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Could any vegans spare the time to share some simple meal plans?
Super healthy, raw and simple meal ideas would be appreciated
Thanks.
Just saute some brocoli and pine nuts. You could do a sofrito of mushrooms, green asparagus tips and sweet onions to give it a boost. I usually cook this to go with cous cous..
One day?
Use your imagination ffs! 🤣
See what takes your fancy at VeganRicha if you like Indian (style) food
Erm one day is very easily done. I'd maybe take the time to eat out at a decent vegan restaurant as might be an eye opener how good the food can be (I'm not vegan but my partner's son is so I was initially reluctantly dragged to a vegan restaurant but now unless I have a steak craving it doesn't bother me if we end up in one).
A mate of mine went vegan for a month as a bet. He is still vegan two and a half years later 🙂
I pretty much became vegetarian on a bet in halls of residence, in fact I became 99.9% vegan.I'm not sure if I've won yet but it's been close on 35 years so I'm not doing too badly.
Thanks for the replies.
Are any of you vegans? What does your meal plan for a day look like? Is it easy to keep the calorie level up?
Is anybody here crunching the numbers for calorie intake and nutrition etc?
My Wife and I are. I've only been fully vegan for about 18 months after 35 years plus as an ethical vegetarian (I finally cottoned on to how unpleasant the diary/egg industry is).
I've never worried too much about number crunching or picking the perfect diet (but then I'm not a performance athlete); we just eat what we fancy. Keeping the calories up isn't a problem (there are plenty of vegetable fats and oils and it's perfectly possible to be an overweight, unhealthy vegan if you put your mind to it); I love nuts which are pretty calorific. There are plenty of vegan snacks to keep you going to (Nakd bars being a particular favourite).
Jack Monroe - her recipies are invariably vegetarian and vegan by default because they are budget orientated which means no meat
I have both the Dirty Vegan and the BOSH! Vegan cookbooks. Yottam Ottolenghi does a lot of Vegan recipes too.
I'm not vegan or fully veggie, but increasingly heading that way. Not that difficult if you're happy with non-dairy alternatives. I really like Tofu, but a lot of folk don't like the texture. Nutritional Yeast is a good umami savoury taste and has naturally formed MSG in it (like Parmesan does) which is a flavour enhancer.
I'm a veggie with a reduced dairy intake. Simple swaps are Soya Milk for Cows Milk and Olive Oil spreads etc. Soya / quorn type alternatives for cheese on sandwiches. Vegan cheese is the work of the devil so just forget that all together. We keep ex Bat hens and those are the only eggs we eat.
The big challenge for me (and what prevents me being vegan) is eating when out and about. It's amazing how many seemingly non dairy products contain dairy when you read the ingredients (a lot of breads contain butter etc. a lot of beer isn't vegan)
Going veggie though is a doddle as there are so many meat replacements.
One day? Breakfast either granola and fruit with oatley cream, or eans on toast, use non-dairy spread, ie Pure soya or Lidl avocado or coconut spreads
Nice walnut salad for lunch with hummus and a veg samosa
Here's my own recipe for chilli non-carne. It’s reportedly equally satisfying for vegans, veggies or fleshies 😉
(halve the recipe to serve four, or freeze what’s leftover)
Green Lentil Chilli Non Carne/Mole
(Serves 8 - 10 with rice/tortilla chips)
Ingredients:(Morrisons usually
have everything)
Main ingredients;
4 x med brown onions (diced)
3 tablespoons of oil
500g Dried Green Lentils (small dark speckled ones)
3 x tins tomatoes with juice or 7-10 fresh diced tomatoes
2 x tins economy red kidney beans (drained)
6-10 mushrooms (sliced)
1 or 2 large bulbs garlic (or 3-4 small ones) - chopped fine
3 x tablespoons of tomato purée
3 x bell peppers
1x 200g bar economy dark chocolate
1-2 cups of water
Splashes red wine optional
Spices herbs etc:
3 x veg stock cubes
2x tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
1x tablespoon smoked paprika
3 x teaspoons cayenne or red chilli powder, or chopped fresh or dried chillies (optional, use more if you like heat)
3x tablespoons ground cumin (or more to suit taste)
10 x splash vegan Worcester sauce
or tablespoon of BBQ sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
In large pan cover the whole pack of lentils with cold water (2x water to 1x lentils)
Add stock cubes and bring to boil
Simmer until al-dente
Transfer the part-cooked lentils along with any remaining stock to a suitable bowl or pan. Cover and set aside
In the emptied (large) pan add the cooking oil then diced onions and sauté the onions over medium heat until soft. Stirring often so not to burn or go brown.
