Need Good Vegan Recipes!

Updated on December 06, 2008
M.B. asks from Austin, TX
16 answers

I started practicing the Vegan lifestyle about 4 months ago. I am desperate for good recipes. I love to cook and have a lifetime of meat recipes that I don't use anymore. Most of the Vegetarian recipes have cheese which I am really staying away from(although I will still eat pasta). There are very few Vegan cookbooks out there as well. I would love some suggestions for cookbooks or recipes. Help!

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

So What Happened?

I can't believe how many wonderful, helpful responses I've received in less than 24 hours! Thank you so much. Now I have my work cut out for me this weekend!

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.M.

answers from Austin on

You can find a lot of recipes on http://vegweb.com/. I've loved everything I've tried from this site. You can also adapt vegetarian recipes that call for cheese by using soy or other cheese alternative products.

1 mom found this helpful

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.H.

answers from Houston on

Hi, I'm not vegan, but I've had to give up dairy due to nursing/milk intollerance of my 8 week old. There is a great website with lots of recipes. Some of the recipes are vegan, some gluten-free. Each recipe is denoted as to what it is "free" of. But, all of them are dairy free.

www.godairyfree.com

I hope this helps!

S.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

E.L.

answers from Austin on

Hi M.,

Visit vegweb.com. It is a vegan recipe website and it is awesome! I am not a vegan, but my son has food allergies to eggs and all milk products so I get alot of recipes for baked goods there. They are really good, and even my non-allergic child enjoys them.

Hope this helps,
E.
http://eliles-coloringoutsidethelines.blogspot.com/

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.T.

answers from Austin on

I am a vegetarian and had to go vegan for a while when my breastfed baby had a sensitivity to the dairy products I was eating. I made a lot of the recipes from this website while I was eating a vegan diet:
http://veganchef.com/

Best of luck, and happy eating!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.M.

answers from Austin on

Some good websites are www.theppk.com, veganyumyum.com, and www.theveganchef.com

People look at you like you are from Mars when the word veganism comes up, but it is surprisingly easy to make delicious, well balanced meals that are not composed of rice and beans. Yesterday I made a vegan pumpkin bread and vegan enchiladas. They taste like "regular" food and are yummy. For cheese, you can buy soy cheese and rice cheese. They actually melt better than the fat free regular cheeses I was using before I started keeping vegan at home.

Is your son eating vegan, too?

Feel free to message me if you want actual recipes, I'm happy to send you some.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.B.

answers from Austin on

Hi M.!
Congrats on going Vegan. I'm not sure where you have looked for vegan cookbooks, but there really are a bunch out there. One of my favorite cookbook author's is S. Kramer www.govegan.net, she's got 4 books out and they are all amazing. My omnivore husband has enjoyed just about everything I've made from her books. There is also Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan With A Vengence cookbook which is also good.
I've also found that VegNews magazine usually has some good vegan recipes in it. I believe they sell them at Barnes & Noble so you can check it out instead of committing to a whole subscription.

Hope that helps!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.B.

answers from Austin on

Hey M.,

I know you have already gotten some great responses but please check out this blog. She has recipes on there and I have fallen in love with all of her info. Best of all, she keeps things simple and has great ideas for kids. My 2.5 year old daughter really likes her vegan recipes.
Good luck!
http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

R.M.

answers from Houston on

M.,

I started cooking vegan when I was trying to get pregnant and I now have a 3 1/2 month old little girl. That chinese medicine doctor knew her stuff. I've fallen off the wagon a bit, but here's a couple...Hang in there and good luck! - R.

Pesto Pasta w/ Peas:

2 medium tomatos, diced
1 cup fresh basil, chopped,
1 package (10 oz.) frozen peas
1/4 cup basil pesto
pasta (I like to use spinach linguine)
salt & pepper

1. Prepare pasta as label directs.

2. In a small bowl combine tomatos, basil, 1/8 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper & set aside.

3. Put frozen peas in a collander, drain hot pasta over peas, toss pasta & peas with pesto and top with tomato mixture.

Note: If you want to get fancy you can add sauteed spinach, mushrooms and bell pepper to the mix too. I just chop them up and sautee them in olive oil and dump them in with the tomato mixture. It's easy if you don't mind the chopping time and if you do, make it without!

Here's another veggie heavy one that I haven't tried but looks great for the fall! I think I got it from www.recipes.com while I was in Argentina. They have a terrific website that allows you to look up recipes based on things you don't want included. Helpful if you are giving up dairy.

Roasted Vegatables

1 small butternut squash, cubed
2 red bell peppers, seeded & diced
1 sweet potato, peeled & cubed
3 Yukon Gold potatos, peeled & cubed
1 red onion, quartered
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
2 tbsps fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsps basalmac vinegar
salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 475 C

2. Combine squash, bell pepper, sweet potato & Yukon Gold potato. Seperate red onion into pieces and add.

3. In small bowl, stir thyme, rosemary, olive oil, vinegar, salt & pepper. Toss with veggies till coated. Spread on large roasting pan.

4. Roast for 35 - 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or until veggies are cooked and browned.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

P.B.

answers from Houston on

Hey M., I have a great lentil soup recipe. it's very simple. Here it goes...

