Going vegan......old style?!

sparklewing

yum yum yum yum yum.

Eating cashewnut butter on toast . Bought loads of stuff. Got the H&B vegan vitamins, B12 tablets (the multivits do have it in but I've been reading some stuff that suggests that an extra supplement is also a good idea and you can't overdose on it so decided to go for it).

Also got: cashewnut butter, almond butter, banana soy milk, some Divine mint choc, mango strips, dried cranberrys, brazil nuts, almondsm agave syrup and a nut roast mix.

Phew. It all looks so good though!

NoahsPennilessMummy

have just requested that Veganomican book from library as it had good reviews:T

penguine

NoahsPennilessMummy wrote: »

have just requested that Veganomican book from library as it had good reviews:T

I bought the book last year but haven't used it much yet. I like the look of a lot of the recipes (the oven roasted sprouts were great at Christmas) but there are quite a few which use ingredients that are difficult (or impossible) to get in the UK. I'm not sorry I bought it, as I'm a vegan and I think it's a good reference, but if anyone else is thinking about buying it I would recommend getting it from the library first to make sure you'll get lots of use from it.

As we visit family in the States once or twice a year I can usually stock up on the more unusual ingredients there!

sparklewing

I can highly recommend banana flavour Provamel organic soy milk. It is delicious!

I hate milk generally so wasn't sure about getting a replacement but banana soy milk rocks. Unfortunately you only seem to be able to buy it in teeny cartons from H&B for 50p each Can get chocolate in Sinsburys but I don't like chocolate flavoured stuff.

Is sweetened soy milk good? Is it properly sweet and does it taste nothing like milk? Milk is minging. (don't drink tea or coffee or anything so it would only be used in porridge and muesli and for drinking bleurgh). Actually is nesquick banana vegan? Must go check.

Justamum

penguine wrote: »

The only reliable sources of B12 are fortified foods and supplements. It's my understanding that B12 deficiency is very rare, but the consequences are so serious (and can be irreversible) that it's not worth risking. I take a vegan supplement that is available from the Vegan Society online shop. This page on their website has some very good info about B12:

What every vegan should know about vitamin B12

Apparently the main cause of B12 deficiency is lack of intrinsic factor in the body to assimilate it. This can happen in meat eaters too - my DH knows someone who has to have regular injections of it and he's a meat eater. It can happen as you get older.
If the body does not get much, or any, B12 it appears to 'hold on' to it and recycle it rather than excrete it.

PennyPinchingPrincess

NoahsPennilessMummy wrote: »

hi

I think I have a milk intolerance so am cutting it out of my diet.
Does anyone have any recommendations/advice about dairy free cheese esp parmesan substitutes as I eat a lot of pasta.

just about to try soya milk today....the alpro one

Parmazano is available from health food shops and the "Free From" sections of large supermarkets (usually cheaper). It's in a tub, like dried parmazan. The same company do a cheddar variety, but it's not as widely available. It's ok sprinkled on pasta, but I mainly use it to make cheese-type sauce. It's just under £1 from supermarkets, so lots cheaper than block or sliced soya cheeses.

You'll probably find with dairy replacements that you don't like the taste at first - they're not much like what they replace! Stick with it, try a few different brands, and eventually you'll get used to the taste

VeganClaire

I like the veganomigon book but have never follow a recepie exactly as it uses quite a lot of unusual ingredients (like vital wheat glutten).

I take the vegan society supplement too - I think it works out cheaper than buying all the seperate vitamins - it contains quite a few things including vit B12 and vitD.

I also use the mooncup - have mine about a year now and find it very comfey. The first time I tried to remove it I thought it was stuck :eek: was fine once I'd calmed down!

Does anyone have a good pancake recepie that doesn't use egg replacer? (Just realised I've run out)

penguine

Justamum wrote: »

If the body does not get much, or any, B12 it appears to 'hold on' to it and recycle it rather than excrete it.

Yes, but again although true B12 deficiency (caused by lack of B12 in the diet rather than malabsorption) is extremely rare, I think it's just not worth the risk.

This article has a lot of useful information quoting scientific sources (the author is an American MD who has recommended a vegan diet for decades because of the health benefits).

PennyPinchingPrincess

VeganClaire wrote: »

Does anyone have a good pancake recepie that doesn't use egg replacer? (Just realised I've run out)

Batter for Pancakes or French Toast

175ml (6fl oz) soya milk
175ml (6fl oz) water
175g (6oz) plain flour
2 tbsp chickpea (gram) flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbs sunflower oil
pinch of salt
additional oil for frying

Pancakes:

1. Place all of the ingredients, except the oil for frying, in a blender or bowl and blend or whisk until smooth.

2. Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan and pour a small amount of batter into the pan.

3. Fry for about a minute on each side, remove and keep warm in a low oven, repeat with more oil and batter.

In my experience, this batter is rather thick, to make thinner pancakes add more soya milk. Thick pancakes are great served with Swedish Glace (soya ice cream) and berries

French Toast:

1. Mix batter as above.

2. Coat both sides of a slice of bread in the batter.

3. Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan and fry the bread for about 1 minute each side.


The batter mixture can be kept in the fridge, mix again before using.

Based on a recipe from Viva.

fernliebee

Found tubs of vegan b12 supplement in home bargains for 99p last week. I bought quite a few of them as this is the only one that I slightly worry about. I can't remember the brand name off the top of my head and I'm currently trapped under a sleeping baby, but will let you know the name later.