Veg*n Need Vegan Recipe Help

[ClemmyOddieIndy]

I've tried to go vegan many times and failed. The biggest problem is the fact I do not cook. It's not that I don't want to cook, it's that I'm a cooking failure. I'm a great baker, but cook I am not. When you eat most of your meals out, it is very hard to find vegan friendly options. There is only one vegan restaurant that I know of within any reasonable distance of my house, and it is still about 20 minutes away. The meals I eat at home are mostly prepackaged microwave meals. There are some vegan options (which I do add into my diet frequently), but mostly just vegetarian options.

What I'm wondering, does anyone have any idiot proof vegan recipes? Every one I've tried online or from my cook books has failed. I'm not kidding, every time I have tried to cook a vegan recipe it had not worked. I do not have a close enough relationship with food (I wish it was closer, and I've been working on that) to understand it well enough to cook it. I've been reading a lot of sustainable agriculture literature in hopes of becoming closer with my food.

 

[cheshirekris]

Chili is pretty easy. Really you put some beans and tomato sauce and some cumin then add what you want. I love having it with tortillas or crackers. https://vegetarian.about.com/od/maindishentreerecipes/r/EasyChili.htm

Soups are pretty easy. I don't have a recipe but just get some vegetarian bouillon or broth then add vegetables.

Morning star or boca burgers are delicious! But can e expensive so when they go on sale.

You could make a stir fry. Really it is soy sauce and some vegetables on some rice or noddles.

French fries. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/oven-fries-recipe/index.html

Sweet potato fries: https://www.countryliving.com/recipefinder/oven-baked-sweet-potato-fries-3483
For spices I just do salt and cinnamon or just salt.

Homemade tortillas: https://www.chow.com/recipes/30457-baked-tortilla-chips

Here has been my favorite recipe recently. I just use cous cous or rice instead of quinoa. Recipe : (broken link removed)
I just put a can of black bean and corn then some cumin and lime on it. Than microwave some rice.

I can't think of anything else right now but these are my favorite "lazy recipes" . XD My family likes these though.

 

[YourSoJelly]

I'm sure @CavySpirit @MochaAndMoo @madelineelaine could help with the recepies. Best of luck!

 

[PhinniePig]

Try this website https://www.yummly.com you - type in some ingredient e.g. rice then on the left hand bar click vegan and it will give you all sorts of recipes and you can decide which you feel comfortable making. I am lactose and gluten intolerant so I use the website alot to make my meals! Hope this helps!

 

[ClemmyOddieIndy]

Thanks everyone for the links! I'm going shopping tomorrow for groceries, so hopefully this will be something I can stick with this time. I've been vegetarian for 18 years, but have wanted to be vegan for probably the past 10-15. I've never been able to maintain a vegan lifestyle for more than a week or two.

 

[MochaAndMoo]

I can't cook at all, I can barely use the toaster without setting the house on fire.
Mostly, my diet consists of salads and soups, which are extremely basic to make. I usually just chuck a can of diced tomatoes, some kale, beans, zucchini and other veggies in a pot and bring them to a boil.
You should be able to find vegan cookbooks at your local bookshop, otherwise, there are a ton of vegan cooking blogs out there. (Some of my favorites: (broken link removed) https://veganyumyum.com/ (broken link removed))
Good luck on going vegan!

 

[ClemmyOddieIndy]

I was thinking about this last night.... does a vegan need to purchase only organic foods? Many foods have genetic modifications that include animal genes. I wonder... is it still vegan if I eat a tomato that has a fish gene in it?

 

[PhinniePig]

I just wanted to say, there is a very big difference between organically grown and conventionally grown crops (where they use pesticides and herbicides etc) vs genetically modified foods. As far as I know (and I am a geneticist working with food crops, but by no means am I calling myself a guru in this) we do not have tomato plants with fish genes in them. There was a GM tomato back in early 90s that made the tomatoes ripen slowly, and that was actually a modification of a tomato gene. Years later a breeder was actually able to knock the fast ripening gene out by conventional breeding means. As of today i believe that the US does not sell GM tomatoes. We also do not have GM lettuce. Corn however is GM. I am in no way an advocate of GM foods, but I just wanted to clarify that for everyone. Personally I only buy organic and non GM foods, even if it cost twice as much.

So just cause you are vegan it doesnt mean that you have to purchase organic vegies. sorry for the long spiel.

 

[ClemmyOddieIndy]

I just wanted to say, there is a very big difference between organically grown and conventionally grown crops (where they use pesticides and herbicides etc) vs genetically modified foods. As far as I know (and I am a geneticist working with food crops, but by no means am I calling myself a guru in this) we do not have tomato plants with fish genes in them. There was a GM tomato back in early 90s that made the tomatoes ripen slowly, and that was actually a modification of a tomato gene. Years later a breeder was actually able to knock the fast ripening gene out by conventional breeding means. As of today i believe that the US does not sell GM tomatoes. We also do not have GM lettuce. Corn however is GM. I am in no way an advocate of GM foods, but I just wanted to clarify that for everyone. Personally I only buy organic and non GM foods, even if it cost twice as much.

