Forums: January 2011 Kickstart Forum: 1st time...need advise!!!
Created on: 01/03/11 02:37 PM Views: 3139 Replies: 14
mrich2006 Joined: 01/03/11 Posts: 4	1st time...need advise!!! Posted Monday, January 3, 2011 at 2:37 PM Of course, this is my first time attempting to crossover to the Vegan side. I am excited about recovering what poor eating habits and stress has taken from me...my energy and health. I plan to do my grocery shopping this afternoon. But before I do, I need to know which is best name brand of the following to purchase... 1. yogurt 2. breakfast sausage 3. hummus (trying this for the first time) 4. cold cereal oatmeal 5. milk 6. salad dressing 7. egg substitute 8. cheese substitute 9. tofu Thank you so much! And best wishes to each of you.
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winterjade Joined: 03/01/10 Posts: 11	RE: 1st time...need advise!!! Posted Monday, January 3, 2011 at 3:18 PM Well for best brands...its really personal choice, but these are the ones that I like 1. yogurt - Olympia Soyogurt..tastes ok, but I usually just dont have yogurt as part of my meals 2. breakfast sausage - I have yet to try any breakfast sausage as I limit my intake of prepared products, But you can make bean/veggie burgers and have that as a breakfast item. 3. hummus (trying this for the first time) - I buy from Save on Foods they have 2 kinds I really like: 60 pepper and Lemon Dill...I have also made my own 4. cold cereal oatmeal - I really like Natures Path products 5. milk - I use Silk Light, and for a treat there is a Silk Dark chocolate almond milk..YUM!! 6. salad dressing - I currently use Kraft fig balsamic vinegar 7. egg substitute - I use Paneriso..but use banana too 8. cheese substitute - I have yet to find a cheese that I like so I just dont use any 9. tofu - I like Sunrise Extra firm Hope this helps! Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we should dance
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Pele Joined: 01/03/11 Posts: 24	RE: 1st time...need advise!!! Posted Monday, January 3, 2011 at 3:32 PM I'm Canadian so I'm unsure if the brands will translate 1. yogurt - soyganic or I make my own (lower fat) 2. breakfast sausage - Yves 3. hummus (trying this for the first time) - most grocery stores have some in the deli (HIGH fat) or you can buy casbah hummus mix and make a bit here and there(when you know what consistency it should be anyway that might take experience) or follow the recipe of the site. This week I'll just be using casbah mix. (it's 3% more fat than the recipe on this site though) 4. cold cereal oatmeal - Something high fiber (3g per serving) low sugar with no toy in the box is usually good. All Bran for a normal line or Natural Path for a more organic/natural line makes good cereal. I like Kamut flakes and Kashi. 5. milk - So Good is my current choice (because it has a 70 cal/serv low fat kind but doesn't taste the best). I also like So Nice and Rice Dream. 6. salad dressing - I haven't found one I like, I usually just use a vinegar (rice or balsamic) 7. egg substitute - I try to use banana or apple sauce for more binding or moisture uses but store bought mix Ener-G also works. Tofu can be scrambled like eggs might be also (find a recipe for instructions on that though) 8. cheese substitute - most soy cheeses I've seen have casein in them which isn't 100% vegan. For cheese flavor I use bob's red mill nutritional yeast 9. tofu - nothing special about the brands here currently have sunrise in my frige. What matters most is the consistency (soft, med or firm) and that all depends on taste and use. Soft blends really smooth and firm can be diced into cubes or crumbled like feta.
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wen Joined: 09/08/10 Posts: 54	RE: 1st time...need advise!!! Posted Monday, January 3, 2011 at 5:23 PM hello, Pele... I would love to make my own yogurt - do you mind sharing how you make your own (lower fat) yogurt...and what equipment needed???
