How can I transition into vegan?

Question

I'm having trouble with the transition, I love cheese, I already drink soy milk but how can I replace ground turkey and chicken. I love fettuchine pastas, any suggestions? I would appreciate some recipies.

Answer 1

you can eat tuna...tuna is a vegetable
and some other animals - it is called recycling - they eat grass(vegetable) we eat animals(they become vegetable) sharks eat surfers...so the circle is closed

Answer 2

Hi. You do need to make sure you're getting enough iron, since a lot of people get it from red meat. However, it's great that you want to become vegetarian and then go vegan. Green vegetables, tofu and fortified breakfast cereals are good vegetarian and vegan sources of iron. To replace the meat, you can eat Quorn and Linda McCartney vegetarian foods. However, when you do go vegan, be warned that Quorn isn't suitable for vegans because of the egg white in it. When you go vegan, you can look out for Linda McCartney vegan-friendly foods and exchange the milk for soy milk. Good Luck!!

Answer 3

vegan or vegetarian? I use morningstar farms recipe crumbles in place of the ground meat. Works and tastes pretty much the same. I also love Quorn products, they are very close to chicken. Vegans dont eat cheese and I have yet to find a vegan cheese that is good. Vegetarians eat animal rennet free cheese.

Answer 4

A lot of the major supermarkets (at least in Los Angeles) carry veggie cheese and veggie ground beef and chicken. But if you have an Asian market nearby, there is a good chance they would carry much tastier products, more variety and lower price. Recipies you can get online or buy a vegan cookbook.

Answer 5

Morning Star has great fake meat. Their not-sausage links are awesome. Also try quorn nuggets. I'm not a vegan, so I don't know what to tell you about cheese. I guess the issue is to examine your reasons for going vegan. If you're doing it because you want your food to be factory farm free, see if there's a local cheese vendor or an ethical farming company that makes cheese instead of Kraft

Answer 6

educate yourself on the dairy and egg industry if you are having a problem. most cheeses are not even vegetarian so that is what helped me give up my ricotta :). there are fake meats that im sure you will like. as for the fettuchine, all i can say is that going vegan does require some sacrifices, but it is for SUCH a great cause!

oh yes. and just keep in mind, that all dairy cows and egg laying chickens are sent to slaughter houses after they cannot produce any more eggs/milk. and also go check out some info on the meat industry if you are still eating chicken/turkey or fish.

Answer 7

I'm vegetarian and I eat eggs, milk and cheese. Vegans cut out all of these. Vegetarian seems easier then Vegan you sacrafice a lot, but still have some good stuff.

Answer 8

From the sounds of your diet your problem is that you still have, at least a little, of your brain left. The vegans I have known are totally out of their minds. Eat a steak and relax, life's too short.

Answer 9

well you need to find alternatives to dairy products? and why do you want to be a vegan???

Answer 10

Here is some recipes that I just found today, you need to go to the web link below to see this "turkey" picture..fascinating...I don't know about finding all the ingredients though...

Turkey A La Mincus
Meat - Turkey - -

INGREDIENTS
o2 x 1 lb loaves of multigrain bread
o2 T margarine
o2 medium carrots, finely diced
o2 large stalks celery, finely diced
o1 large onions (2 medium), finely diced
oFreshly ground black pepper to taste
o1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
o1 t crumbled whole leaf sage
o1/2 cup egg substitute or equivalent Egg Replacer
o1/2 cup vegetable broth or water
o2 lb 'chicken'-flavored seitan, cut horizontally into 1 inch / 2.5 cm thick slices (use White Wave brand Chicken Style Wheat Meat - 2 boxes)
oGravy (see below)
o1 package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed, or yuba... (I was told to forget about the yuba when I asked what it was)
Gravy
o1/2 cup vegetable oil
o3-6 cloves of garlic, squashed and minced very well (or 2 tbs of garlic salt)
o1 onion, chopped (leave the peices large enough to be strained out)
o1/2 cup all-purpose white flour
o4 teaspoons nutritional yeast
o4 tbs soy sauce
o3-5 cups veggie broth
o1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
o1/2 teaspoon salt (only if you didnt use garlic salt)
omushrooms etc (optional)
oextra flour (optional, to get the desired consistancy)

