Vegan
Basics
Introduction to veganism /
Nutrition / What
do you eat? / Milk Products
/ (Non) Meaty Products /
Convenience Foods / /Salads
/ Condiments / Snacks,
Munchies & Treats / Eating
Out / Meal Ideas /
Drinks / Toiletries
& Cosmetics / Clothes
/ Go for it / Sample
Recipes
Eating Out
Until recently, eating out was a total nightmare for vegans - you
could have a baked potato (no butter) and green salad (no dressing),
and the only choice was to take it or leave it. Things have improved
since then, but there’s still a long way to go.
Vegetarian and even vegan restaurants are popping up in most sizeable
cities, and even in some smaller ones. Your average bar, cafe or
restaurant will not usually advertise that its food is vegan, but
most will have a vegetarian option or two that you can ask to be
made vegan. Questions that may cross your lips are, ‘does
it contain any milk, cream or eggs?’, ‘could you hold
the mayo?’, and ‘can I see the package?!’ Don’t
be afraid to ask the chef to make you something specific. If you
want to be sure that there will be food available, phone in advance
and ask them what they can do for you. You might be surprised to
find that some of the cooks are excited to try something new! Indian
restaurants are extremely easy to find vegan food in, but remember
to ask about the creamy curries (some use dairy cream instead of
coconut) and some dishes may contain ghee, which is a dairy butter.
Good Chinese food restaurants have a large vegetarian selection;
you just need to work out which ones are vegan.
Some may have egg in their noodles, or may put egg separately
in the dish. Other than the noodles, you can easily ask for the
dishes without egg.
You can check with pizza places and see if their crust is vegan
(just watch out that there’s no milk or milk proteins in the
crust) and make sure their sauce is animal free too. Just ask them
to use extra tomato sauce, and if you smile sweetly, they’ll
usually pile the toppings on as well.
A list of fast-food options can be accessed at the Vegetarian
Resource Group’s webpage (VRG) http://www.vrg.org/catalog/ff.htm.
Check out these websites for a listing of veggie friendly restaurants
around the world! You can even search by state.
http://www.vegdining.com http://www.happycow.net/ If you’re
on the move, it’s not always so easy to eat out. Gas stations
and airports are falling behind when it comes to providing meals,
but the airlines are at least making an effort.
Book your vegan meal well in advance and each time you speak to
someone from the airline, ask them to confirm it. It is best to
ask for non-dairy vegetarian, strict vegetarian and some airlines
now even understand the term vegan. When you’re on board with
your tummy rumbling, you’ll be thankful that you asked.
When traveling, it’s usually best to take a packed lunch,
just in case you find yourself in a Vegan Free Zone.
Our sister group Viva! in England and the Vegetarian Resource
Journal both sell travel guides. From Brighton, England to Berlin.
You could be munching happily from London to Ireland.
See Vegetarian Resource Group: www.vrg.org/travel/index.htm Viva!
www.viva.org.uk (click under books)
Meal Ideas
So now you know how vast the options are for a vegan meal. But
how do you put it together? It just takes a little bit of creativity
to get the ball rolling and then you will have no trouble at all.
The internet is a great resource for ideas as well, and vegan recipes
are all over the web, if you just type what you want into a search
engine, chances are you will find a recipe for it.
Here are some ideas for meals to spark your imagination.
Breakfast Ideas
Strangely enough, a common question you will be asked as a vegan
is ‘’what do you eat for breakfast?’ Rest assured,
whatever your taste first thing in the morning, a vegan breakfast
is a great way to start the day.