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cch22 Joined: 09/08/10 Location: New York State Posts: 1001	RE: 1st time...need advise!!! Posted Monday, January 3, 2011 at 8:03 PM hi mrich.. So i am thinking those recipes on the kickstart don't have most of the ingredients you asked about so we can go with that.. i am NOT knocking it.. it's a step and a good one at that. have you thought about trying some of the kickstart recipes? the carrot soup and confetti couscous are VERY good; as is the hoppin john salad. I am new to vegan also.. sept 10.. i haven't tried yogurt, breakfast sausage, egg substitute, or cheese sub... well i guess i have added applesauce to recipes instead of eggs.. does that count? i use nutrional yeast.. but to my taste it is nothing like cheese.. in fact, unlike cheese, i used too much once and could barely eat the dish. hummus we found tribe is good.. lots of flavors..we like red pepper... good on chips, crakers, in a sandwich..on burgers.. hubby never used to like it, but he loves horseradish hummus on a veggie burger. (yep i had to replace burgers) other hummus was just as good. .. i am considering making my own.. (cheaper) or maybe even roasting chickpeas with chili powder.. sounds good.. cold cereal oatmeal? huh? is there cold ceral made of oatmeal? if it is cereal we like kashi 7 grain...if it is oatmeal we use the long cooking.. milk.. i like unsweetened ORGANIC soymilk either vanilla or regular. I actually prefer soymilk to cow milk. unsweetened and organic being the important parts... i have got walmart brand, silk.. whatever is on sale... honey loves the chocolate almond milk.. silk i think.. salad dressing.. just vinegar is fine.. but Annies organic shitake sesame is really good. tofu.. again anything organic.. btw the first time i used tofu, no one told me to drain the water off.. don't put that in your recipe.
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mrich2006 Joined: 01/03/11 Posts: 4	RE: 1st time...need advise!!! Posted Monday, January 3, 2011 at 9:44 PM Winterjade and Pele...thank you so much for the suggestions. Pele, some of the name brands you mentioned are in the US and I am anxious to try them. cch22...I am going to do my best to follow the meal plan, but some of the meal requires a lot of food I have tried and don't like. However, I am not going to allow it to prevent me from participating in the vegan kickstart program. The list I post are ingredients for other Vegan recipes I found on the internet to replace the ones on the menu I do not like. Blessings.
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winterjade Joined: 03/01/10 Posts: 11	RE: 1st time...need advise!!! Posted Monday, January 3, 2011 at 10:16 PM mrich, just a note, that if you dont like an ingredient you can always replace that item with something simular, for example tonight I made southwest beans and greens, but I am not a fan of kale..I know Yikkes! but I picked up some red chard instead and it turned out great! Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we should dance
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cch22 Joined: 09/08/10 Location: New York State Posts: 1001	RE: 1st time...need advise!!! Posted Monday, January 3, 2011 at 11:16 PM hi mrich.. oh i had not thought of that! you know as we get farther into this... perhaps we can learn what you like and lean you to recipes that you find yummy. that is even if you like to cook. or a way to twist the recipe as above that you will like. I firmly believe there are foods for everyone. It took me a while at the beginning to find a few recipes that fit the bill.. some had to be quick & easy.. some had to substitute a stand-by (burger) some new flavors (kung pao tofu) a biscuit.., a way to make pizza, and even desserts.. The above advice to switch out the veggies in a recipe sounds good. We are all here and happy to help if we can. i am happy to share recipes if you let us know cooking level, likes and interests. There are sooo many; one of the best things here is we can find out what others do to inspire us. I really liked it that one gal went to a vegan pot luck. how cool is that? new dishes all over the place.
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presentcrisis Joined: 01/03/11 Posts: 26	RE: 1st time...need advise!!! Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 10:12 AM 1. yogurt- WholeSoy & Co for flavored but Wildwood if you're getting plain 2. breakfast sausage- I haven't found any that are GF and vegan so I can't try them 3. hummus (trying this for the first time)- Tribe or Athenos brand 4. cold cereal oatmeal- I eat Nature's Path Sunrise, it's GF and made with whole grains such as quinoa 5. milk- when I drank soy milk I loved Silk light vanilla. Now I drink Silk Pure Almond Milk 6. salad dressing- Most of Annie's vegan varieties are good but not all are low fat 7. egg substitute- Ener-G works great or mashed bananas or applesauce 8. cheese substitute- Daiya is by far the best manufactured cheese replacement I have tried. And I have tried them all! I also love making my own cheese sauce out of nutritional yeast as others have mentioned. Once you're more comfortable with veganism you can try that, there are lots of recipes online. 9. tofu- Brand doesn't really matter but I do prefer refrigerated tofu over the Mori-Nu tofu in a box on the shelf. For whatever we lose (like a you or a me) it's always ourselves we find in the sea www
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presentcrisis Joined: 01/03/11 Posts: 26	RE: 1st time...need advise!!! Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 10:12 AM Cheese- I can't believe I forgot about Parma. I guess when I see cheese substitute my mind always goes to slices and shredded "cheese". Parma is great if you can find it or order it offline. It's a sprinkle cheese like parmesan. The Chipotle cayenne flavor is my favorite but I like the others as well, if you're not into spicy food. Parma is raw and organic and made from walnuts, spices, nutritional yeast, and sea salt. It's great on pasta, salads, popcorn, rice, beans...whatever you can think of! For whatever we lose (like a you or a me) it's always ourselves we find in the sea www
	Edited 01/04/11 1:22 PM Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom
mrich2006 Joined: 01/03/11 Posts: 4	RE: 1st time...need advise!!! Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 6:17 PM Hello everyone! Winterjade...that is exactly what I am doing. I have never tried Kale. But I plan to give it a shot. Anyway, thanks for the support. I really appreciate it. As for today's Dinner salad, my choice of bean is Pinto and I replaced Kale with Spinach..yummy. cch22...hi there! Swapping recipes would be great! I am just beginning to love cooking. I can't wait to try Tofu. I hope I like it. Is preparing tofu simple or complicated? I will love your advice on how to prepare it. Presentcrisis...thank you for sharing. I found a breakfast meat. The name brand is Morningstar. I haven't tried it yet, but I was told its really good. If you like Chicken before becoming a vegan..Quorn is a name brand that make meatless chicken patties and chicken nuggets. I promise you, it really taste like chicken. I bake them instead of microwave....delicious! I have to admit...I love cheese, so thank you for letting me know what brand you use...I will look for it. Again, thank you for helping me out. Hugs to each of you.
