book.
http://www.theppk.com/
Great vegan baking site. The girls who run it are two of the biggest vegan chefs today. I have their vegan cupcake book and it is insane.
So Delicious also has a coconut milk yogurt, plain and various flavors. A bit more pricy than the soy yogurt, but very tasty. And, bacteriologically speaking, it is more culturally diverse than many other products, thus contributing to good digestion.
yea i think the coconut yogurt is a bit hit or miss, not a huge fan but i do love the new silk coconut milk drink. my favorite yogurts are the whole soy ones that you can get mostly everywhere.