Jump to content

Anyone on a plant-based diet?


Sue

Recommended Posts

I am embarking on a plant-based diet (for health reasons, not to lose weight) (following the "How Not To Die" book and cookbook)


https://nutritionfacts.org/cookbook/


This is quite a big leap for me. I rarely eat meat but do (as of now, did) eat quite a lot of fish.


I'm determined to give it at least three weeks to see if it makes a difference.


Just wondering if anybody has any fairly simple but tasty recipes which don't take too long to prep and cook? I'm finding it a bit overwhelming in terms of all the new ingredients and recipes, particularly as on bad days I am too tired to do much.


I'm OK for breakfasts, it's the other meals I'm struggling with. Beans and veg heated up in a saucepan with a few herbs and spices are going to get a bit boring after a while, I suspect ......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,


I'm no vegetarian but I don't eat a huge amount of meat...there are plenty of recipes on the internet(for free)but you can always try making nutritious veg soups, curries, pasta sauce, chillis...alot of the recipes you prob did before can be used if you just replace the meat part with something like mushroom, aubergine,courgette,quorn...it doesn't have to be too complicated...good luck!


Cheers


Bruce

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Am a fan of the Minimalist Baker https://minimalistbaker.com/, especially for sweet stuff

Anna Jones is wonderful http://annajones.co.uk/recipes (this daal is the business http://annajones.co.uk/recipe/harrods-dhal-crispy-sweet-potato-quick-coconut-chutney)

Also recommend The Green Roasting Tin by Rukmini Iyer

Have found some good stuff on the Virtual Vegan site https://avirtualvegan.com/recipe-index/

Meera Sodha for the Guardian (and her Fresh India cookbook) https://www.theguardian.com/profile/meera-sodha


Loads of vegan inspiration on instagram, if you're on there.


The closest thing I've found to meat for something that isn't super processed but you can easily just fry and have with veg on the side is smoked tofu, so I always have some in (usually the tofoo stuff). I also always keep lots of tins of beans that go well in salads (esp flageolet) and can pull together a hearty bean salad in about 5 minutes. Chickpeas also your friend.


For treats/trashy food - the Fauxmagerie for "cheese" in Brixton village, the amazing vegan build your own hotdog at Meatliquor, Vivera fake chicken pieces and burgers, Linda McCartney Sausage Rolls, Honest Burgers B12 burger.


Prep helps - e.g. make loads more than you need when you do cook something and then freeze it for when you're too tired to faff about making daal...


Gave up meat years ago, dairy and eggs about two years ago, and fish/seafood in Jan. Not bored yet. I could go on for ages, if you get stuck and want more recipes just ask. My triumph is an extremely good and completely vegan quiche (the trick is to mix gram flour and tofu...).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks all! Very useful, you are all stars!


I'm particularly intrigued that MeatLiquor has a vegan option.


Haven't been there for ages, but I'm sure they didn't have that when they opened, did they?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We make quorn tikka masala and it's great! takes literally ten mins, serve with rice (10 mins) or naan bread (3 mins in oven). We use the quorn fillets and cut them up rather than the quorn pieces and buy a jar of sauce.

Cheap, easy, fast an nutritious and you can add any veg you like.


There are so many sites - it really depends on the types of food you like/ want to try..... just go online and look around.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MrsMcC Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Nothing wrong with the site Sue, must have just

> been bad timing!



Yes, I didn't really think the site could have crashed it! Well, not crashed exactly, but the cursor disappeared and the up and down keys didn't work either, so I was a bit stuck.


Googled it on my phone but none of the supposed solutions worked.


It was fine after I turned it off and on again :)) :)) :))

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ive been vegan almost 2 years and my go to book is BOSH it gives you a list of all the things you need to have in the store cupboard. Initially it is expensive to buy all the spices etc but once you have a stock of them you can rustle up a meal in no time, everything I've tried from the book is a winner. I would never go back to meat now as I realise that it does nothing to enhance the flavour of a meal. As for lacking iron and protein , the ones all the non vegans seem to think you must be lacking, I have just had a full body check up and all my levels are normal and cholesterol has gone down to 3.2 . I am also in remission from cancer ( no, I'm not claiming it was because of plant diet) I just want to give myself best chances.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would second the recommendation for The Green Roasting Tin! Fresh India by Meera Sodha is also great.


In terms of general advice, I?d recommend investing in a tofu press - makes tofu nice and firm allowing it to soak up flavours (and stop resembling scrambled eggs!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

KidKruger Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I?m not sure if Quorn is soya basically, but the

> idea of inventing ?veggie? food when it should be

> (wait for it) VEGETABLES always struck me as

> funny.



