back, and must to ask for help with

[urbandryad]

Ah, didn't know where to post this, but I thought, why not? I'm going to try again at being vegan. Try try again my mother says!

Since my cupboards are practically empty anyways, I'll have a fresh start. I need to have a steady shopping list though prepared, so for your information to better help you, I'd better post what I have in terms of appliences and kitchen utensils. ^^

Fridge
Stove (with oven)
Can opender
iron pie pan
kettle
pot
plates cups forks butter knives and spoons.
Cooking spoon.

Yeah, it sucks doesn't it? What should I add to my list of utensils?

And then, for food I have currently

mixed veggies: frozen
frozen french cries: crinkle cut and strait
tofu, firm
veganaise (yum)
nutritional yeast
vegan cheese shaker thing (I shake this stuff on my fries, but its not the best, I don't really like it that much. Just, I'm out of ketchup.
nesquik cereal (is apparantly vegan. I love it, so I bought it)
cheerios
pasta pasta pasta
cans of tomato soup
vegan margarine
sugar
tea (orange pekoe)
cocoa
ramen. Lots and lots of ramen.

Well, its alot of food, actually, but being a bad cook that I am, I probably prepare it in the blandest way possible.

So add to my list!

To Get:

whole wheat bread
salt
ketchup, mustard and relish
lettuce greens
sliced pickles in a jar (for my sandwhiches)
soy milk (chocolate and vanilla)
tea (chai, to add to my tea cupboard, cause I like it an OP equally)

please add to my list what else you think I should get!

[DianeVegan]

Legumes (beans and lentils), WHOLE grains like brown rice, millet, quinoa, fresh vegetables when available and organic and local. Whole wheat or whole grain bread (better yet, sprouted bread). Nuts and/or nut butters. Flax oil or hempseed oil for salads. Fruit (fresh or frozen). Canned tomatoes. How about stevia instead of sugar (I assume it's refined sugar you're getting? Or get rapadura or sucanat sugar or brown rice syrup)

I'm not much for refined foods of any type. (It can still be easy)

[RubyDuby]

Whole wheat or whole grain bread (better yet, sprouted bread).

I went grocery shopping today, and just happened to check the ingredients of my bread. Its California style sprouted bread, a complete protien source. Thats what it says on it, not quite sure exactly what it means... anyway, I was very disappointed to find honey in the ingredients. So, I went to my favorite bread, vogels multi-grain, which I stopped buying because I thought the sprouted complete protein sounded healthier, and found out there was skim milk in it. Another had whey. All but one of the multi-grain breads had one of these ingredients in them and I had no idea!! I ended up spending $4.75 on a tiny loaf of spelt ancient grain bread. This was at Whole Foods Market. I guess I'll have to check Trader Joes

Is there Vegan Ramen? Hot n' Spicy used to be but then they started adding beef fat to it. I can't find any other vegan flavor so started buying Thai Kitchen instant rice noodle soup. Very good but a little more expensive ($0.80 instead of like $0.25- significant but still cheap)

[RubyDuby]

Well, its alot of food, actually, but being a bad cook that I am, I probably prepare it in the blandest way possible.

Some ideas for easy/quick meals: bean&rice burritos, hummus on pita (you can buy pre-made hummus or boxed to just add water), you can also buy boxed falafel to just add water and fry it up serve with pita and hummus tomato lettuce whatever, theres boxed or canned black beans and pinto beans to eat with chips or in a totilla, frozen knishes are usually vegan, saute some veggies in soy sauce and serve on rice or in a tortilla. I bought taco seasoning in a shaker and add it to reconstituted textured vegetable protien for tacos. thats very easy and yummy. and theres always veggie burgers and chicken burgers but ck the ingredients for eggs etc

[DianeVegan]

I went grocery shopping today, and just happened to check the ingredients of my bread. Its California style sprouted bread, a complete protien source. Thats what it says on it, not quite sure exactly what it means... anyway, I was very disappointed to find honey in the ingredients. So, I went to my favorite bread, vogels multi-grain, which I stopped buying because I thought the sprouted complete protein sounded healthier, and found out there was skim milk in it. Another had whey. All but one of the multi-grain breads had one of these ingredients in them and I had no idea!! I ended up spending $4.75 on a tiny loaf of spelt ancient grain bread. This was at Whole Foods Market. I guess I'll have to check Trader Joes
)

I get the Ezekiel brand (no honey, thank goodness - your post scared me, I had to go check the freezer just in case they changed ingredients!)

It's considered a complete protein because all the necessary amino acids are contained.

[Tigerlily]

Really, complete protein? Great! I was eating it, thinking "Only vegan bread option" that's it. Good to know.

So Ezekiel bread+beans+rice+flax oil=my favourite combo is also even healthier? woo+

[Tigerlily]

Oh yeah! Your food list! Try to pick up:

Kale or other leafy green
Cumin (best spice ever and helps fight gas and heartburn)
Ginger (good in stir fries)
More fresh veggies and fruit, especially berries, kiwis, bananas, citrus
Vegan dark chocolate, Cocoa Camino is my personal fave
Veggie burgers if you want or veggie dogs (makes for quick meals)

[strawberry]

hmmm more things to add:
medjool dates and date and walnut rolls (so good)
avocados (good source of fat)
multivitamin w/ b-12
luna bars (esp. chocolate peppermint stick and lemon zest)
larabars (sooooooo amazing, get the banana cookie and cherry and apple pie flavors!)
tofutti slices (i love the american cheese kind)
split peas, so you can make dahl!
hummmmmmus yum

[RubyDuby]

I get the Ezekiel brand (no honey, thank goodness - your post scared me, I had to go check the freezer just in case they changed ingredients!)

