i'm so bad at this....

[itswuteves]

Ok, so this is not my first go around with being a vegan. The first ended horribly because I didn't eat properly and got very sick. Anyway, I'm beginning to fall into the same pattern and I really don't want =(. I hate tofu and I have looked up recipes and what not but they all make such big portions considering that I'm the only one in my family that doesn't eat anything from animals. I've been thinking about supplements and was wondering if you guys can give me a few tips.

Thanks ^_^

[harpy]

Hello. There is a book called "Vegan Cooking for One" that you could look at - it may be out of print but you can probably get it online or in a library http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Cooking-.../dp/0722539231 An alternative is to make a big batch of something and save portions in the fridge or freezer so you don't have to keep cooking every day (gets my vote!). Maybe you could also negotiate with your family so that they will share the odd vegan meal with you, or all share a vegan dish and add something else to it themselves. Vegan food isn't necessarily "odd" but I suppose it depends how wedded they are to the stuff they currently eat.

If poss I would lay in a stock of fresh fruit, veg, nuts and seeds - stuff you can snack on raw. If you do that you aren't likely to get ill even if you fall down on the cooking part.

There are a few threads on here about supplements if you use the search box. Vitamin B12 is one you might want to take in supplement form or in fortified foods. Also some people think it's a good idea to take a source of omega 3 fats such as flax oil. If you can get a complete vegan multivitamin it might be an idea until you have your new way of eating properly established.

[Manzana]

There are hundreds of different types of Tofu so it is difficult that you hate them all. Nevertheless, assuming that you do hate all types of tofu, there is really no need to worry. Many vegans don't eat tofu regularly or at all...

You can eat:

1. roast veg like pumpkins, peppers, carrots and potaoes. Everyone in your family will enjoy this and you can just have an extra large portion with greens.
2. The same applies to many other dishes like stir fries (they can add their meat later you can add tofu/fake meat or nuts to yours).
3. Pasta is also an easy one, most meat eaters I know have not been able to distinguish between mince flesh or vegan mince (and I have done this test a few times). You can however prepare 2 different pasta sauces if you prefer.
4. Burritos/tortillas etc are very easy too, add more beans to yours and they can add flesh to theirs.

I really dont think that cooking vegan food is difficult not even in an omni house. You can veganise most "normal" omni foods very easily, it just requires that you stop being scared or thinkning that it is difficult.

[Korn]

hate tofu and I have looked up recipes and what not but they all make such big portions considering that I'm the only one in my family that doesn't eat anything from animals. I've been thinking about supplements and was wondering if you guys can give me a few tips.

Just forget tofu - you don't need it. We must have thousands of posts with recipes, and this whole subforum is dedicated to the topic you bring up (supplements), so if you spend an hour or so looking around, I'm sure you'll find lots of useful info!

PS - some people may need supplements, but it's important to rely on real food as your main nutrient source.

[BlueGreenEyes]

yeah dont worry about tofu I dont I am allergic to it, but there is such a huge variety of other foods to choose from! I eat much better now then when I was a meat eater, just relax, dont be scared to try new foods and have fun! I hate receipes, I prefer to make up my own so cant offer advice on that score.... though you could always half them? I do take a supplement, when I remember which is about half the time and my health is the best its been for years, good luck to you!

[Eat Y'self Fitter]

I don't like tofu either. It's a pain in the freaking ass to prepare. Try tempeh if you want an alternative to tofu, if you don't like that don't fret.

If you could clue us in on some foods you like eating I'm sure we could help.

For me I like good food, but as of now trying to be an athlete and going to school I couldn't be bothered with the idea of cuisine food=fuel.

So this is roughly my daily diet

Oatmeal & Fruit in the morning

Clif Bars, fruit, toast, soy milk or other easily digestible high carb foods post work out

Burritos for lunch consisting of a whole wheat tortilla, brown rice, black beans, kale, salsa, & guacamole. Occasionally if I feel like a nice treat I visit a middle eastern restaurant near campus and get a meal of spiced rice, falafel, hummus and stuffed grape leaves.

Mid afternoon snack more clif bars, fruit, smoothie, vegan protein-smoothie if I had a hard work out that day, nuts or something like hummus and pita bread.

