adjusting to veganism

Feu

hi all,
a while since i posted here. Just looking for some tips really. Have been veggie for close on 20 years, would have like to be vegan, but have always felt (rightly or wrongly) that there is more preparation/thinking ahead than i have time/ability for. Being veggie is quite easy, imo. Although i still get asked at least weekly, people asking me how i do it. Like, i just don't eat meat, it's not that complicated :pac:

For health reasons, and deeply held values, i am now going vegan, and just wanted tips from you long timers. I have always taken milk in my tea, and may have to give it up all together, as soya tastes very sweet to me. (i can't have almonds/hazelnuts due to intolerance). Any tips on a good replacement?

What do ye have lunch when you're out and about? getting a sangwich? I would find myself having egg just as there would often be nothing else without meat. I also try to have protein at every meal as i find this is better for me blood sugars

Any ready meal recommendations just to ease me in? part of the reason for giving up dairy is due to fatigue and other things, so doing daily dinners is not really an option. I see the happy pear has a range of ready meals. Anyone tried them?

And any particular cook book that is a lifesaver?

thanks for reading folks!

MissMayo

I have been vegan for about 18 months so I'm not long term, and won't be much help to you here but regarding soya milk, have you made sure to try the unsweetened version? It has no sugars or sweeteners at all and should definitely not be sweet especially when compared to cow milk which naturally contains sugars. Just make sure to get the UNSWEETENED version, some brands have 'Sweetened', 'Regular' and 'Unsweetened', sweetened is very sweet, regular has a small amount of sugar added and unsweetened is usually just soya beans, water, oil and added vitamins (if any). Has the word 'sweet' lost all meaning to you too? :pac:

Three veggie delight (I think it's called) from Subway without cheese is vegan, it's just whatever salad you want, and the sweet onion sauce, vinegars, mustard and it's are vegan so that could be an option for a sandwich. You should be able to get a salad sandwich with no butter or cheese almost anywhere, it won't be very exciting though. And if it's a fancy place then make sure they don't put crisps to the side! I sat down somewhere for a sandwich with a few friends last year, and when it was brought out they had dumped a load of cheese and onion crisps to the side and on top of half of the sandwich! I was not impressed and I had told them that I was vegan when ordering the sandwich (because the waitress seemed to have an unnatural curiosity about why I didn't want butter or mayonnaise in it).

I'm not really any more use to you because I make most of my food from scratch, I mainly just wanted to point out that there may be less sweet versions of soya milk to try.

Feu

I will look out for the unsweetened one, great tip, thanks Yes i find there is sugar in everything now. Don't get me started on baked beans!

good tip about the crisps too, again, something i wouldn't remember probably. I am a bit weird about food waste actually, so dunno what i would do. I.e. while i was just a vegetarian, i would never eat parmesan, due to rennet, but few people seemed to understand this, particularly restaurants, and in fact i had an almost row with a chef once, who insisted that "cheese is ok for vegetarians". However, if, after requesting something doesn't come with parmesan, (pasta and risotto the normal culprits!), i do feel it is wasteful to send it back, especially where it will just go in the bin. this is where my veggie and less waste ideas come into conflict. What do others think about this, am i totally wrong about that?!

ElKavo

Hey Feu,

Where are you based? That may help people guide you with some tasty locations.

Tar.Aldarion

Nice one on going vegan! Was ten years vegetarian myself before I did. Looks like you should get into one pot meals for now! At least it's cooking once and having dinner for a good few days. Same as with vegetarianism, people ask me how do I do it and by now I find it really easy. You are in rathmines? Fir llunch try umi falafel, for dinner if lazy Happy food, sova vegan butcher, mcguiness' takeaway are all over that end. Here is a list of all the vegan places in dublin, even categorised by area if you want: http://irishvegan.ie/?page_id=4

You get pretty used to plant milks, I was the same when i started, didn't like them and love them now. Always get the unsweetened ones! You could try oatly or another oat milk, if not allergic to all nuts cashew milk is great. You can try out vegan cheese etc also. Great for toasties or pizzas. DiFontaines jsut started offereing vegan pizza slices and tehre are plenty of other places around that do too.