It's considered a complete protein because all the necessary amino acids are contained.

Thanks, I'll look for that brand. Is Ezekiel a complete protien?

[RubyDuby]

Cumin (best spice ever and helps fight gas and heartburn)

Good to know! Thanks

[RubyDuby]

multivitamin w/ b-12

fortified soymilk has 50% daily value of B-12 per 1 c serving. chocolate soymilk yummmmy. Oh you have that already

[Artichoke47]

Actually, I'd stay away from the Tofutti slices and the Luna/Clif bars. Tofutti cheese slices have hydrogenated oils, and Luna/Clif bars have soy protein isolate.

[strawberry]

Oh well. They are good alternatives if one is craving cheese....and being vegan again there may need to be some gradual changes. and I love them anyways

[FR]

I hear a lot of people say soy protein isolate is bad. What is so bad about it?

Soy protein isolates are the most pure and refined soy protein available. Soy protein isolates
are made from defatted soy beans, with most other ingredients
removed leaving almost all protein. Usually, soy protein
isolates contain 90% + protein on a moisture free (dry)
basis. Soy protein isolates will also be more 'neutral'
flavored, compared to soy concentrates, mainly because almost
everything else is removed except the protein. Unlike soy
concentrate, the carbohydrates are also removed, so the
soy bean taste is also removed

I found that HERE and seems to be the usual explanation I find for soy protein isolate.

[foxytina_69]

what is soy protein isolate and why is it bad for you?

[foxytina_69]

oh i didnt see FR's post

[FR]

what is soy protein isolate and why is it bad for you?

Yeah, from what I posted, it doesn't look bad. I know it is found in a good number of store bought vegan foods.

[foxytina_69]

i just read alot of people saying its heavily proccessed and therefor has no good value, but theres always people with differing views on such subjects i suppose.

[foxytina_69]

i found this about it aswell:

The process of making soy-protein isolate (SPI) begins with defatted soybean meal, which is mixed with a caustic alkaline solution to remove the fiber, then washed in an acid solution to precipitate out the protein. The protein curds are then dipped into another alkaline solution and spray-dried at extremely high temperatures. SPI is then often spun into protein fibers using technology borrowed from the textile industry. These refining processes remove "off flavors," "beany" tastes, and some of the worst flatulence-producing components. They improve digestibility, but vitamin, mineral, and protein quality are sacrificed, and levels of carcinogens such as nitrosamines are increased. (17-22) SPIs appear in so many products that consumers would never guess that the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) decreed in 1979 that the only safe use for SPIs was for sealers for cardboard packages. (23)


from this website which obviously has quite a ;hate on' for soy:

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...24/ai_n6015579

[Tigerlily]

Also, olive oil is wonderful for salads and when used for light-cooking like stirfrying or in soups. For more serious frying or if you'll need a lot of oil, use something like vegetable oil, soybean oil, or canola (although some people don't like canola). It will be cheaper and less smokey if you use those oils for frying than if you used olive oil.

Note: Flax oil is NOT for cooking at all. Drizzle it on top of slightly warmed baked beans, over salads, cold leftovers, etc.

[Seaside]

You could maybe use a food processor or a mandoline for easy vegetable preparation.

[Artichoke47]

Yep, SPI is highly-processed and could be carcinogenic. No chemicals for me, thanks!

[Artichoke47]

Oh well. They are good alternatives if one is craving cheese....and being vegan again there may need to be some gradual changes. and I love them anyways

I understand; many people say that they can't or wouldn't ever be vegan because they don't want to "give up" cheese - it's an addiction. I think using healthy foods high in fat can certainly combat cravings, such as avocados, olive oil, et cetera. I have heard from a few people who stopped eating cheese that they enjoy the food much more, because instead of tasting this slimy, fatty substance, they're tasting the vegetables, grains, herbs, et cetera. I doubt humans were ever "meant" to eat cheese made from cow's milk, considering the milk is coming from another species and suitable for calves. So please take that into consideration when trying to "substitute" something that was never necessary, required, or nutritionally-adequate in the first place.

Further, these processed substances are expensive and sometimes contain hydrogenated oils, as I stated.

[strawberry]

Yes I agree. But again everyone has their own opinion, and personally I like them. While I dont have them all the time, I do like them occasionally and do not feel unhealthy for eating them. I love veggies and whole grains too, but I'm only human and sometimes I need a little indulgence. And if its in tofutti cheese slices, so be it.

[urbandryad]

I don't mind processed foods. I'm happy just to eat, and quite frankly I have trouble cooking from scratch.

All these ideas are awesome. I'm an impatient little thing, having to wait and wait and wait until I can go grocery shopping for real.

*sigh* life just kicks your bum sometimes

[Tigerlily]

Are Toffuti cheese singles even vegan? Here they contain casein, a milk protein.

[strawberry]

hmmm not the ones I use. Maybe they're different everywhere. Thats weird tho.

[foxytina_69]

the ones here dont have casein.

[Tigerlily]

Do they even taste remotely similar to the real deal? Or even are they eatable. It sucks, all the soy cheese here all has casein.

[foxytina_69]

they taste good, better when melted. also, theres a kindof cheese thats really good. its called vegan rella. it melts. but i cant eat it cause they use oat flour but its vegan. also, the soymage slices are good. i find them in save-on-foods grocery stores. thriftys sells vegan rella. i also love the vegan gourmet cheese but its hard to find.

[foxytina_69]

reading the ingredients here:

http://www.tofutti.com/hardcheese.0.html

it doesnt list casein.

[speedylemons]

grr! i was really angry to find casein in the veggie cheese i bought today from the natural foods store! i guess it will have to do for now.. considering im still trying to go vegan and its better than completely real cheese. i already bought it and spent my money on it. disappointing..