All my dinners consist of a hefty dosage of brown rice and vegetables. So I either stir-fry some asian style vegetables in a soy-sauce based sauce, throw some raw greens on top of that. Or I'll make something vaguely Mexican, like a burrito minus the wrap. Beans rice, greens, salsa, guacamole, tofu or tempeh

And if I'm hungry after dinner I'll snack on some toast and tea, maybe a small salad, or another bowl of oats and fruits.

I only take an occasional B-vitamin supplement and I'm getting by fine. Please note that the diet I've listed above is occasionally at an upwards of 4,000 calories a day and you may not need to eat that much food.

There's probably no need to take a supplement. In all of the reading that I've done there's not any conclusive evidence that supplements are all that effective. It's much better to get it straight from the source by eating whole foods. I only take a B-vitamin supplement as a form of "health-insurance". If your female, you may have a little more difficulty with iron than males, but if you want to be supplement free be sure to eat your raw greens and beans!

[fiamma]

Perhaps you haven't been cooking tofu right? It really is a cinch to prepare, and very tasty if you marinate it first - I recommend tamari (or soy sauce), lemon juice, crushed garlic and grated fresh ginger. Marinate for a couple of hours, turning it frequently in the marinade. Then "fry" it in a pan with just a drizzle of olive oil, or bake it in the oven, perhaps along with some veggies and potatoes

Although the others are right; tofu is in no way essential to healthy vegan living. It's just a nice, convenient source of protein. But you can get that from beans and legumes, seitan and tempeh too.

[Clueless Git]

.. was wondering if you guys can give me a few tips.

Thanks ^_^

'Lo itswuteves

Gotta couple of tips for you ...

Bulk cook some veggie mince and freeze it in individual portions. You can use that to make one person portions of shepherdless pie, spagbol, chili non-carne etc.

T'other on that I use, when cooking for one, is those 'straight to wok' noodles and sachets of those chinese sauces (black bean, lemon, plumb & ginger etc ..). Nice mix of whatever fresh veggies are to hand (always plenty of summat very green), small handfull of cashews or similar chucked in ...

Oven baked potatos topped with baked beans or sweetcorn with tons of side salad - thats nice ...

Only other thing I can add is this: Meat is for people who can't cook. A veggie who can't cook is gonna suffer.

[MrWizzle]

Cooking isn't hard*, it just takes a bit of confidence. I'm not a "good" cook by any stretch of the imagination, but you just have to be willing to experiment. I have a terribly short attention span when it comes to following recipes so most things I make are half rules, half madness, and I've yet to cook anything I haven't enjoyed eating It's incredibly satisfying to craft something tasty out of a collection of ingredients and it needn't take long, be complicated or cost much at all.

*Hard cooking is hard, of course, but you work your way up to that.

T'other on that I use, when cooking for one, is those 'straight to wok' noodles and sachets of those chinese sauces (black bean, lemon, plumb & ginger etc ..). Nice mix of whatever fresh veggies are to hand (always plenty of summat very green), small handfull of cashews or similar chucked in ...

I second that - it's my fallback if I'm feeling lazy and it's invariably satisfying. Diced/rings of onion, sliced carrot, red/green peppers, sliced courgette/zucchini, sliced mushrooms, whatever else you fancy, packaged sauce or MrWizzle's special sauce** for a few minutes, add noodles, win. That's a good cooking order too - onions are tastier if cooked well and mushrooms don't need that long. Any left over is next day's lunch Stir fries are a great way to use up any veggies that are on their way out because the cooking and sauce will compensate for flavours past their prime (although not too far past!).

SPINACH. Buy a bag of the leafy wonderfulness (I much prefer fresh to tinned) and stick it in sandwiches, stir fries, everything you fancy. It tastes great, needs no or hardly any cooking at all and is really good for you.

Chickpeas. Full of protein, a great "meaty" base for a curry (lots of vegan restaurants will base curries around them).

Fresh veggies are better for you than pre-packaged ready meals and are much cheaper.

Lastly, experiment with textures. When I first gave up meat I found that I missed the texture that an omnivorous diet provided, but after throwing together things I'd never even considered before, my diet became far more interesting than it had ever been before.

**MrWizzle's special sauce: Packaged coconut paste, bit of hot water to thin it out, too many dried chilli flakes/chopped fresh chilli if you're a fancypants, shot of Tabasco, soy sauce, whatever spices are in the cupboard and are a pretty colour, salt, pepper. Will blow your head off, and thus rules.

Got a bit carried away there.