- Fantastic Foods Tofu Scrambler with potatoes (or other vegetables)
- Barbara’s Bakery Cereal Bars
- Fresh fruit, either whole, cut and mixed, or in a smoothie
- Toast with margarine and/or nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew)
- Mexican breakfast burrito, stuffed with hash browns, tofu scramble
and veggie sausage, topped with Tofutti Sour Supreme
- Arrowhead Mills Pancake and Waffle Mix with Lightlife Smart
Links or Yves Canadian Bacon (lots of pancake & waffle recipes
are easily adaptable - see one in this guide)
- Frozen waffles with fresh fruit
- Cereal and soy milk with fruit
- Biscuits with Gimme Lean sausage and gravy
- Oatmeal with fresh peach chunks
Quick Lunch Ideas
- Veggie Burgers or hot dogs with all the fixin’s
- Peanut butter and jelly
- Avocado, tomato and mayo sandwich (Vegenaise or Nayonaise)
- Tempeh Rueben sandwich (with vegan cheese)
- Falafel (chick pea patties) with salad and hummus
- Hummus (chick pea and garlic dip) with lettuce in pita bread
- Prepared tempeh with lettuce, tomato and mayo
- Veggie ham with mustard or salad
- Tuno sandwich (vegan version of tuna)
Larger Meal Ideas
- Vegan lasagna
- Rice pilaf with vegetables
- Spaghetti with tomato sauce and veggie meat balls
- Bean burritos, roasted vegetables, and guacamole
- Tacos with ground tempeh or vegan ground beef and shredded
Vegie Kaas cheese
- Tofu, tempeh, or seitan stir-fry with sweet and sour or peanut
sauce
- Marinated, grilled Kabobs with seitan and vegetables
- Vegan cutlets and potato salad
- Chili and tortilla chips or cornbread
- Spinach salad with avocado, nuts, veggies, veggie bacon bits
and dressing
- Chicken-free patty, with mashed potatoes and Hain gravy
- Brown rice and steamed vegetables with a sauce
Drinks
Most soft drinks are vegan; but watch out for colorings which
can be animal derived, honey or cochineal (crushed insects). Smoothies
and juices are also usually vegan, the exception being with honey
or whey protein in some ‘power’ smoothies. Many wines
have been ‘refined’ using one of a whole range of nasty
bits: blood, bone marrow, chitin, egg albumen, fish oil, gelatin,
or milk casein. Beers too can be cleared with isinglass (obtained
from the air sacs of freshwater fish). Keg, canned and some bottled
beers are usually OK. But here’s the good news - most liquor
is fine.
Don’t be discouraged - there are lots that are vegan!
Go ahead and crack open a bottle of Heineken, Rolling Rock or Sierra
Nevada. Just to name a few! For a long list of animal free alcoholic
beverages see: http://www.VeganProducts.org/drinks.html
Toiletries
and Cosmetics
Reading labels is one way to find out what exactly has gone into
your shampoo, but unless you’re a trainee chemist, you probably
won’t know what most of it means. A few words to look out
for and avoid like the plague are: beeswax, chitin, collagen, elastin,
keratin (if human, they typically list this), lanolin, oleic acid,
propylis, shellac, spermaceti wax, and stearin. This is not a comprehensive
list, and some ingredients listed above can be obtained from a non-animal
source, but it may give you a clue on what to look out for.
Below is a very abbreviated list of cosmetic, personal care and
household products that are not tested on animals.
- Avalon - shampoo, soaps and hand lotions
- Clear Conscience - Contact lens solution
- Desert Essence - toothpaste, deodorant, mouthwash, shampoo
- Dr. Bronner’s - Castile Soap
- Earth Friendly Products - cleaners & detergents
- Earth Science - skin and hair products
- Jason - toothpaste, mouthwash, and deodorant
- John Paul Mitchell Systems - hair care products
- Kiss My Face - soap, shaving cream, deodorant, shampoo
- Nature’s Gate - toothpaste, soap, deodorant, shampoo
- Seventh Generation - paper and cleaning products
- The Body Shop - do not test anything on animals, stores
have a listing of vegan products
- Tom’s of Maine - toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant
(one type does carry propylis)
As you may have already realized, just because the finished product
is vegan, it doesn’t mean that it hasn’t been tested
on animals. Companies have different policies - some test blatantly
(e.g. L’Oreal with their ingredients), others have a ‘rolling
year’ policy which means that they won’t use products
that have been tested within a certain number of years, others have
a fixed cut off date, so that no animal tests have been conducted
for that product since that time.
A comprehensive booklet can be obtained from The Coalition for
Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC), which is a coalition of
several animal rights groups.
