Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes collected from alt.food.vegan - and beyond!

Switching from Vegetarian to Vegan

Posted On: 2008/04/13 - 11:30

Betty313 Asks:

I just recently turned vegan, i was a vegetarian for 6 years, and decided to take the plunge! But i am still ignorant about what products both food and mercantile, that are harmful to animals like Jell-o and what not. Thank you for anyone with info on this matter.

Congrats on making the switch Betty!

The best advice I can give you is to take your time and don't beat yourself up if you make a mistake. Just by removing the majority of dairy from your diet you are already making an impact.

There are many great products that make it easy to replace dairy and eggs.

Soy Milk

I use many of these products for everything from baking, breakfast and cereal, to mini-milk juice boxes that are shelf stable out of the refrigerator. The shelf stable mini-boxes are great for trips!

Vegan Ice Cream

This is actually the part that scares many vegetarians away from making the switch. How can one survive without Ice Cream! Fortunately there are tons of great flavors of soy based ice creams to help you get your fix. You may also want to look into Sorbet - many (but not all!) are dairy free and make a nice refreshing summer treat.

Tofutti

Soy Delicious

Vegan Cheese

Vegan cheese is a sticky subject. Faux cheese has come a long long way in the last few years, and you'll probably need to do a little experimenting to find the vegan cheese that tastes best to you. I personally use a different cheese depending on if I am baking, having a sandwich or making pizza.

Speaking of Pizza, many Pizzerias can make a vegan Pizza by just omitting the cheese and piling on every veggie imaginable. Makes an easy dinner.

Tofutti

Vegan Gourmet

Galaxy Rice Cheese - They even have a Soy Parmesan!

Vegan Rella

Vegan Butter

You can also replace butter in baking with things like canola or vegetable oil (you may have to experiment, I usually have to use less oil than the butter the recipe called for.)

Earth Balance

Fleischman's Unsalted margarine

Vegan Yogurt

I wasn't a fan of Yogurt when I was younger, but now I have one almost everyday as part of my breakfast. There are tons of flavors available - this is an easy switch.

Silk Soy Yogurt

Whole Soy Yogurt

SO Delicious Soy Yogurt

Vegan Egg Replacers

For vegan baking there are many options - Flax seed oil, Bananas, Tofu, Ener-G Egg Replacer Powder, even Soy Yogurt. Experiment and have fun with it!

For cooking eggs, tofu makes a great replacement for scrambled. There are even some great pre-made mixes for flavoring like Soy Scrambler or Amy's Tofu Scramble which you can just heat up.
It seems like a big list, but just take little steps at a time. Save this post to your favorites to check back on. View some of the recipes on the site, get involved with some other local vegans and have some pot lucks. Experiment converting some of your favorite vegetarian recipes. Above all have fun and enjoy yourself!

Questions?

Let us know if you have any more questions! Please send your questions to veganfood@gmail.com - we love to help!

Did I miss anything? Add your comments about your favorite vegan foods below.

Additional Resources:
Accidentally Vegan - many things you eat may already be vegan.
What the Hell does a Vegan Eat Anyway?
Vegan Lunchbox
Veganfood's Users Favorite Recipes
Vegan Feast Kitchen
Squirrels Vegan Kitchen

--mincus

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[Reply] - [link] - Good choice! - [JenDiggity] - 2008/04/14 - 23:08

Hi Betty!
If you live in the U.S. and happen to be near a Trader Joe's you are in luck! It is so nice to be able to go into a regular grocery store and have such a wide variety of vegan-friendly foods. besides all teh great organic produce they carry they've got chocolate chip cookies (soft, fresh-baked style...mmm...so good and they have them in oatmeal, too!), ice "cream" (chocolate cherry chip!), veggie fried rice, fake chicken and steak strips, vegan breads and rolls, and what I believe to be the best rice milk on the market.

As for which foods may disguise animal ingredients...it's going to be trial and error. There are lists up the wazoo all over the net. Just do some searching and you'll find them all over. Check out a bunch, not just one or two, because you'll find different ingredients on different lists.
Over time you'll retain it all and you will hardly have to think about it anymore. Get ready to read a lot of labels!

You might want to pick up a few books on vegan diets. I highly recommend BECOMING VEGAN by Davis and Melina. It covers a lot of the basics.

Probably the easiest way to avoid animal products is to not eat too many packaged foods. It's healthier and you won't have to worry about sneaky ingredients. There are a slew of amazing recipes on this site that'll help you build your arsenal of go-to vegan dishes.

Good luck to you!

[Reply] - [link] - great site - [Gnewvegan] - 2008/04/19 - 09:44

I think this is a great site.. support to help people take the plunge to veganism is what can help them realize it really is not hard. It can be done. I started a blog when I became vegan to help others learn how to be vegan as I am. The site is:

http://www.invitationfrom-gnewvegan.blogspot.com

thanks for the advice on tofu scramblers. I have not tried it yet but was looking for brands to try.

[Reply] - [link] - Hey - [aardvark000] - 2008/04/20 - 19:12

The book "Skinny Bitch" really helped me to become a successful, healthy vegan. I really recommend it :)

[Reply] - [link] - chia seeds are a vegan's dream come true! - [beandoggy] - 2008/04/23 - 23:10

what's up fellow vegans and veganettes? first of all i love this site for all of the info so thank you thank you! just wanted to share a fairly recent find of mine that is awesome...chia seeds! yes, chia seeds and they are actually incredibly nutritious. they're great for vegans because they have a ton of omega-3, calcium, fiber, protein, etc. and all they are is a humble whole grain. they are similar to flax but way better because they are easily digestible and they have no real distinguishable flavor so you can add them to just about any food or recipe to add a ton of nutrition. i put mine mostly in salad or oatmeal, but i've cooked them into a bunch of recipes and just eaten them raw. anyway, i buy mine from http://www.thechiaseed.com but hopefully they will be in grocery store soon!

[Reply] - [link] - Vegan Eating Out - [veganeatingo] - 2008/09/06 - 18:36

When I was tranisitioning from vegetarianism to veganism I found it hard to go out to eat and would often just avoid the situation. I made a website, Vegan Eating Out, by gathering ingredient information from popular restaurant and fast food chains that have vegan items. I hope it can help you in your transition:

http://www.veganeatingout.com

[Reply] - [link] - Vegan Eating Out - [veganeatingo] - 2008/09/06 - 18:39

http://www.veganeatingout.com

[Reply] - [link] - other vegan cheese - [Yangelutza] - 2008/11/10 - 18:07