Add all other ingredients/herbs/spices EXCEPT the water, red kidney beans and chocolate.
Stir well, bring to boil adding more water (plus splash wine if desired) to sauce as desired/so it can simmer and not go dry.
Cover and simmer on low heat for 30mins.
Add all of the chocolate and red kidney beans. Stir well
Cook for further 10 mins, adding water and stirring if necessary to maintain good amount of sauce.
Serve hot with rice or tortilla chips, salad and/or guacamole (vegan, obv) on the side, top with vegan cream/fraiche/yoghurt etc. Wash down with a full-bodied red.
I've been vegan since 6:30 this morning. If I didn't have ham & cheese in my salad I could make it til 7pm I reckon. Go me!
for 1 day?
just have dinner early one day, then an hour or so later than normal the next day (so there's 24 hours between the 2)
then just have a banana or something similar for breakfast and lunch
job done
skip the banana, and then you can call it a 24 hour fast instead (a proper fast, not that 5:2 thing)
😉
Wash down with a full-bodied red.
... which probably isn't vegan. (-:
Are any of you vegans? What does your meal plan for a day look like? Is it easy to keep the calorie level up?
For about 25 years now. Never counted calories, sorry. No different to a non vegan diet though - I can get enough in to support 20+ hour training weeks, and I get fat easy if I don't watch the intake when I'm injured or whatever.
Only supplement b12 , I used to have the odd protein shake after a really heavy day on the bike but generally just train on proper food.
Meals per day might be porridge or muesli with fruit (Currently enjoying eating it with a walnut drink), big mid-day meal, it's typical here to eat like a lentil or chickpea stew with veg/pots even if you're not vegan. Dinner might be something home made if I can be bothered at 9pm (see vegan Richa's blog for ideas) or we might just have junk food like a beyond burger. There's tons of that sort of stuff on the market now, plus ice cream, croissants whatever but I've never been that fond.
Jack Monroe – her recipies are invariably vegetarian and vegan by default because they are budget orientated which means no meat
All her new stuff is vegan, I very much admire her for what she is trying to do
binners
If I was going vegan for the day, there’s one obvious first port of call…
Just tried one as it happens, not bad...but not worth it for 15kcal (apparently)
not worth it for 15kcal (apparently)
315kcal (officially). Oh, did you mean difference from the piggy one? Sounds about right then.
I think it's a fair question from the OP. I would have no idea what is vegan (apart from the obvious like meat and fish). Oh eggs, I know that but I'm sure there are many subtleties that would be lost on a non-vegan. Yes there is Google I suppose, but we all know Singletrack trumps Google.
TBH, for the sake of a single day I'd probably just get a couple of ready-meals from the supermarket. I'm on a vegan Goodfellas falafel pizza tonight, they're really nice.
Banana, soya milk and oat smoothie for breakfast with a cheeky squirt of maple agave syrup.
Black coffee
Mediterranean microwave rice pack for lunch with a few olives and sundried tomatoes.
Green tea
Quorn (vegan) chicken pieces fried in a little olive oil over a leafy salad with plum tomatoes, peppers, spring onions, avocado, croutons and a drizzle of Follow Your Heart vegan caesar dressing.
Lovely 😁
Thanks for the link to the other thread and all the tips.
okay, I worded the title badly, I didn't mean it to sound like a 1 day challenge.
We have a few veggie vegan recipes but really need more, I would like to go down the superfood healthy raw vegan route but the family need more variety than me. I wanted to see some meal plans from those that already do it. sorry for confusion.
Made this last night. Very nice. Would be great with lardons through it too.
OP, if your family are doing this too, what sort of things do they normally like? Based on that, you could just adapt so there's no radical change. Not everyone likes tempeh or whatnot.
Between my OH and I, we make vegan meals for all the family which are 95pc whole foods. Very rarely, as mentioned above, does the old frozen Linda McCartney crap make an appearance.
I think we could substitute and adapt most of our current meals, I would like to find some interesting 'simple vegan raw healthy' combinations that might help us change the way we eat rather than just what we eat if that makes sense. Simple optimum health type of meals that require little thought and effort
Thanks all.
A couple of decent links to raw healthy recipes
https://simple-veganista.com/raw-recipes/
And
https://yurielkaim.com/raw-food-recipes-beginners/
Well you've made a good start by posting about it on this forum. But you're only going to be vegan for 4 hours so you've little time to waste. Have you thought about mentioning you're vegan on the Guardian website? Pretty much any topic there with a comments section will do for shoehorning in veganism.