CCIC www.leapingbunny.org (888) 546-CCIC
Vegan Clothes
It may sound obvious, but leather, fur, wool and silk all come
from animals. And they don’t just politely ask the animals
to hand it over either. The leather industry is a highly profitable
part of the meat industry, and you cannot support one without the
other. Furs are well, fur, which is boycotted by many of the top
models and all sane and compassionate people. Wool, you may say,
is okay as sheep need to be sheared, but sheep are kept for their
wool, skin meat, the meat of their babies (lamb), and milk. Once
a sheep’s wool or lamb productivity has started to decline
the animal is sent to slaughter. As for silk, millions of silkworms
are killed by baking, steaming or electrocution in order to extract
the silk. They may not be as cute as lambs, but they still deserve
a break! Instead of wool, choose man-made fibers or cotton. Many
products now being made, such as fleece, are a more than adequate
replacement for wool. Remember that wool is often blended with other
fibers, so you may need to start label reading again!
Vegan Shoes
Men often find it harder to buy vegan shoes, but try different
stores and look for ‘man-made’ or ‘synthetic’
labels, or buy canvas shoes and boots - not too practical in the
snow, but great for summer wear! Many shoe stores carry shoes that
are not leather.
Alternatively, you can buy good quality leather-look shoes, boots
and sandals mail order from the companies listed below. These companies
don’t just limit themselves to shoes. They carry synthetic
leather jackets, as well as a large assortment of shoes, belts,
wallets, and other and hard to find vegan products, such as non-leather
baseball & softball gloves! You can also request a guide to
vegan leather-look clothing from PETA at www.cowsarecool.com.
Ethical Wares (UK) www.ethicalwares.com MooShoes www.mooshoes.com
(212 254 6512) Heartland http://www.trvnet.net/
hrtlndp/ (800-441-4692) Pangea www.veganstore.com (800) 340-1200
Shoes With Souls www.shoeswithsouls.com (619) 216-5804 Vegetarian
Shoes (UK) www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk
Vegan by Accident
- Stores like Payless sell a good variety of non-leather shoes.
Vegan/Animal Rights Products
Other great sites to get some great animal rights garb:
- www.animalrightstuff.com (stylish t-shirts!)
- www.veganessentials.com
- www.veganmercantile.com
- www.veganstreet.com
- www.vivausa.org (You can order t-shirts, pens and other materials
from us!)
Go For it!
So that’s it! Easy isn’t it? We hope this Guide will
help you see that making the vegan transition is easy and fun! If
you want more information, just contact Viva! We can give you more
to read and what we have to offer. We do sell a few cookbooks and
have materials to help you spread the word. The world is full of
vegan items!
Ethical Considerations
Please note that the products featured in this guide have been
included purely on the basis that they meet the criteria of a vegan
diet and contain no animal products.
We appreciate that many vegans also wish to take into account
the ethical policies of the companies they are supporting when they
buy a particular product. However, we have omitted a few companies
due to ethical concerns.
Sample recipes
Vegan Cheese Sauce
3⁄4 C nutritional yeast flakes
1⁄4 C flour
1 t salt
1⁄2 t garlic powder
2 C water
1⁄4 C vegan margarine
1 t mustard
Mix dry ingredients in saucepan.
Whisk in water.
Cook over medium heat, whisking until mixture thickens and bubbles.
Cook an additional 30 sec., remove from heat.
Stir in margarine and mustard.
(note: Cheese will thicken as it cools, or you may add water to
thin it).
Vegan Tofu Fajitas
1 lb. extra-firm, fresh tofu
1⁄2 C tamari or soy sauce
1⁄4 cup water
1 Tb maple syrup
2 Tb nutritional
yeast (optional)
1⁄2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional or more for spicy)
1-2 Tb oil
(depending on the
amount of veggies)
Favorite veggies sliced thinly
Slice the tofu thinly
Mix the next five ingredients and pour over the tofu.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, turning twice.
Heat oil in a frying pan and sauté veggies for 5 min.
Add tofu and fry until sizzling.
Put fajita fillings in a warm tortilla.
Garnish to taste!
Hearty Chili
1 15 -oz can chili beans, undrained
1 18-oz can stewed tomatoes or 1 medium tomato chopped
2 Tbs. Chili seasoning mix or 1 teaspoon Mexican seasoning, 1 teaspoon
chili powder and 1⁄4 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbs. minced onion
1⁄4 cup water
Combine all ingredients in a medium skillet.
Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
Cornbread from
"The Peaceful
Palate" by Jennifer
Raymond
1 1⁄2 cups soy milk
1 1⁄2 Tbsp vinegar
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup unbleached flour
2 Tbsp unrefined sugar or other sweetener
1⁄2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp oil
Preheat the oven to 425º
Combine the soy milk and vinegar and set aside.
Mix the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda
in a large bowl.
Add the soy milk mixture and the oil. Stir until just blended.
Spread the batter evenly in a greased 9x9-inch baking dish.
Bake until the top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
Short Cut Shortcrust
Although it’s a lot quicker to use ready-made frozen puff
pastry dough (find it in the frozen section of any store), it’s
also quite easy to make your own.
1lb or 4 cups plain
flour,
1⁄2 teaspoon of salt,
8oz or 2 sticks
margarine and
6 tablespoons of ice-cold water
Rub the margarine into the flour and salt, then add the water slowly
to form a dough.
It’s best to refrigerate the pastry for half an hour before
rolling out on a floured board.
Vegan Banana Bread
1-1⁄4 C white flour
1-1⁄4 C whole wheat flour
1 C unrefined sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1⁄8 tsp. All Spice
1⁄8 tsp. nutmeg
1-3⁄4 C ripe banana
4 Tbs. water
6 Tbs. margarine
1⁄4 tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 375°
Mix the first six ingredients.
Mix remaining ingredients in a separate bowl.
Combine all ingredients and pour into greased muffin pan or bread
pan
Bake 12-15 minutes for muffins or 60-90 minutes for bread.
Chocolate Pie Recipe
2 - 10.5 oz packages of Soft Silken Tofu
1 - 10-12 oz bag of vegan chocolate chips
1 - vegan graham cracker pie crust (store bought or homemade)
Puree the tofu in a blender until completely smooth.
Put the chocolate chips in a pot or double boiler and heat them
just enough to melt. (Be careful not to burn them). Once the chocolate
chips are melted, blend them into the tofu.
Pour the mixture into a pie crust.
Chill for at least 2 hours and then serve.
Optional: Add a few Tbs. of peanut butter to the mixture while blending
or add nuts or berries to the mixture once it is in the crust. Enjoy!
Easy Rise-’n’-Shine Pancakes
1 C unbleached
white flour (or split half wheat/white)
1 Tbs baking powder
1⁄4 tsp salt
1 C soy or nut milk
2 Tbs canola oil
2 Tbs maple syrup or other liquid sweetener
canola oil for frying
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and wet ingredients in a separate
bowl.
Add soy milk mixture to flour mixture and mix just until moistened;
a few lumps are OK. (Don't overbeat or pancakes will be tough.)
Heat a nonstick griddle or frying pan over medium high flame until
a few drops of drizzled water bead up and bounce.
Pour a little oil (2 tsp.) onto the griddle and heat until hot.
Pour batter onto the griddle to form circles about 4 inches in diameter.
Cook the pancakes for a minute or 2 on one side or until bubbles
appear on the surface.
Flip pancakes and cook on the other side for another 1 or 2 minutes.
Continue until golden brown on each side, about 4 minutes in all.
Blueberry-Orange Sauce (for pancakes, etc)
Makes 2 cups
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon minced orange zest
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
Place all ingredients in a saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or
until the blueberries are soft and the remaining liquid is syrupy.
Serve warm.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 Cup Soy Margraine, softened
1 1⁄2 Cup Unrefined sugar
1⁄4 Cup + 2Tb Warm water
2 Tsp Vanilla
1 Tsp. Baking soda
1 1⁄2 Tsp. Egg replacer or 2 Tb. Tofu
1 Cup Flour
1 Tsp Salt
3 Cup Uncooked
Oatmeal
1 Cup Vegan dark chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees & lightly grease cookie sheet.
Cream first four ingredients together until smooth
In a separate bowl, mix next five ingredients (if using tofu, mix
with previous ingredients).
Combine contents of both bowls by hand or with electric mixer.
Add chocolate chips.
Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes.
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