Not sure if Wiki is the best source of info, but for what it's worth:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quorn



I've tended to avoid quorn in the past because of the fungi/mould aspect ..... will need to do some further research. Don't recall it being mentioned in the "How Not to Die" book (now my bible .....)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For an easy and tasty substitute, I use lentils, usually tinned green sometimes mixed with the more expensive black beluga ones instead of mince in cottage pie and bolognese. Just add them in after you've cooked up the usual mix of onion/garlic/celery (personally I don't add carrots as they are pure evil)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

katanita Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Tofoo say you don't need to press theirs, and it

> does seem to be quite firm without it. What I'd

> really love to find is a plastic free source of

> tofu though, so if anyone finds one, please share!



Yeah, Tofoo is already quite firm - I can never seem to find it in the shops though! You also can use the particular press I had to make your own tofu, which I?m not quite brave enough to do yet but might help on the plastics front.


I?ve just bought Bazaar by Sabrina Ghayour - her other books are great so have high hopes for this as a solely plant based one...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

KidKruger Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I?m not sure if Quorn is soya basically, but the

> idea of inventing ?veggie? food when it should be

> (wait for it) VEGETABLES always struck me as

> funny.


Yeah... but.. just because someone has decided to go veggie/vegan doesn't mean that they might not occasionally miss an old favourite meat dish. It probably isn't something you'll eat every day, but now and again, why not.


Seitan seems to be used a lot these days.. tried some a while ago, it kind of reminded me of doner kebab meat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I successfully use red lentils. Tinned lentils are expensive. Red lentils are very inexpensive and easy and fast to cook. They pretty much turn to mush, but are great for Bolognese style sauces, chillis, soup and Dahl. Can even make pate with them.


I think brown lentils are much nicer than the ordinary green ones. I will cook those from scratch. The dark Green Puy lentils are great but expensive.


-------------------------------------------------------

> For an easy and tasty substitute, I use lentils,

> usually tinned green sometimes mixed with the more

> expensive black beluga ones instead of mince in

> cottage pie and bolognese. Just add them in after

> you've cooked up the usual mix of

> onion/garlic/celery (personally I don't add

> carrots as they are pure evil)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another good source of protein is quinoa. I hated it for ages but recently learned that you're meant to rinse it before cooking otherwise it can be bitter and this has made all the difference. Love the stuff now. Can get it in bulk at 2 Girls Cafe, Peckham, the red quinoa is good to bulk up salads etc and has a nice nuttiness.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • Earl, the devil is always in the detail and the detail very much suggests it is not disingenuous nonsense - what is disingenuous are some of the headlines concocted by the pro-cycle lobby to present a good news story.  More often than not a lot of the pro-cycle headlines have been "selectively plucked" to create a story and you highlight a very real example of that.   We have discussed previously the claim that there are now more cyclists in the City/Square Mile than motorists (which was always a correct but slightly misleading headline as cars never really returned to the City after the bomb checkpoints were put in decades ago) - it is also important to note that walking is still the main mode of transport within the Square Mile by a country mile (although at the time of the report at 80% of pre-pandemic levels). And the claim of a "massive jump" in cycling - look at the figures - even in the City (which has become the poster-child for the pro-cycle lobby on the basis of that more cycles than cars headline) the very report that gave that selectively plucked headline showed a very different story that cycling was at 102% of pre-pandemic figures. https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2023/03/01/cyclists-now-outnumber-motorists-in-city-of-london/   Attached are the actual numbers from the report presented to the City of London Corporation which tells a very different story from the headlines. You can find it here: https://democracy.cityoflondon.gov.uk/documents/s182959/Appendix 6 Transport Trends Graphs and Charts.pdf  But yes, cyclists do now outnumber motorists in the City of London that is correct but for all of the investment in cycling infrastructure and sacrifices made to bus lanes etc would one have not expected a bigger jump in cycling in the City? Often the headlines are written by the pro-cycle lobby to distract people from the fact that the boom in cycling (as a proportion of all journeys) is just not materialising despite the huge amount of investment to make the cycling revolution happen.  
    • Has anyone got small (4-5 foot) trees to give away? I got a couple of hazels a few years ago from someone on CP Rd but can’t recall where.  I’ve got a few (paid for) dog roses from the wildlife centre near Oglander already so am looking for other suggestions.  Thanks 
    • How about the view of the EDT from over the road  with that palm tree in the middle of  the roundabout?
    • Hi, we’ve also had an increase of about 30% with no explanation on why the council is incurring in these costs.  no water, heating bills or works planned, just regular maintenance. It would be great to share information here on how things develop because if this continues to happen each year, services charges will be impossible to keep up with. 
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...