And don't neglect the personal touch. Pretend to do some gardening which will give you a chance to mention it to neighbours over the fence. Or are you a member of a cycling club? Lots of folk on the Sunday club run to tell.
Facebook is a useful way of letting friends who live far away know, and maybe some Instagram photos of some lentils.
And before anyone has a sense of humour failure, yes the above is all tongue in cheek.
^ 😆
I don't mind vegans but I couldn't eat a whole one... Bin dun, I know, but it's still funny.
And before anyone has a sense of humour failure, yes the above is all tongue in cheek.
It's also incessantly ****ing tedious. Don't you have any fat people or gingers you could be taking the piss out of instead?
People complain about whiny vegans, but compared to the number of whiny omnivores who love to stick their oar in on every vegan / vegetarian discussion they're but a ripple in the ocean.
Says the whiny man whining about other people being whiny.
Thanks @Malvernrider. some of interest in those.
I saw a lady today with a t shirt that said “ ****ing awesome vegan”.
She was clearly overweight . ( As is that Romesh bloke on the telly) How do you be an overweight vegan?
I thought you could eat as much fruit and veg as you liked. What should we be avoiding?
I know a few overweight ones.
Chips and crisps.
Recent pescatarian - vegan convert.
Couldn't tell you about the sustained calorie bit yet as have also gone on the fast 800 diet at the same time. Cheese was my nemesis so it's been a bit of a win.
I'd say it is about 100 time easier to be vegan now than it must have been 20 years ago as there are so many vegan alternatives even in mainstream supermarkets and the labelling is so much better.
My go to books have been the Bosh books (the green one and the orange one - can't remember titles) and also the Thug kitchen - eat like you give a **** book. That one is a bit Californian try hard (throw a 4 letter word in to make yourself seem 'on point' as frequently as possible) but the grub is nice. Mostly too calorific for me now but will be great in the future.
Things I have learnt:-
Tofu is still rank....until you wack it in a hot pan with some soy sauce for a few mins to get the outside brown then lob it in the oven to crisp it up.
Home made seitan maybe like kryptonite for gluten intolerant and coeliac types but if your stomach is made of stronger stuff it is marvellous in stirfrys, soups and casseroles.
Homemade almond milk is easy and nice.Lob a bit of sunflower lechitin to stop it separating.
DIY oat milk was not as successful and messy.
Pizza don't have to have cheese on them.
Oh, and I paid the extra to have the premium version of myfitnesspal to get more nutrition info - many so I know my protein intake.
some of interest in those.
👍🏼
I saw a lady today with a t shirt that said “ **** awesome vegan”.
Probably one of those new Vegans that constantly have to remind the world about their new found lifestyle superiority. I should know as i was one of them around five years ago, and would like to formally apologise for annoying the f£&k out of everybody l met!
On a serious note though, unless you are doing it for ethics and fully understand nutritional requirements dont go full vegan, just decrease the meat and dairy and increase fruit and veg consumption. It really is that simple. The meat based alternative processed foods are too much of a chemical soup for my liking and many as yet unproven for long term health benefits.
On the subject of vegan beer, just check what they* put in it instead, Id rather the fish!
*not all additives are bad and not all beer has been fined (or not all batches of the same beer even) but Ive never been convinced about polyclar which is the most common vegan fining. Mmmmm microplastics.
Seriously micro-plastics? Saving the animals and trashing the planet/endangering the animals doesn't seem a good trade.
Aqua-farba is the work of the devil as an egg white replacement, vile taint to cakes using it.
Seriously micro-plastics?
Yup, the traditional ingredient is ground up fish swim bladders. The non animal alternative is ground up PVPP. Which is a sort of halfway chemical between a synthetic protein and plastic.
No idea how rational my dislike of using it is, but I brew my own beer either using natural finings or just dont bother fining it and accept the negatives of that (cloudy, protein haze, polyphenols, tannins, etc). But for comercial breweries where every batch has to taste identical thats less of an option.
Seriously micro-plastics? Saving the animals and trashing the planet/endangering the animals doesn’t seem a good trade.
The fishing industry is one of the biggest sources of plastics in the oceans.
This book is utterly fantastic, vegan or not.
On the subject of vegan beer, just check what they* put in it instead, Id rather the fish!