METHOD
Stuffing
Break bread into 1 inch / 2.5 cm thick chunks; dry in a large bowl, uncovered, at least 8 hours.
Melt margarine in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high head. Add carrot, celery and onion; saute, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Transfer to a large mixing bowl; cool to lukewarm. Add pepper, bread cubes, parsley, sage, egg substitute or Egg Replacer, and broth or water. Toss to combine; set aside at least 30 minutes to allow liquids to soak into bread.
Gravy
cook oil garlic and onion until the onion is tender and clear. Add in the flour, yeast and soy sauce (it will make a paste), slowly add in the broth as you bring the mixture to a boil. Then add the salt (if needed) and pepper.
Turkey
Preheat oven to 400F/205C. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty foil; spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.
Brush seitan with gravy on both sides, arrange overlapping slices on foil in a row, mounding in center. Press stuffing mixture around seitan to cover completely. Wet hands lightly, and press into a neat oval.
Roll pastry sheets out to 1/16 inch / 2 mm thickness; arrange, overlapping slightly, to make a large rectangle. Seal edges with dabs of cold water.
Drape pastry over mound; trim excess away around bottom. Use scraps to cut out decorative shapes (leaves, apples, etc.); attach with dabs of cold water. For a shiny crust, brush pastry lightly with soymilk. Bake 1 to 1-1/4 hours, covering pastry with foil if it browns too much.
Transfer 'turkey' to a platter. To serve, cut straight down through pastry, stuffing and seitan to make neat 3/4-inch slices. Spoon gravy over each serving.
posted by mincus
·
http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/889/Turkey-A-La-Mincus/

Pumpkin Pie
Cakes - Pie - -

INGREDIENTS
o1 unbaked 9-inch / 23 cm pastry crust
o3/4 lb / 350 g tofu
o1 x 16 oz / 450 g can pumpkin
o1 1/2 t cinnamon
o3/4 t ginger
o1/2 t nutmeg
o1 t salt
o1 t vanilla
o1 1/2 t rice syrup
o1 1/3 cup sugar
o1/3 cup oil

METHOD
Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Blend all the ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy. Pour this mixture into an unbaked pastry shell. Bake for one hour. Chill in the fridge before serving.

NOTES
I've been making this one for years. Very easy, simple and fools non veggies.
I always like to ask non-veggies if they'd ever tried tofu about halfway through their second helping of this... you should have seen my grandpa's face when I told him he just ate tofu and liked it.
http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/505/Pumpkin-Pie/

Tofu Bacon
Ingredients (use vegan versions):
* Firm Tofu
* Soy Sauce (or Tamari)
* Salt & Pepper if desired
Directions:
Preparation time: 30 Minutes.
This is a wonderful bacon substitute that is very simple. This works
best on sandwiches.
Slice a cake of tofu in long strips that are about 1/4 inch thick. Fry
them in a little oil, slowly, until they are golden. Next, douse a
couple of tablespoons of soy sauce into the pan. Make sure your heat
isn't too high and just let them cook until they are crispy and firm,
turning them occasionly. They need to cook a while so your tofu isn't
mushy. Makes wonderful B.L.Teases!
http://recipeswithtofu.blogspot.com/

Vegan Bacon
Ingredients (use vegan versions):
* 1 lb firm Tofu, cut into strips shaped like bacon
* 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
* 2 tablespoons tamari/shoyu
* 1 teaspoon Wright's (or other brand) liquid smoke.
* 1 tablespoon oil (something neutral, not olive or sesame)
Directions:
Fry tofu strips on low or medium heat until they are crispy on the
outside. The best way to do this is to lay them in the pan in the oil
and let them sit for at least 10 minutes, simmering. They should turn
easily after that. Turn them and give them another 10 minutes on the
other side.
Mix the tamari/shoyu soy sauce with the liquid smoke first, then take
the pan off the heat. Pour the liquid smoke/tamari into the pan and
stir the tofu so all sides are coated, then sprinkle the yeast over
all, stir some more, over the heat, until the liquid is gone and the
tofu is covered with sticky yeast.
Try it. It tastes EXACTLY like bacon.
Another variation is to marinate the tofu in the tamari/liquid smoke
mixture for several hours and then fry, but it misses a little bit
without the nutritional yeast
http://recipeswithtofu.blogspot.com/

Bean Burrito Layers
Ingredients

1/2 c Green Lentils; dried
1/4 c Pinto Beans; dried
1/4 c Red Kidney Beans; dried
1/4 c Baby Lima Beans; dried
1 Onion; medium
4 Garlic Cloves
2 Jalapeno Peppers *
1 tb Oregano; dried
1 tb Chili Powder
1/4 c Coriander Leaves; chopped
6 oz Monterey Jack Cheese; grated
6 Flour Tortillas; 10
1 Tomato; medium, chopped
1 Lettuce; shredded
1 Salsa