Thug kitchen and the vegan stoner are nice simple cookbooks.
Here are some recipes with gifs: https://www.reddit.com/r/vegangifrecipes/
Also happy pear have a great 5 minute dinner youtube series https://www.youtube.com/user/happypeargreystones/featured


Veganuary will be starting soon and they ahve a starter kit and also emails and support groups with help and discussion between new vegans, it's pretty cool so sign up to that! https://veganuary.com/

ElKavo

Soup pots in Aldi, Dee's pots in tesco. The OH used to take them into work on the night shift as they were handy.

Eats out, as above and to add. There are a options in Chopped, they have 30 odd stores around the country. Boojum do a great Vegan burrito too, 2 beans, 2 rice, veg, quac and jalapeno relish is my choice, they are also super respect full and wipe down, change gloves etc. Freshii have a couple of good options. Kanum, Camile both have options. Good few pizza places around the city have vegan cheese option, as do Firehouse (ballymun and Booterstown) Kerala Kitchen in Baggot street

I typically bring lunches with me, I always did even when I was a omni, but i just find the reassurance of having food in the bag to be very handy especially on gym days, I might* become a total diva when I get super hungry!







*might is a guarantee in this scenario :pac:

Feu

Hey folks, thank you so much for those replies, really appreciated

I have already bought some sort of light soy milk, which was a big improvement, so that's a win

i've basically a canteen and a spar - canteen has decent salad, but when it's chilly like this don't feel like cold food. wish i still worked in town Generally i don't trust anywhere as far as i could throw them, even with veggie stuff, I KNOW there has been meat stock in stuff, or oyster sauce etc. But i will take these recommendations as solid gold.the Dee's pots are a good call, never actually tried them. I've a Camile near me too, so that's great, will give them a go again. I will also definitely go to boojum next time i am passing. lovely burrrrrrritos

I'd definitely prefer to cook myself, normally enjoy it, but just wiped at the minute. May make chili this week. this pumpkin one i just quadruple normally: https://abeautifulmess.com/2012/10/chili-3-ways.html

Tar thank you for the vegan listings, will pore over that now Never yet been to the vegan butcher, have meant to go so many times, just never got around to it. Might make that my upcoming birthday dinner I've tried a few of the vegan stoner recipes actually after you recommended them, will get back on to that.

I've always been frightened of vegan cheese, perhaps wrongly! I just dislike that blended cashew thing,,,, but maybe there's more out there! i can have cashews

MissMayo

I was just thinking of it's not possible to cook daily, have you considered getting a slow cooker? We got one of Amazon just over a year ago and I have recommending it to all my friends since! Just throw everything into it in the morning, put it on low while you're out at work, in 8 hours or so dinner is cooked. I make at least 4 dinners in mine every time I use it.

If you're wondering, this is the one I have:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Morphy-Richards-Accents-48702-Cooker/dp/B00888X55S/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen-appliances&ie=UTF8&qid=1509994740&sr=1-1&keywords=Slow+cooker

As for vegan cheese, I love Bute Islands Sheese's, they're made from coconut oil so no creepy mushed up cashews there! :pac: I think a lot of vegan cheeses are made with coconut oil, I know Violife and Wilmersburger are, as well as Sheese, Vegusto might be too. Vegusto cheeses are delicious too btw, expensive though!

ElKavo

Feu wrote: »

Hey folks, thank you so much for those replies, really appreciated

I have already bought some sort of light soy milk, which was a big improvement, so that's a win

i've basically a canteen and a spar - canteen has decent salad, but when it's chilly like this don't feel like cold food. wish i still worked in town Generally i don't trust anywhere as far as i could throw them, even with veggie stuff, I KNOW there has been meat stock in stuff, or oyster sauce etc. But i will take these recommendations as solid gold.the Dee's pots are a good call, never actually tried them. I've a Camile near me too, so that's great, will give them a go again. I will also definitely go to boojum next time i am passing. lovely burrrrrrritos

I'd definitely prefer to cook myself, normally enjoy it, but just wiped at the minute. May make chili this week. this pumpkin one i just quadruple normally: https://abeautifulmess.com/2012/10/chili-3-ways.html

Tar thank you for the vegan listings, will pore over that now Never yet been to the vegan butcher, have meant to go so many times, just never got around to it. Might make that my upcoming birthday dinner I've tried a few of the vegan stoner recipes actually after you recommended them, will get back on to that.