Useful info. Do you by any chance have links to the environmental effects of PVPP in wastewater? And is it used in any other foodstuffs? Or in beer and wine not labelled as ‘vegan’? As always it’s best to check with the producer. I know that not all brews marked ‘vegan’ use PVPP, and likewise not all brews Not labeled ‘vegan’ use finings made from swim bladders or gelatin etc...
andypaul
The meat based alternative processed foods are too much of a chemical soup
Thanks for the caution. i’m not a vegan but I do from time to time consume Quorn, setain or soy burgers etc. Do you have any side-by-side comparisons to meat-based processed foods? Which of the ‘chemicals’ did you identify to cause such grave concerns? I do know that many meat-based processed foods have also have very similar if not identical ingredients to the non-meat versions. But if you could identify the most dangerous things you found, I can then look on labels of any processed food, veggie or meat.
Wait, am having a Groundhog Day moment. Must be the request for ‘raw vegan food recipes’, seems to trigger some people?
Gaz Oakley, amazing stuff. We've done his chickpea curry loads of times. Easy quick and tasty. But he has a lot of extrevagant stuff too.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF-ACPYNN0oXD4ihS5mbbmw
Matt Pritchard, again youtube (not sure if his proper channel is still there now he's on the BBC)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsTNEhZlO8lM4RUAqc4YkYg
If you buy tofu, only buy Tofoo! ( https://tofoo.co.uk). I've tried other tofu and can see why people don't like tofu! But this Tofoo stuff is great, much firmer and cooks great. Cube it, dust in cornflower, whack it in a hot wok with a bit of oil for a few mins until stlightly golden on all sides (easy to over cook it). Then add it to things you'd normally add chicken to. In a curry or a stir fry it's cracking! Better than chicken. The crispy cornflower exterior soaks up the flavours.
I hate Quorn. It's weird, and gives me tremendous wind!
There's stacks of lazy junk options now, most soya based.
Sainsbury's is the place to go if you're feeling lazy. Loads of vegan options off the shelf/freezer.
Asda have a new range of tinned vegan things; 3 bean chilli, sweet potato and coconut curry, jack fruit somethign-or-other. One of these tins, with a micorwave rice makes an amazing office lunch! way better than limp ham sandwiches. (obvs yes you need a microwave in the office...and office friends that don't mind the smell)
And is it used in any other foodstuffs?
Its used a lot in pharmaceuticals as it swells when it absorbs water so it causes tablets to disintegrate. Its also used instead of charcoal to soak up some poisons in the gut IIRC.
Doesnt biodegrade IIRC. But realistically its a tiny ammount of plastic, compared to food packaging.
seitan
This stuff's ace if you can stomach it. Aldi do a really nice vegan faux burger and faux chicken burger that use it, they're our go-to things for burger night at Chez Nous now. If you can be arsed to make it yourself it does a pretty good impression of pulled pork if you cover it in barbecue sauce.
We went 99% veggie (fish fingers are brill) a while ago and to be honest I really don't miss meat at all- aided and abetted by the fact OH is a brill cook and likes making daals and curries and I like eating them 😁
I’m noticing a lazy supermarket ready-meal trend vs raw (or cooked) home recipes trend on such threads. This goes across the board, and IME the supermarket plastic packaging is just a shit-show for any diet*
As far as pre-packed readymeals am sticking to Linda Mac 1/4lb burgers once or twice a month. They are packed in cardboard boxes. Happy to drop them off the menu if one of you can convince me that they are Very Bad Indeed. I need to up my homemade burger game anyway 👍🏼
*I used to eat thickly-plastic-packed rashers of intensively-produced bacon twice a week, so you whatabouterers have at it...
I’ve tried other tofu and can see why people don’t like tofu!
Did you prepare it yourself? If so how? I’d like to begin introducing tofu into the home cooking menu. Trying to stick to a Wagamama recipe book I got from the boot sale (a plan to lose weight and increase cooking skills) but only ever cooked tofu once before (made baked tofu in teriyaki glaze, was delicious IMO)
This looks naughty
Did you prepare it yourself? If so how?
The other Tofu brand I've tried at home is Caldron, which seems to be much wetter and less firm. I squish it between kitchen paper for a while. But the Tofoo branded stuff if still way better imo, straight out the packet good to go.