(Hope you can work without measurements)

Cook the lentils in water with salt. Meanwhile, saute minced garlic, chopped onion and tomatoes for about 7 minutes. When the lentils are cooked, add the saute vegetables and boil for about 10 minutes or until the flavors are well combined. You may also add grind cumin and black pepper to the lentils soup before it boils.

This soup is delicious, nutritious and easy to make - if you cannnot cook without measurements, let me know and I'll send you measurements. I also have a lentil/pasta salad with cherry tomatoes and chives. If you are interested let me know.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.M.

answers from Houston on

We go vegan once a year for Lent. I've seen good resources listed already, here are a few more;
I used to use a website called VeggiesUnite! I haven't checked it in a few years but it had a lot of vegan recipes that were easy.
The Voluptuous Vegan; good recipes but a bit on the exotic side (i.e. chickpea crepes with wild mushrrom, roasted cauliflower, and chickpea filling; fennel and asparagus salad with beets; smoky chestnut and sweet potato soup).
Vegetariana; good recipes, they appeal to me more I think because of the simpler ingredients overall (fettucine alfredo with mushrooms and basil; crisp sesame vegetables; chili lentil and rice pilaf). The author, Nava Atlas, has a warm writing style, inserting "wit and lore" about different foods and clever illustrations. There is a chapter for eggs and cheese and some of her other recipes do include dairy products.
Tofu Cookery; good basic book for tofu beginners.
Food for Paradise; this is a church cookbook and can be ordered from Orthodox Church of St. John the Russian, 16 Mt. Pleasant Ave., Ipswich, MA 01938. My copy cost $12 plus shipping and handling but that was several years ago. This is designed for the monastic fasting for Lent which prohibits meat, dairy and fish with a backbone but allows shellfish. So there is a lot of vegan. The last chapter has recipes for "festive foods", traditionally served at Easter (kulich (sweet bread) and cheese pascha).
One other cookbook is I think called the Lenten Cookbook. It can be found at St. Vladimir's Seminary Bookstore (or SVS Press). I believe it's similar to the previous.
Best wishes in you new lifestyle.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.A.

answers from San Antonio on

Good for you!! I have been Vegan for 5 yrs still loving it. I have a Bachelor's in Holistic Nutrition. It is not easy to eat out, and it is great that you like to cook. There are several books out there. Vegan Baking, Sinfully Vegan for deserts. World Fusion Cusine, Skinny B!$@)in the Kitch. Half Price books usually has a section of Vegan books. Also, check out your library. I can not think of them off the top of my head since I am not with my books. I would be more than happy to pass them on to you later. If you try the cheese alternative, becarefull many have casin unless they say VEGAN. I like Veganrella. I can be contacted thru my site mybiopro.com/claudia13. If you like. Ahimsa!!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.W.

answers from Houston on
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.A.

answers from Austin on

I don't have any recipes for you, but if you'd like something to pick up on the go you might want to look into Freebirds. I used to work there and the beans and rice are cooked in peanut oil and they have all kinds of veggies to top it with. Hopethis helps.
S.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.B.

answers from Houston on

I am not a Vegan but we do juice. I own the Juiceman juicer from Jay Kordich online and the Jack Lelane. I spend a few days with one and then switch cause I think they need to dry out and it lets me clean them better. I like them both. Jay Kordich has better information on recipes for different health issues and good instructions for picking fruits and veggies. It was our first juicer. The Jack Lelane juicer will let you put in pieces that are bigger and you don't have to cut so much but that never bothered me anyway. We started out with just carrot/apple. It was more apple cause we were amateurs. Then go to more carrot and less apple as your taste buds get used to the carrot sweetness. We then added parsley/beets/celery. Thats the mix we juice most. Sometimes spinach, ginger, other greens, green beens, broussel sprouts. Juicing vegetables takes a little bit to get used to but we love it and feel better.
Also we make a blend called Dopamine Shake. It helps regulate sleep and energy. It only works if you drink it in the morning.

Protein powder women 12 grams non-hydrolyzed
men 18 grams
Apple 1 small
Banana 1/2
Molasses(unsulfured) 1 tablespoon
Raw unsaltedAlmonds 5
Pure Water 4-8 oz to desired thickness
Ground Flaxseed 1 tablespoon

Thats it. It definately takes a little bit to get used to but is well worth it. After a few days you really have more energy and are sleeping better but you have to be asleep by 11 for it to work best.

God Bless

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.H.

answers from Austin on

We have a great resource in town, The Natural Epicurean Culinary Academy.
It is a macrobiotic cooking school, located near Casa de Luz, 78704.
If you sign up for their mailing list, you will recieve class offerings.
Good books are by Christina Pirello, and for desserts I like "Sweet and Natural" by Meredith McCarty...she uses no refined sugars. Books available at www.ibisbooks.com

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.D.

answers from Austin on

There's a great cookbook called "The Voluptuous Vegan". Fabulous recipes, good spices. I bought it at YogaYoga here in Austin (they have other great vegan and vegetarian cookbooks), but you can probably find it on Amazon.

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions

Related Searches