I've always been frightened of vegan cheese, perhaps wrongly! I just dislike that blended cashew thing,,,, but maybe there's more out there! i can have cashews

Both Sova and Happy food are great as Tar says too. I'm pretty sure that Neon on camden st have some vegan options too. There is also a Chopped in rathmines, toasted Vegan bodybuilder wrap (or if your not into tofu you can get the falafel in there instead), It'll help warm you up! Soups like the Aldi ones are great and AFAIK they are marked as Vegan so your good to go there. Oh and you also have a Bombay pantry on your doorstep too, they have a new vegan range so could be worth the call in.

Tar.Aldarion

MissMayo wrote: »

I was just thinking of it's not possible to cook daily, have you considered getting a slow cooker? We got one of Amazon just over a year ago and I have recommending it to all my friends since! Just throw everything into it in the morning, put it on low while you're out at work, in 8 hours or so dinner is cooked. I make at least 4 dinners in mine every time I use it.

If you're wondering, this is the one I have:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Morphy-Richards-Accents-48702-Cooker/dp/B00888X55S/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen-appliances&ie=UTF8&qid=1509994740&sr=1-1&keywords=Slow+cooker

As for vegan cheese, I love Bute Islands Sheese's, they're made from coconut oil so no creepy mushed up cashews there! :pac: I think a lot of vegan cheeses are made with coconut oil, I know Violife and Wilmersburger are, as well as Sheese, Vegusto might be too. Vegusto cheeses are delicious too btw, expensive though!

What meals do you make in it?

MissMayo

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

What meals do you make in it?

Mainly curries, but you can make loads of stuff, we just love curries in this house! You can make pretty much anything that doesn't have pasta as that can get far too soft. You can even set it up before you sleep to have your porridge cooking overnight and ready in the morning. Apparently they use less electricity than an oven too so you could save money in the long run by using one.

An example of the variety of dishes that you can make with it:

http://www.chooseveg.com/15-easy-delicious-vegan-slow-cooker-recipes

There are a good few vegan slow cooker recipes books on Amazon as well, I recently cave and started using Kindle Unlimited so I'll take a look at some of the books that are on that and post back here if any of them are any good.

Tar.Aldarion

Aweesome thanks, I'd be interested in getting one and trying out some recipes, love curries.

ElKavo

We use our slow cooker for a bean and sausage casserole (amongst others). really great if your heading off for a day walking with the kids. You know its ready to go when your home!

Feu

Great point! I actually bought a slow cooker last year, but then found it hard to find good veggie recipes. Any recommendations of specific recipes would be most welcome! (have to get a new one as ours had an accident. It and the floor were in alignment!)

MissMayo

Feu wrote: »

Great point! I actually bought a slow cooker last year, but then found it hard to find good veggie recipes. Any recommendations of specific recipes would be most welcome! (have to get a new one as ours had an accident. It and the floor were in alignment!)

What type of food do you like?

ElKavo

Feu wrote: »

Great point! I actually bought a slow cooker last year, but then found it hard to find good veggie recipes. Any recommendations of specific recipes would be most welcome! (have to get a new one as ours had an accident. It and the floor were in alignment!)

Typically I make this one Which is one of my own, without having to retype it. You basically just bung all the ingredients into the slow cooker bar the basil and coriander, I would typically leave these till near serving as they can get a bit lost when cooked all day. 8hrs on low 4 hrs on high.

biZrb

Hi OP, I went vegan for 8 years about 11 years ago although unfortunately I'm no longer vegan just a veggie now, but I remember it was difficult at the time to make the change. Veganism is a lot more popular now so hopefully you'll find it a bit easier.