Inside the Tofoo box they have little recipie cards for you to collect. We did do their teriyaki recipie, which was very good! Some recipies here: https://tofoo.co.uk/recipes?category=naked
I squish it between kitchen paper for a while
As suspected ;). (pretty much what I did) Have look at the prep on that tofu video I linked upthread? I’d hate to paying daft prices for the ‘emperor’s new tofu’ if I could use regular med/firm tofu (along with ‘proper*’ prep), then get more for my dosh but possibly even better results?
*Variously/in conjunction with Freeze/thaw/refreeze, standing on!pressing between chopping boards between hand-towels, tofu-press over sink etc
Thanks, I will take a look. Do love a bit of tofu! Shame my kids won't eat it!
I need to up my homemade burger game anyway 👍🏼
These are really good (though I use kidney beans instead of black beans):
http://minimalistbaker.com/easy-grillable-veggie-burgers/
Thanks cougar that looks ace
Do you have any side-by-side comparisons to meat-based processed foods? Which of the ‘chemicals’ did you identify to cause such grave concerns?
Folks there is nothing to see here, move on..
Oh hang on, WTF is Mycoprotien?
Quorn burger pattie
Mycoprotein (37%), Egg White, Wheat Flour, Onion, Palm Oil, Canola Oil, Milk Protein Concentrate. Contains 2% or less of Natural Flavor, Roasted Barley Malt Extract, Salt, Maltodextrin, Dextrose, Calcium Chloride, Calcium Acetate, Potassium Chloride, Citric Acid, Sugar, Potato Dextrin, Yeast, Coconut Oil, Black Pepper.
And we have’nt even got to the Vegan ones yet...it gets worse!
Oh hang on, WTF is Mycoprotien?
Fungus. Quorn is made from it.
Oh hang on, WTF is Mycoprotien?
Yep, it's pretty weird stuff. You can very easily be an unhealthy vegan.
And we have’nt even got to the Vegan ones yet…it gets worse!
So you claim, so which of the ingredients that you listed cause the gravest concerns and why?
And what’s ‘worse’ about the vegan ones?
(question not in defense of junk food either vegan, veggie or meatie* - more in pursuit of facts vs tabloidism-lazy fear-mongering)
Also, how/why is it unhealthy to consume mycoprotein?
Also, how/why is it unhealthy to consume mycoprotein?
Chemical soup, remember. Who in their right minds would eat something derived from fungus?
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/picking-mushrooms/
^ palm oil, Im out.
the ingrediants read just like any other processed packaged offering
soobalias
Member
^ palm oil, Im out.
You'd prefer an oil with a lower yield per hectare?
Quorn burger pattie
Mycoprotein (37%), Egg White, Wheat Flour, Onion, Palm Oil, Canola Oil, Milk Protein Concentrate. Contains 2% or less of Natural Flavor, Roasted Barley Malt Extract, Salt, Maltodextrin, Dextrose, Calcium Chloride, Calcium Acetate, Potassium Chloride, Citric Acid, Sugar, Potato Dextrin, Yeast, Coconut Oil, Black Pepper.
So that's,
Fermented fungus, eggs, flour, onion, oil, milk. Trace elements of: natural flavouring, barley, salt, sugars, low-sodium salts, vinegar, lemon juice, potato starch, yeast, pepper.
Scary stuff.
^ palm oil, Im out.
https://rspo.org/members/2369/Quorn-Foods-Limited
"As part of [Quorn's] drive on sustainabilitity, we are focusing on the use of palm oil in our products. Palm oil is only used in a small number of our products where animal fats or hydrogenated fats would be the only alternative. However, we recognise the global environmental and social impact of unsustainable palm oil and we are therefore committed to sourcing 100% sustainable palm oil."
Vegan for a day? You could simply not eat for 24 hours.
palm oil, Im out
Much better to eat a beef burger that's been made from a cow fed on palm oil and soy?
eat a what now? strange suggestion for the vegan for a day thread.
Im aware of both the yield of palm oil and that many companies are actively pursuing sustainable palm oil
but if you want a quick easy marker as to quite how "processed", or even just plain unnecessary the 'thing' you are about to buy is.... containing palm oil is a one that should make you think twice.
vegan=/=sustainable=/=ethical=/=healthy so be directed by your own moral compass.
Not vegan, but often eat dishes which happen to be vegan (because good food is good food), favourites include;
- https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/black-pepper-tofu-a
- https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/jul/06/meera-sodha-thai-tomato-salad-peanut-crumbs-vegan-recipe
(if you're not vegan this one is improved with the addition of fish sauce to the dressing)
- https://www.theguardian.com/food/2018/dec/01/meera-sodhas-recipe-for-vegan-yaki-udon-noodles