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

sleepymy

Doom_and_Gloom wrote: »

It's a shame that I'm a person that now doesn't shop at Tesco. I used to shop there but when they were so stubborn when it came to carrying on selling their cheap chickens with no thought to the animals but their profits only I had to step away. I’ve been vegan for years and knew how bad supermarkets can be but that was sickening. Constantly moving the barrier like they did as they were so worried about the profits and not even what their customers thought let alone the other implications could not escape me :mad: . I haven't shopped there since and refuse to even go in.

Don’t worry sleepymy I still have a lot of places to buy raw dates (which I’m not sure Tescos are ) and have some in at the moment. The only problem is I’m out of walnuts(raw or not for that matter) which I forgot about when I replied to you and haven’t been able to go out to get since:o . I really want to try them as well .

I never thought of them not being raw . I don't mind for myself because I'm just trying to find healthy snacks which are low gluten, yeast free, oat free and have some sort of nutritional value, and a decent amount of protein... that are easy to make... not asking for much am I

I've started on the ones I froze and they're a much better consistency, less sticky and could easily be wrapped and popped into your bag for on the run :cool:

Even though they're probably high enough in calories at least it's coming from good ingredients and probably still healthier then store bought snack bars.

ETA: I've just been handed one with chocolate swedish glace

Murrell

i have this sprouter, its ridiculously simple and works a treat. not expensive either. hth, i would definately recommend it

http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/seeds/pages/sprout.htm

Any tips on keeping the trays clean. I've used these for years, but they get grotty sometimes and I find them hard to keep hygienic. I have also bought the glass ones hoping to overcome this problem, but the plastic lid is also hard to keep clean. Any tips?

thanks
Sandra
x

twinkle_star_2

Hello everyone!

Sorry I haven't beena round for so long (don't worry joyful I'm still alive and still vegan:D). Have been having a fairly stressful few weeks and whilst I have been reading the thread every couple of days I haven't really felt lik posting anything. Hopefully, things are starting to get back to a less stressful level so I can think about food again.

I was very lucky that just before the chaos hit I'd been doing some batch cooking for my new freezer and so I didn't have to worry too much about food. I had done some basic dinners of saag aloo, lentil bolognaise, chilli, spiced lentils and chickpea and spinach curry which were very nice when I needed something instant but I'd also managed to soak and cook batches of chickpeas, green lentils and cannelini beans so that I could whip up extra meals without having to think a day ahead about soaking things (which was super helpful). I'd definitely advise this idea to anyone who regularly forgets to leave their chickpeas to soak like I do and has to change dinner plans.

I've also managed o convice my OH to go veggie (not by asking but jut by cooking him lovely vegan meals) which is an enormous step for him as he loves meat but he has said he's actually looking forward to the challenge:eek:. He's already tried mock duck and loved it (I thought it was freakish tasting and loked so much like meat it made me feel sick but each to their own). I also cooked a vegan curry last night (tofu and green bean korma) to two meat-lovers, one of who says he doesn't even like vegetables, and they loved it:j. So all in all I'm feeling quit accomplished.:rotfl:

On the subject of sprouters - I have one that looks similar to that square tray one in the link. I've leave the trays to soak in some hot water with a little bleach then give them good scrub and rinse really really well. That seems to keep them clean.

Doom_and_Gloom

Oh dear twinkle_star I do hope you are okay :grouphug: (stupid dodgy looking hug smiley :rolleyes: ). I hoped being stressed hasn’t had to big an effect on your diet. By the sound of it, it hasn’t which is great. A bit of forward planning can really make a difference such as you showed. I do hope it gets better for you .

I’m so glad your OH has decided to go vegetarian that is as you say a huge step :T . It might make a new man out of him that appreciates a different variety of foods, lol. Mock duck is rather nice but I do not have it often, last time I had it was Christmas.

I love it when I cook food and omnivores like it. I used to live in a flat share with four males and I would make vegetable soup in huge quantities thinking it would last a few days for me. Two of the guys living there would smell the soup come upstairs into the kitchen and ask if they could have some also. Never one to say no to people who are willing to try vegan food I allowed them to. They loved it and would go back for more and what should have lasted me a few days would only last the day :rotfl: . Oh well it made me feel good as it would have many vegetables they said they didn’t like it in and so never ate them but they loved my soup. They would always have some if I made it :cool: . One up for the vegetables :beer: .

I’ve been up since 6 am today and I’m having a really good day so far. For breakfast I had what is called a green smoothie (a whole litre of it too). This consisted of apple, banana, grapes, pear, orange and spinach with wheat germ, soya milk, omega oil and a bit of water also. Now I know the spinach sounds weird but trust me you do not taste the spinach in it at all, just the fruits. It is a great way to add healthy greens into your diet and indeed calcium. If you have 50g of spinach in a smoothie and 50g later on in a salad or another meal that would be 100g of spinach which is 99mg of calcium - that’s nearly 10% of you calcium requirements for a day (100mg being 10%) as well as counting as one of your fruit and vegetables !

suep

Hi Twinklestar its nice to have you back, thanks for the great tip about pre soaking and freezing the chickpeas, I would never have thought of that, Ive had a bag in my cupboard for weeks that I keep forgetting to soak the night before for meals. Would it be possible please (grovel) if you could post your recipe for spinach and chickpea curry ? someone lese mentioned having this recently and it sounds lovely.