I struggled with soya milk in my tea, hated the stuff but like others said I used the non sweetened stuff and have grown to real love it in my tea. Even through I'm veggie, I don't have milk in my tea, or at all, I really hate the stuff now.

For lunch if there was no obvious vegan options I'd eat a crusty roll with some nice hummus, that always went down well. Soup can be a good option if you know its made form veggie stock. I used to go to Govindas (in Dublin) a lot too for lunch, a lot of stuff is vegan.

I've tried some of the vegan Quorn range but I don't like it at all. I used to eat a lot of ready meals but rarely eat them now as I think my palette has changed and I don't like them.

I've found some great vegan/veggie cookbooks that are good for quick meals:

15 Minute Vegan by Katy Beskow - the mushroom straganoff is delish
Keep it Vegan by Aine Carlin - I've served her sweet potato shepherds pie and chocolate cake to meat eaters and it went down a storm
Fresh India by Meera Sodha - this is a vegetarian book but a lot of the recipes are vegan or can be adapted to be vegan, I love this book so much, I've made so many amazing things from it. She's been doing some vegan recipes for the Guardian recently: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/series/the-new-vegan

Feu

MissMayo wrote: »

What type of food do you like?

I'll try anything, but despise mushroom and aubergine, so normally just substitute them. I love hearty stews, tagines, curries, soups, anything really

ElKavo wrote: »

Typically I make this one Which is one of my own, without having to retype it. You basically just bung all the ingredients into the slow cooker bar the basil and coriander, I would typically leave these till near serving as they can get a bit lost when cooked all day. 8hrs on low 4 hrs on high.

Will definitely try this when i get my new slow cooker!

great book recommendations too. thanks a million everyone

zoobizoo

I tried Oat Milk last week for the first time... was grand in tea - the only non dairy substitute that I've found that tasted fine.


Happy Pear ready meals - well, if you want to pay a fiver for a Sheperdless pie that is small, bland and 70% potato then go for it.
Seriously overpriced for what they are - compare to Quorn meals which are pretty good.

MissMayo

zoobizoo wrote: »

Seriously overpriced for what they are - compare to Quorn meals which are pretty good.

Are any of the Quorn ready meals vegan though?

Feu

Hi folks

just wanted to revisit this thread, and thank people again for the recommendations, which i have been working my way slowly through, especially vegan stoner, and Meera Sodha.

I think the oat milk for the tea was what got me over the line. It's not that its most comparable to regular milk, but that it has little taste, therefore isn't too off putting!

I've come no closer on cheese, only that i miss it for convenience, not really taste or that.

All in all, going vegan has been a lot easier than i thought it would be, the only real struggle is lunching out, if i'm not prepared. there's been a lot of sun dried tomatoes on dry crackers happening!!! I have noticed though even in the last 4-5 months, that soups are more and more vegan. Before Christmas, I found it impossible to get a vegan soup, in for example AVOCA, where i was told all the soup is made with creme fraiche. But was there recently, and was offered vegan soup. This is a life saver, as i will eat soup all day

I attend a lot of trainings/conferences for my work, and if i forget to bring something, can be a long old day, but was in Aviva recently, and again the soup was vegan and delicious (5 bowls for lunch!!), as the actual vegan option was literally tinned artichoke on like a crispbread. it was the lack of colour that really turned the stomach!

Just on the Happy Pear ready meals, I was over in the cafe in Clondalkin, and they had the meals on half price, so might be worth popping in if you are in the area

Tar.Aldarion

Nice report, well done.

Tesco recently released a lot of own brandvegan cheeses in their bigger stores, something to try. Really nice. Also a lot of ready meals, all the wicked kitchen ones.

davidjtaylor

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Tesco recently released a lot of own brandvegan cheeses in their bigger stores, something to try.

Just skimming through a few old threads, I misread the above and thought, "Hmmm, yes, bandwagon cheeses, how appropriate."

:D:D:D:D:D