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cch22 Joined: 09/08/10 Location: New York State Posts: 1001	RE: 1st time...need advise!!! Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 6:39 PM Hi mrich, oh.. so sorry to burst a nice bubble.. i will give you the information and you can decide on how to proceed. Unfortunately Quorn is not vegan. It has small amounts of egg white and milk products. sorry for that.. i had thought of those products at first too. http://www.quorn.us/FAQs/ Tofu doesn't taste like anything really. It tastes like whatever you put on it or cook with it. The important thing most recipes don't tell you.. is to drain the water off. I made a veggie lazagna with tofu as the cheese.. mashed it up, added some soy milk, a small amount (1/3-1/2cup) of nutrional yeast, and put in the spices i normally put into lazagna. tofu can also be used to make pudding.
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DianeJ Joined: 01/01/10 Posts: 134	RE: 1st time...need advise!!! Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 7:06 PM Some of my faves....(and a disclaimer...not all are totally "healthy", i.e. low fat, low sugar, etc, and I have not reviewed the meat subs for ingredients, I have not been a strict vegan in the past, am now trying to minimize processed things and stick to more whole foods, but just for the ideas...) Wholesoy yogurt, esp. the cherry flavor Almond Breeze plain almond milk- I use for everything EArth Balance vegan butter sub. Silk Coconut milk coffee creamer-plain( is not coconut flavored) Organic extra-firm tofu-any brand Morningstar sausage patties(only the patties, either original or maple-May NOT be vegan) but good! Hummus- make your own- too easy egg sub- for baking- 1 tbl ground flax seed in 3 tbl warm water- let sit for a few minutes cheese- Toffuti YELLOW Label cream cheese sub- is vegan and non-hydrog. Use on sandwiches, bagels, makes a killer cream cheese frosting for non-dieters. salad dr.- make- olive oil, choice of vinegar, dijon mustard, maple syrup or agave n. and spices. cereal- homemade granola, rolled organic oatmeal
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idealady Joined: 01/04/11 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 27	RE: 1st time...need advise!!! Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 8:58 PM Hello, mrich, I second the suggestion of Annie's Organic Sesame Shitake dressing. However, it has approx 13 grams of fat per tablespoon. So I pour off about 80% of the fat layer (on top) before using it as a dressing. Trader Joe's makes a Berry Mango Bran Muffin that is vegan-friendly (no egg), lower-cal, very tasty, and less expensive than other premade 4-muffin packs. I cut them in half and freeze them til needed. The confetti couscous salad is really terrific but I made too much. (Husband is not participating in the program and declines to try it so far.) Future suggestion: Would be great if the program could have a dial X servings and automatically adjust the amounts for the recipe.
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cch22 Joined: 09/08/10 Location: New York State Posts: 1001	RE: 1st time...need advise!!! Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 9:08 PM om gosh!! thanks for pointing out the fat content in amy's dressing.. !! i really didn't look at it.. i looked at the ingredients..said i can eat it.. then tasted and said yummy.. reminder to me to watch it. just cause it's vegan doesn't mean i can use all i want and not have to watch it.. oh well live and learn.. i do like just plain ole vinegar too.. balsamic, rice, garlic rice vinegar. all good. .. but i have learned that salad with no dressing at all is good. really.. try it...
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