Instructions

1. Rinse lentils and beans, discarding any that look suspicious, and soak in clean water 4 - 6 hours, or overnight. Put into medium saucepan, bring to boil and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Add water if necessary.
2. Peel and chop onion. Microwave on "High" 2 - 2 1/2 minutes until soft. [If you prefer, you may saute the onion in about 2 T. oil. I omit the oil to keep the fat content down. The flavour does not seem to suffer.] Chop the Jalapena pepper. (*) Adjust the quantity to your own taste and / or tolerance.
3. Peel and crush the garlic.
4. Drain the lentil-bean mixture. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking liquid liquid. In a food processor puree the lentil-bean mixture, the onion, the garlic, the jalapena peppers, the oregano, the chile powder, and the coriander leaves, adding some of the reserved liquid as necessary to process. [The final puree should be quite thick.]
5. Pre-heat the oven to 325 F.
6. Assemble as follows on an oven-proof plate, pizza-pan or cookie-sheet:
7. Place a flour tortilla on the *lightly* greased surface. Cover with lentil-bean puree [4 - 5 T.]. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese. Add another flour tortilla and repeat, saving enough cheese to cover the top of the final flour tortilla. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and allow to "firm-up" for 5 - 10 minutes before serving.
9. Garnish with salsa, chopped tomato and shredded lettuce. Serve with rice, Couscous and / or corn.
The amount of oregano, coriander leaves, chile powder, or jalapena peppers may be varied to suit individual tastes. I use more peppers! If you're prone to "problems" with beans, add 1/4 - 1/2 t. Hing [Hing is a mixture of rice-flour, turmeric and asafoetida found in most East-Indian specialty stores. It can significantly reduce flatulence

http://www.ichef.com/recipe.cfm?task=display&recipeid=77441&itemid=77779

Bean Lasagne

Makes: 5 Servings

Ingredients:

4 Cans Diced Tomatoes
1 12 Oz Bottle Taco Sauce
2 Cups Corn
15 Lasagne Noodles
1/2 Cup Black Olives
1 1/2 Cups Cottage Cheese
2 Cans Refried Beans

Directions:

1. Add 5 oz taco sauce to the bottom of a lasagne pan. Spread around
the bottom.
2. Cover sauce with a layer of noodles.
3. Add beans, cheese, corn, diced tomatoes, the remaining noodles,
and the remaining sauce in any order you wish, but save enough beans
for a final layer.
4. Place a layer of noodles over the alternating layers.
5. Finish with a layer of beans and taco sauce.
6. Cover with tin foil and bake at 375 degrees until
lasagne noodles are cooked.

http://e-stuffplus.com/vegetarian/recipes/Bean-Lasagne.php

VEGAN CHILI RECIPE:
Ingredients:
olive oil
2 large yellow onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, diced fairly large
1 green pepper, diced fairly large
2 (28-oz.) cans crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 cup ground carrots
1/2 cup ground celery
5 mushrooms cut into quarters
1 package frozen corn
2 cans black beans (or any other kind of beans you like - chickpeas work well, too)
1 1/2 cup picante sauce
1 t. Kitchen Bouquet, browning sauce
salt to taste
grated cheddar, if desired
cashew nuts, if desired

Directions:

Saute onions in the olive oil. Add garlic. After onion and garlic are golden brown, add cumin, cayenne, and any other spices. Cook for a few minutes longer.

Add the diced peppers and saute for a few minutes. Combine the crushed tomatoes, carrots, celery, mushrooms, corn, beans, browning sauce, and picante sauce into the crock pot; add the onion mixture. Cook on low about 10 hours.

Serve with grated cheddar and cashew nuts, if desired.

This recipe for Vegan Chili serves/makes 4

Purple Monstrosity Fruit Smoothie

"This is a great smoothie for breakfast - and sometimes dinner! You can substitute the orange juice with any mix of juices or even soy milk! The soy milk adds more of a milk shake quality than the juice does."

INGREDIENTS
·2 frozen bananas, skins removed and cut in chunks
·1/2 cup frozen blueberries
·1 cup orange juice
·1 tablespoon honey (optional)
·1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1.Place bananas, blueberries and juice in a blender, puree. Use honey and/or vanilla to taste. Use more or less liquid depending on the thickness you want for your smoothie.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Purple-Monstrosity-Fruit-Smoothie/Detail.aspx