Are there any vegans still on fluther?

I am not a vegan but respect the life choice and never could break away from my carnivorous desires. I am getting close to adopting many of the principals of a vegan diet all because a couple years back I found a website called Thug Kitchen that if you can get past the slang and swear words I find their recipes to be really really good. The egg free dairy free “Fudgey as F*ck” chocolate brownies are outstanding.

I have both their cookbooks and are full of really great tips and philosophies over eating really good food. I have yet to make something that wasn’t very tasty. It took me a while to realize their recipes were Vegan when I couldn’t find any meats or dairy products on their ingredients lists. Their facebook page is a hoot!

I think that’s great!

Babycakes recipe books have the best vegan desserts.

Make sure you eat enough protein to avoid cravings for it. If you used to eat quite a bit if dairy and eggs, you probably just took away half your source of protein. It obviously depends in how much you used to eat of those things. Read up on protein counts for various veggies. You probably already know legumes can be a good source of protein.

For packaged foods Kosher Parve will mean the only possible ingredient to watch for are fish or eggs. It will absolutely be dairy free and free of any meat besides fish free. It will say Parve or Pareve next to the kosher symbol. Many Parve products are vegan. A P symbol means Passover, not parve. Tons of every day packaged foods are kosher, not just the “Jewish” section stuff.

If you like pizza, try thin sliced potatoes on pizza as an alternative to cheese. I recommend salting them. Add all your other usual toppings.

I’m a vegan at home and a vegetarian away from home.

I was fully vegan for many years, but I had to compromise after my marriage. When I wouldn’t go out for pizza with friends, or when I declined cake at a birthday party because it contained eggs and dairy, or when I grilled the waitstaff about the ingredients in every vegetarian meal on a menu, I was imposing too many of my own ideologies on Paul.

I’ve known people who have strictly Kosher kitchens, but who don’t get all picky when they go out. I’m the same way with my veganism.

Paul and I have been married for 25 years, so I guess the compromise worked. The fact that we’re a Yankees fan and Red Sox fan is much more problematic!

When I’m eating well, I’m lacto-ovo. For me, it’s very much tied to what you might call my spiritual state. If I’m attuned, then it becomes weird to eat meat, and I don’t have meat-like cravings.

I will eat meat (or whatever passes for it these days) when I’m in a rut, and my good diet is mostly rice, veggies, tofu, beans, eggs, nuts, and milk.

What I’m trying to say, in part, is that my veganishim comes from a peaceful place rather than a PETA place, which is probably why I generally don’t care or worry about meat substitutes or cravings.

Some resources:

Vegan Black Metal Chef

How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Veganomicon

Fortunately I live in a place where vegan food is readily available. My wife is supporting my veganism at home and I love her for it. My cravings are not meat related. I haven’t eaten meat in decades. My cravings are baked goods.

Thanks for the actual helpful answers.

Bake things with almond paste, coconut oil and oatmeal. . . . There are things you can cook with that will cover your cravings. Look up recipes on the internet and have something always in the “cookie jar”.

Found this page that lists Vegan dairy substitutes

Most breads are vegan.

There is a Baby Cakes in LA don’t you live there? The double brownies are incredible. The cupcakes are good too.

Link to cookbook

Definitely going there.

My sister used to have some sort of powder product that substituted for egg in recipes. I think she bought it at Whole Foods or some other market that is similar. I think you added a little water. I’m guessing maybe it had some baking powder in it, and maybe cornstarch? It’s just a guess something sticky and causes a little bit of rising.

I use chia or flax seed to sub for eggs in baked goods (you can Google chia egg or flax egg for proportions).

I was vegan for about a year. Ultimately for reasons others have already mentioned, I went back to regular old lacto-ovo vegetarianism, but I know that craving for baked goods and the difficulty finding vegan versions.

I’m not home right now so I’m not able to look at the recipe I have written down, but this recipe for a chocolate cake looks like it’s either the same one I use or else very similar. It calls for vinegar which sounds weird, but it tastes delicious. I use Earth Balance for the margarine.

^^Thanks.

I just came across this on my deal site and remembered this Q.

Amazon has downloads of the Kindle ebook “Vegan High Protein Cookbook for FREE. Certainly cant beat the price.

Im not sure whether its only today or not (Tues.) but, regarflesd, check it out whichever day it is.