Adventures in Veganism: Day 3

June 15, 2008     Posted in Body, Reality

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By Abigail

Welcome to day 3 of my week eating entirely vegan.

Breakfast: Venti soy latte from Starbucks. I’m afraid of trying any syrups in my drink because I don’t think they’ll mix well with soy milk.

Lunch: Leftover vegan chili from last night (still tasty!) wrapped in corn tortillas.

Dinner: I attempt to make vegan tofu scramble. The recipe from allrecipes.com calls for canned diced tomatoes, green onions, and mashed silken tofu. I cut out the cheddar cheese from the recipe and instead I add some sliced mushrooms and red bell peppers for a little extra oomph. The finished product is watery and tasteless and the tofu adds nothing to the dish.

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I wonder if fried firm tofu would have worked better? I’m not sure if this dish was supposed to be a breakfast or a dinner, but either way it’s disgusting. I heat up some more vegan chili and eat that instead.Today’s discovery: vegan chili is amazing; vegan scrambled eggs substitute is not. If you plan on going vegan, you might want to learn how to cook first.

Anyone got some tips on good vegan recipes? I could use all the help I can get…

[photos are by lil' ol' me]

9 Comments on "Adventures in Veganism: Day 3"

  1. Natalie says:
    Sun, 15th Jun 200810:19 am 

    As long as it doesn't have egg in it, pasta is always a good option. Make tomato sauce with Diced Tomatoes and Tomato Paste. You can add onions, mushrooms, etc. Then all you need are spices and you're good to go. It's easy and the only downside is that it gets boring if you do it five nights a week.

    Get inventive with salads too. Especially this time of year, including strawberries or cherries in a salad can make it a totally different experience.

    Also, don't underestimate avacados.

  2. Isabella says:
    Sun, 15th Jun 200810:59 am 

    I get Vanilla Soy Lattes all the time and they're pretty yummy :)

  3. Joanna says:
    Sun, 15th Jun 200811:26 am 

    i like to fry up some tofu in seasame seeds or red wine or pretty much anything. silken tofu is pretty useless, i agree. firm is way more handy for cooking. i recommend flavored tofu (almond or herbs) or marinating the tofu beforehand.

  4. K says:
    Mon, 16th Jun 200811:08 am 

    Try the soy chai tea latte too!

  5. Bekah says:
    Tue, 17th Jun 20088:04 am 

    you were right about firm tofu working better! It works best if it's a bit smushed first (yeah i don't know any technical terms.. just wrap it in cloth, put it on a plate, and put something heavy on it for about 20 minutes.. then crumble it like you would with feta cheese. it won't create an egg-y taste, but the texture will be right). Also, instead of canned tomatoes, try putting in some salsa for more flavour. I also like to add in fresh herbs, as well as salt and pepper. lots of veggies are really great too.

  6. Heather says:
    Tue, 17th Jun 200810:39 am 

    Try eating some things that are already vegan, like brocolli stirfryed with some garlic and soy sauce. Also, though not all Morning Star products are vegan, I'll name three great excellent ones to get you started…

    Morning Star Steak Strips (eat with some A1)

    Morning Star Chicken (eat alone or combine with vegetarian chicken broth, now in some shop rites, for chicken soup)

    Morning Star Chopmeat – add this to any vegetarian pasta sauce for easy meat sauce)

    Remember when cooking vegan meat there is nothing to cook… the bacteria is gone and you are essentially just heating it up. It is very easy to overcook.

    Also, most italian and lithuanian breads are vegan, along with jewish breads. You should still read ingredients, but most of them are vegan. Eat these with a Smart Dog (thats the brand name, they make great jumbo dogs) or with a Boca Vegan Burger.

    Also Silk makes yogurt, which is out of this world, they have a Key Lime pie flavor that tastes like pie fillig.

    With the exception of the vegetarian chicken broth, which shoprite carries on and off, all of the things i mentioned you should be able to find in any grocery store. I hope this helps… these are some of the easy recipes that I eat.

    -Heather

  7. Heather says:
    Tue, 17th Jun 200810:41 am 

    PS something i forgot to type… only the morning star chicken strips are vegan, not the full chicken pieces.

    -heather

  8. jacob says:
    Sat, 21st Jun 20087:31 pm 

    when you make your tofu scramble try to no let any water from the tofu get in the pan thats why yours was so watery(most likely the reason anyways) cook the tofu first and mash it up so it resembles scrambled eggs then ad some turmeric for color paprika, and cayenne a little cholula is good too. then add your veggies. if there is any extra liquid in the pan you should try to drain it out. also try soyizo its fake choizo and its really good but the flavor can be a little overpowering so only use a little bit. anyways thats how i make my tofu scrambles and they are dank. oh and use firm tofu.

  9. lee says:
    Sun, 22nd Jun 20086:34 am 

    I also eat Temeph. It doesnt have any soy in it so it's a nice alternative once in a while. You can stir fry it, saute it and its very tasty. Just google Temeph, you'll get some great recipes. I also love "Amy" brand foods. great soups, and burgers. I'm not a vegan only a vegetarian but most are vegan. Just look at the label. I hate boca burgers, I think they taste aweful. Amy's is much better. Good luck!

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