Doom and Gloom the dodgy looking hug smilies are even more dodgier when you move your arrow (curser) over them The smoothie sounds lovely thanks for posting it.

juliapenguin

Hi there

Just wanted to say that I made the raw chocolate brownie but with mixed nuts instead of walnuts and raisins instead of dates and I forgot the vanilla. I rolled the mixture into balls and it is lovely. I will do it with walnuts and dates next time but I had mixed nuts and raisins which needed eating up.

Thanks for this lovely thread xxx

hobajay

Hi Everyone,

I've been reading this thread with great interest over the last few weeks, I'm not actually vegan but have been vegetarian for just over 2 years now and thinking more and more about taking the plunge and going vegan.

Have been reading all the delicious recipes which has inspired me to try new things as I'd fallen into a fairly repetitive and sometimes not very nutritious trend of meals including lots of pre-made veggie stuff from the freezer department of the supermarket.

Last few weeks I've made curries, soups, falafels, deserts, lasagnes and even my own bread all from scratch so feeling quite pleased with myself!

I have some meat eating friends coming over for dinner tonight (decided just last night and have been away all weekend hence lack of preparation!) and wondered if any of you might have a suggestion of something yummy to cook for them.
At the moment I'm thinking of doing a rogan josh curry with Tofu and veggies, as it's very easy/cheap and to be honest having a bit of a brain freeze of what else I can do!

Any ideas much appreciated!

Have been looking for this swedish glace every time I've been shopping lately but not seen it yet, is it only sold in health food stores? I feel like I'm missing out on something delicious!

Oh and thanks for reminding me about my sprouter tucked away in the cupboard, going to get it out now and sprout some mung beans and chick peas!

hobajay.

Joyful25

Aah, twinkle_star good to see you back, and sorry to hear you're not having the best of times. Try and rise above whatever it is, and ensure there's plenty of TLC on hand - if not in human form, then in food form :grouphug:

suep I was just about to post a 'what can I do with frozen chickpeas' question, and saw your comment so I'll look back and see what I can do with them. MIL insisted on cooking a load up for me, which was very kind but now she'll keep asking me what I'm going to do with them (don't ask).

Glad to hear the Brighton day went well - I'm hoping to go down there on Easter Monday with my vegan pal and do a food shop which doesn't involve an hour of looking at ingredients!

I've been lax of late in the cooking dept. I was busy every evening last week and the last two weekends have been busy on the house. But last night I cooked up some rice and celery to have as a base for a couple of lunches this week (think with scrambled tofu on day, and veg another day).

However, for those of you know my jaw issues since Jan, I'm now able to eat a lot more. That can have it's drawbacks though - like, I just keep eating pasta now that I can eat it, and have completely shunned soups/stews because I was getting a little sick of them. Now I'm worried I'm missing out on all the goodness I should be getting (latest panic: calcium). I also keep having seeded bread with peanut butter, and am in danger of looking like one of those two ingredients.

My lovely mum has treated me to How It All Vegan - Sarah Kramer is turning into my fave vegan. It's also a good edition as it has British 'measurements' for recipes. So I think I'm going to go for a food shop tomorrow night and see what happens.

Doom_and_Gloom you sound like you've had a great boost nutrition wise this morning, am v envious! On the back of twinkle_star's advice, I too have wandered into the foray of green smoothies, and I'm a convert.

I went to Miller and Carter last week (possibly a chain near you?) at the request of OH, and they did me a jacket with grilled veg. They also have a pasta dish which they said they can adapt for me. My meal of that and a Coke cost under £6, yet further argument that it's cheap to be vegan!

Also, anyone in the Suffolk area, I went to The Fox in Bury St Edmunds last week and although they couldn't accomodate me on the day (but I did have the best chips, so I'm not complaining) they said for me to ring ahead next time.



MOONCUP ALERT (look away if you're of a nervous disposition) I just couldn't afford to buy one this month, so for me personally the challenge is on hold til next month....

Joyful25

sparklewing wrote: »

So tempted Sue, definitely not just you. There were 24 bags of cheese and onion crisps in the cupboard from various multipacks (I was the only person who ate them before becoming vegan) I had to get Mr S to take them to his mums house cos it was only a matter of time before I cracked. I miss cheese and onion crisps more than anything else in the world. Stupid crisps companies and their stupid milk powder.

I'm with you both on this one. I made something with cheese last night for OH :sad: and before I would have said: 'one bit for the dish, one bit for Joy'. It's a lot of willpoer, but then I think of how the cheese got there. A lot of it is down to breaking habits, eh.

My sister asked me yesterday if I'd been tempted by anything, and I can honestly say it's mainly cheese I've had waves of cravings for. She was saying this as she was eating a chocolate cheesecake which looked bloody lovely.

As for crisps, I try and make sure we have a small stash of Walkers salt and vinegar or ready salted just in case.

I think I'll have a craving for sausages come BBQ time. And I'm missing wine gums, which I used to buy when I was paying for petrol and waiting to pay!

suep

Im glad Im n ot the only one thats tempted sometimes Joyful, its a good feeling whe you can resist isnt it ?

Welcome Hobajay, Im sorry I wouldnt know what to suggest, when Im stuck for meal inspiration I go through some of the vegan cookery sites that I found out about on this site. www.parsleysoup.co.uk and www.cookingforvegans are good ones, good luck, I hope you find something.

Oh Joyful, I just remembered, do you know where there are any good health stores in Brighton ? I dont live there but go there occaisionally, they have got to have more than what my rubbish local town has, we only have a H&B and the nearest town to me has a GNC which is why I have to shop online so much.

Cant remember who asked about Swedish Glace, but I got a tub of Vanilla in tescos