Is anyone on here a vegan and have recipes to share?

strwberrykisez21

Hi everyone!! I am trying to get myself back in order.  I have been a vegetarian for 2 and a half years and almost a year ago (jan) I became vegan more for health reasons and ever since our vacation/engagement in Mexico in Sept I have been kinda off the wagon if you will.  I have been slipping in a little bit of dairy here and there and eating a bit too much ice cream lately. So I am trying to get back into eating no dairy because when I eat it I feel terrible but the ice cream is too good haha.. any suggestions? I really just want to start eating healthier meals and hopefully not needing a dessert or snack at the end of the day I am trying to lose 20lbs in the process with working out before my august wedding.  So if anyone has any recipes or meal plans that they use on a weekly basis that would be awesome!  

Thanks

J&K10910

Have you checked out the blog Oh She Glows? 

http://ohsheglows.com/

quiggels219

I am! I get so happy when other people are too yay for kind lifestyles, regardless of the inspiration . When I first went vegan I bought the kind diet by Alicia silverstone - there are some great things in there - her picata is so good and so is the summer succotash. You can just google or go on thekimdlide.com and find stuff. Also, my meat eating fiancé loves my vegan falafel - kinda like chickpea burgers - the recipe is one of Sandra lees from the food network (not the pastry people). It's a two part recipe, starts with a chickpea salad which is great as a side and the. You put it all in a food processor and bake it up the next night. She also has black bean burgers which are great - they call for an egg but I use a splash of vegetable broth. Really good on a grill pan. I also do pizza nights, make my own crust with whole wheat flour, warm water, yeast, and melted earth balance butter - I got it from vegweb - we fill them with veggies and sauce. Sometimes I'll splurge and get vegan cheese but it doesn't need it. Vegan chili is always good too: 1 can chili beans, 1 can kidney beans, 3cans diced tomatoes, 3 cans tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, salt/pepper, chopped onions and garlic and peppers of your choosing. I've thrown an extra can of beans in to make it more filling. Also, stir frys with any vegetables you want (broccoli, bok Choy, baby corn, waterchesnuts for crunch) and veggies with curry powder and coconut milk over rice (you can ads tofu or tempeh to both of those). Google biggest loser cauliflower white bean mash with leeks - made this the other night and it was awesome .

quiggels219

Also the falafel, pizza crust, burgers, and chili all freeze great so I make a ton at once.

rlavach

I'm vegan too! YEY! I went veggie about 10 years ago, and vegan about 5. I feel insanely better. I honestly feel that the temptation to eat foods you shouldn't comes from lack of preparation. I know I'm guilty. Sometimes you just don't feel like preparing lunch or dinner for the next day. But if you don't, you can be left with trying to scrounge around town for the fastest vegan food which, unless you live in LA, is hard to come by. Eating the same 'ol salad will make you sick.

Planning out my week and always having quick meals or snacks ready is the key for me. I've taken a lot of inspiration from several vegan cookbooks from Barnes and Noble. But I feel that the best vegan meals are the ones vegan by accident. What I mean is, not a meaty meal that you have to make 10 substitions to make. It loses a lot that way. As in, meals that are already vegan. A lot of veggie and pasta dishes are great. (careful on the carb overload, though). 

I eat mostly beans for protein (allergic to soy), but I am also a fan of Field Roast grain meat. It's really tasty! I'm going to try to start juicing also, to give my diet some variety. Good luck!

tobarlerner

one of my favorite sides (crazy simple too):
steam broccoli 
heat a pan (very very little oil necessary) 
add chopped onions and garlic
after the onions are carmelized, throw in the broccoli and mix for a few minutes.

delish and super healthy. you can add a sprinkle of soy sauce too.
So simple, it's replaced potatoes or rice as a staple side dish in my home.

strwberrykisez21

Thanks everyone!!! you are helping a lot! I actually went vegetarian off of the book "skinny bitch" and at the time I was studying to be a dietician. I do have the Alicia Silverstone book too which was great and actually how I went vegan.  I think what made me lose it was I tried her "superheroes" plan a little too soon! I got a little grossed out and I tried her juices and they just weren't working for me.  I think I should take a look back at her book and look for some other recipes that maybe aren't the most healthy and blan ones to get mysefl back into it.  OhSheGlows.com is probably my favoirte go to website.. I am actually cooking her Mushroom millet soup right now haha.  Thanks for all your help if you have any more ideas let me know

colli459

There are a couple of books that are full of vegan recipes, and everything I've tried has been wooooonderful! 

Skinny Bitch In the Kitch

How It All Vegan

These should be fairly easy to find. Best of luck to you!!!!

kipnus

I found this DELICIOUS vegan mushroom soup recipe about a month ago--so good!

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/soupsstewsandchili/r/veganmushroom.htm

Also, if you need a cheese substitute, I am all about the Daiya brand. Coconut milk ice creams are yummy, if that's what you're craving. I try to eat more whole, un-processed foods, but sometimes I crave dairy and I go for Tofutti "cream cheese" etc. I like cooking with lentils and beans and different grains--quinoa, barley, bulgur, etc. FI and I love this vegan lasagna recipe: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/italian-lasagna-vegan-style.html but if you're allergic to soy, it won't work... My favourite quick snack is probably pitas with hummus. 

lizziemc1775

Hi! I am back on the vegan train! I was vegan for about a year before my FI and I met (almost four years ago). He is a meat-a-saurus, so keeping up with the vegan thing was getting too difficult. Cop out, I know!
Anyway, I just purchased my wedding dress and want to look my best. I am trying to get back into exercising, but I do keep going back to the way I felt when I was a vegan. Glowing skin, energy, feeling the best I ever did.
So, it's back to veganism. My FI is along for the ride, but he does cheat every now and then with some lean meat and/or cheese.
The biggest thing for us is to have snacks readily available that fit our diet. I am stocked up on hummus, baby carrots, whole grain pretzels, tons of fruit and veggies.
I love the Oh She Glows website, too! I just made her cookie dough balls the other night after really craving dessert. They are great!
Another website that is great is the Post Punk Kitchen. It's run by Isa Chandra Moskovitz who has a ton of cookbooks. She recently published www.amazon.com/Appetite-Reduction-Filling-Low-Fat-Recipes/dp/1600940498/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323033290&sr=8-1" title="Appetite for Reduction">Appetite for Reduction and it has tons of low-fat vegan recipes.
I have all of her other cookbooks. Another good one is Get Healthy, Go Vegan.
Glad to hear there are other vegans around! YAY!

rardito

I am vegan.  There are a lot of good recipes online...search for the blog  'hell yeah it's vegan' or go to Chloe Coscarelli's website...everything of hers tastes amazing.