Vegan Meals

People often wonder what types of vegan meals are available and how varied the diet or lifestyle actually is. The base questions is, "What do vegans eat?" To the surprise of many, a vegan can enjoy a rich and varied diet that incorporates tasty, nutritious selections. Fear that a vegan diet is just a handful of nuts and fruits is happily unfounded. In fact, vegans eats all types of food as long as it has not come from an animal source. This means that a vegan eliminates foods from the meat or first food group than includes poultry or dairy. This also includes honey.

While this may seem extremely restrictive to the non-vegan, it leaves a vegan with a rich choice of pulses, legumes, vegetables, fruits, and nuts plus the many soy derived protein sources. With a little imagination and creative thought, a variety of interesting and exciting vegan meals can be prepared.

Vegan meals needn't differ that much from 'traditional' meals. Here are some examples:

• Salads – instead of adding cheese, eggs, fish or meat, try adding slices of marinated tofu or some slices of vegan cheese. Make a creamy dressing using soy yogurt and white vinegar.
• Scrambled eggs – substitute tofu for eggs and add a little soy milk to give it a creamy texture. This works very well when served on slices of thick vegan toast spread with an olive oil based margarine.
• Pasta dishes (check that the pasta is made without eggs) – rich tomato and vegetable sauces are all perfect with pasta. Add soy cream to add richness if required. A sprinkle of nutritional yeast over the top is not only nutritious, but it is also a great Parmesan cheese substitute. Try making a green lentil lasagna. The texture of the lentils makes this a tasty dish. Make a white sauce using soy milk.
• Burgers and sausages – there are many vegetarian burgers and sausages suitable for vegans. If these are purchased from a takeaway or restaurant, check that they do not come served with mayonnaise and cheese. Vegan burgers and sausages are widely available frozen, and are useful to have on hand for a quick vegan meal.
• Traditional roasts – many people wonder where the traditional celebration roast would be without the meat. Ask many vegans or vegetarians, however, and roasts without the meat but with all the vegan trimmings is an all time favorite. It is surprisingly easy to give a vegan alternative to the traditional meat roast. Think along the lines of vegetables roasted in olive oil, cauliflower au gratin made with a white soy milk sauce, carrots or swede mashed with a little soy cream and enriched with a dash of olive oil, a red wine 'gravy' to name just a few dishes that are good for vegans and non-vegans alike. Add to this a dish of vegan stuffing made from breadcrumbs and ground nuts that could also double as a nut loaf and this makes a wonderful alternative to the traditional holiday roast.
• Pizza – pizzas without cheese are often the best bet for vegans when eating out. There are, however, an increasing number of vegan cheese alternatives available and some of these are now being used commercially to produce frozen and takeaway pizzas. When making a pizza at home, load it up with your favorite vegan pizza toppings. Many people won't even miss the cheese, but if they do substitute a vegan cheese product!

There are a wide variety of meat substitutes suitable for vegans. These range from traditional foods that have been eaten for hundreds of years in various cultures, such as tofu, through a wide range of scientifically developed foods. These products provide an excellent alternative to meat and are extremely versatile. They typically are also a good source of protein which is important to those eating a vegan diet. Many meat substitutes are as easy to use as meat and someone who is familiar with cooking a mince dish using minced meat will easily adapt to cooking the same dish with minced TVP (textured soy protein).

Not all meat substitutes are vegan and this is important to watch out for. Many Quorn products, for instance, are derived from eggs and some other brands and products may be seasoned with non vegan seasonings such as cheese powder.

Vegan meals can be extremely varied, interesting and tasty. There are a surprising number of meals that adapt quickly and easily to the vegan lifestyle and many new vegans are often surprised at how simple it is to adapt.

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