tips for Vegan food ?

[Audio.]

I'm changing my diet from a common meat eater to a vegan diet next month. Right now I'm gathering information on vegan food. But I really don't like to take a long time to prepare a snack. So, I was wondering what kind of snack do you guys make.... for say like under 5 minutes that could fill you up like a chicken drum stick?

[cosmo105]

first of all, going from meat eater all the way to vegan in one month is a BIG change. if you want my advice, ease into it gradually. you don't want to shock your system. go veggie for a while, eliminating things one by one. then ease into veganism. this coming from someone who's been vegetarian for 6 years, vegan for 3. :)

anyway, i'm not sure that a whole chicken drumstick is a "snack," or even how satisfied or full you want to be, but here are a few things i nosh on, besides the obvious fruit and veggies:

-hummus and any kind of chips (tortilla, pita - obviously, etc.)
-celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins (ants on a log!)
-soy yogurt
-veggies and vegan ranch (check out the recipe on my blog (http://notpopular.com/blogs/vegancooking))
-robert's american gourmet tings (omfg, vegan cheetos)
-vegan "cottage cheese" - just take a package of mori-nu firm or extra firm silken tofu, and add about 2 tbs of vegenaise and 1 or 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar, and a ton of salad herbs like dill, garlic and onion. mash together and sprinkle with seasoned salt. mmm mmm, bitch!
-apple slices dipped in cinnamon and a bit of sugar


some books that are really helpful:

How It All Vegan (http://www.amazon.com/How-All-Vegan-Irresistible-Animal-Free/dp/1551520672) by Sarah Kramer & Tanya Barnard - great for beginners. very lazy-vegetarian-friendly. fun to read, and really good recipes and tips for all over the house.

Simply Vegan (http://www.amazon.com/Simply-Vegan-Quick-Vegetarian-Meals/dp/0931411300/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-4726157-6484414?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184038142&sr=1-1) by Deborah Wasserman - a little less exciting to read - okay, a lot - and a whole lot more techincal. but this book is a great reference, and will tell you everything you need to know about maintaining proper nutrition. most of the recipes in here i've used as starting points, springboards if you will, to making my own unique (tastier) creations. some of it's a little bland but it taught me a lot about how to combine foods so that i was getting a healthy mix of fresh food in my diet. highly recommend it.

Vegan with a Vengeance (http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Vengeance-Delicious-Animal-Free-Recipes/dp/1569243581/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_k2a_1_img/105-4726157-6484414) by Isa Chandra Moskowitz - i don't have this book myself yet but everyone i know raves about it.

let me know if you have any other questions. :)

[Audio.]

aaah thanks a bunch(y)

I've dieted like this before. I was eating pares, grapes, and bananas for like a month with out noticing it.

Hmmm....never like soy stuff. I'm not sure if I like the soy yogurt. What brand would you recommend?

I'll definitely take your advice. Vegan "cottage cheese" and the apple slice sounds yummy! thanks!

[cosmo105]

WholeSoy is my favorite brand. the others are ok, but wholesoy is much creamier. the vanilla is great. the plain's not bad when you mix it with cereal and berries. all the fruit flavors are great. unfortunately, unsweetened soy yogurt tastes like sour ass paste. trust me on that.

try almond milk! i used soy milk for a long time and got tired of it, switched to rice milk and got tired of that, and i've been using unsweetened almond milk for a couple of years now. i love it. it's creamy and delish without being watery like rice milk or having a strong taste like soymilk. wouldn't recommend it for recipes, though.

as far as cheese, Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet is by far the best out there. it melts great. there's another brand that recently started being imported to the US but the name escapes me and it's hard to find (and way expensive). other than that, Soyco recently started making vegan rice cheese slices, and they've made vegan soy cheese slices and blocks for some time now (but i don't like them quite so much). ooh and there's vegan whipped cream, too. it's so fucking good :o i just enjoyed some reheated pizza i made with a rice meal crust (i'm trying going without gluten for a while), FYH mozzarella, tomato paste, olive oil, spices, jalepenos, pineapple, bell peppers, and olives...mmm. being vegan's not that hard, really. but it certainly ain't easy.

bookmark this site (http://www.veganessentials.com/). sign up for the newsletter. order the Splaff recycled bike tire belt to be awesome like me. :cool:

[Audio.]

I just started today, My search for other kinds of vegan brand food is kind of limited. A lot of markets carry little bit of stuff for vegans. I went out today and bought some Valina soy milk and tofu meat at COSTCO. Mostly I've been feeding off Cup Noodles. haha this diet got me into thinking in creative ways to fill my stomach.

[Randetica]

good luck

veganism is like it's own science

i could live vegan for a few weeks or months even but not for the rest of my life

[Audio.]

yeah me too, but I think after this diet it'll give me the experience and would really change my eating habits to a more healthier status.

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/6523/24764468oq0.jpg

thats my lunch. I didn't really like the tofu..maybe thats because I cooked it and soaked it in a soup full of tomatoes and onions(n) but every thing else is dope

spaghetti noodles and sauce, beans, microwaved banana (platino) and wheat bread or is it soy bread? hmm.

[Randetica]

looks nice

ive been a veggie for a long ass time now but i hardly ever eat tofu because i cant!

[Audio.]

how come?

[Randetica]

doesnt make my stomach happy and i find the consistency gross

some of the fake meat stuff is good though

[Audio.]

yeah, I hear that.

[b-grrrlie]

bookmark this site (http://www.veganessentials.com/). sign up for the newsletter. order the Splaff recycled bike tire belt to be awesome like me. :cool:
Does that belt leave color marks on your clothes? I read a review of a bag that's handles were made of old tyre and it made marks when it started raining.

I've done some recycling of old bike tyres, like this necklace (http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=2898467&albumID=85559&imageID=10332379)...

[cosmo105]

weird, i've never had that problem. i wear it pretty much every day. i read that some have white markings on them that come off with washing or wiping, but mine came completely clean.