So just cause you are vegan it doesnt mean that you have to purchase organic vegies. sorry for the long spiel.

Good to know. I attend an "Ag" university, and most of my friends and acquaintances are Sus Ag people. I am not in Ag or Sus Ag, but I have taken a few courses that were co-listed and in one they talked about tomatoes having fish genes. But, it wasn't taught by a geneticist or biologist.

 

[PhinniePig]

@ClemmyOddieIndy - Maybe they have GM tomatoes with fish genes, but they were never available in stores. Either way I prefer not to eat any GM until it has been sufficiently tested for effects on people, animals, and the ecosystem.

 

[BudgetBunny]

Two of my favourite vegan cookbooks are 150 Vegan Favourites by Jay Solomon and Chloe's Kitchen by Chloe Coscarelli. Both have several very quick and easy recipes that for the most part don't take any funky ingredients. Being vegan, I find there's always at least one recipe I have all of the ingredients for already in the house! When I first moved out on my own the only thing I knew how to make was pasta and now I feel much more at ease in the kitchen thanks to easy but delicious recipe books like these!

 

[jessieisabel]

I used to think I could NEVER go vegan, and here I am now, a vegan foodie (not quite vegan product wise yet - I can't afford to get rid of all my old products and replace them.)

One of my absolute favourites is spaghetti primavera! The only non-vegan things in this recipe are the butter and parmesan, but I use vegan margarine and cut out the parmesan, and it works just fine! I also don't include the asparagus because I find it to be too much of a hassle, or the crushed red pepper. (That's really just my personal preference though).
It's basically just spaghetti with basil and veggies, super easy!!

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons vegan margarine
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut lengthwise into matchstick thin strips
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed with garlic press
1 package (16 ounces) spaghetti
1 bag (16 ounces) broccoli clowerets
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, chopped

1. In nonstick 12-inch skillet, melt 2 tablespoons vegan margarine over medium heat. Add carrots and onion, and cook until tender and golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring.

2. Meanwhile, in large saucepot, prepare spaghetti as label directs.

3. To carrot mixture in skillet, add broccoli, asparagus, crushed red pepper, salt, and 1/2 cup water; heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook until vegetables are tender, 6 to 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.

4. Drain pasta, reserving 3/4 cup cooking water. Return pasta to saucepot. Add basil, remaining 2 tablespoons vegan margarine, and reserved pasta cooking water; toss well. Add vegetable mixture and gently toss again.

(Nutritional info available if you'd like)

This goes absolutely great with pesto, which is also in this recipe book;

Ingredients:

2 cups basil, firmly packed (if this adds up to be too much basil for you, just don't use any in your spaghetti)
1 small garlic clove, peeled.
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt.

1. Wash basil well, pat dry.

2. In food processor with knife blade attached (I used a blender and didn't have a problem), blend all ingredients until smooth, stopping processor and scraping down bowl occasionally.

3. Mix in with spaghetti when you add vegetable mixture.

Recipes from "Family Vegetarian Cooking" by Good Housekeeping

I also have a few baking recipes if you're interested, since you mentioned you love baking! I made the tastiest granola bars yesterday

 

[stray hares]

Lentils, beans and pulses, learn to cook those and you'll be set. Do you like curries? Curries are really easy to make and are a great way to use up a bunch of different veggies. Different curry recipes use different spices, so maybe Google different ones to work out what flavours you prefer. One of my favourite curry recipes is pretty much diced pumpkin + coconut milk + spices in a pot = yummy coconut pumpkin curry.

 

[jessieisabel]

Ouu, Minestrone Soup is also yummy! Not sure where this recipe is from, we found it a long time ago.
The thing I love about this is that you don't have to be exact in your measurements and you can throw in whatever else you'd like!

Note: Rather than the beans listed, we use two cans of mixed beans

Prep time: 40 minutes.
6 servings (1 2/3 cups each)

Ingredients:

1 can (28oz) whole tomatoes, undrained (diced also works - actually better in my opinion)
1 can (15 to 16oz) great northern beans, undrained
1 can (15 to 16oz) kidney beans, undrained
1 can (15.25oz) whole kernel corn, undrained
2 medium stalks celery, thinly sliced (1 cup)
1 small zucchini, sliced (1 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 cup cooked elbow macaroni or broken spaghetti
2 cups water
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1 extra-large vegetarian vegetable bouillon cube
1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1. In large pot, heat all ingredients to boiling, breaking up tomatoes. Reduce heat to low.

2. Cover, simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until macaroni and vegetables are all tender.

Edit: The recipe is from Betty Crockers Cookbook for Women