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Original poster

Vegan-Vegan friendly MNetters- the new thread-sign in here!

743 replies

anyabanya · 15/06/2010 10:02

Hi Vegan and vegan-friendly MNetters!

Just wanted to know if anyone was out there and wanted to form a support thread- to talk about food/ veganism, 'stuff' in general.

I am late 30s, have been an on and off vegan for about 6 years, and after a hiatus of about 9 months or so am back 'on'. I adore cooking with a passion, and love reading food blogs and vegan food blogs.

I would very much like to exchange thoughts/tips/frustrations with anyone else out there!

OP posts:
jammyscone · 31/05/2011 20:39

Thanks CakeandRoses :)

I made a couple of lemon drizzle cakes a few weeks back. Did you poke holes in your cake before pouring lemon syrup over, and if so did you think it made the cake sink? I'm thinking of making a 'poke cake' (sponge cake, poke holes in, pour over still liquid jelly - have just bought some strawberry jelly crystals for this purpose!), but not sure if vegan cake doesn't stand up quite so well to poking or it's just because I did it while they were still hot before...

jammyscone · 31/05/2011 20:40

re. tahini - which type are you getting? I find the dark stuff quite bitter, but got some of the light (which I think comes from hulled sesame rather than uhulled) yesterday and it wasn't bitter at all.

CakeandRoses · 31/05/2011 21:01

Light tahini but i still find it bitter. how do you usually use it?

i did try one recipe which involved fried cauliflower and that was gorgeous so must dig that out again

yy, i poked holes in it. it didn't sink. it had cooled quite a lot by then as i only decided on the syrup part after about 20 mins. it is pretty sticky and moist but the reviews on Jamie's version say this is what's his is like so i don't think it was the veganicity of my cake!

NoHunIntended · 31/05/2011 21:30

Mmm, biscuits! :) Will make some soon!

AF back after 10 weeks, Penguin!!! Wow! Well, DS is not quite eight months, and still no sign here. Thanks for your story too, Cake. All encouraging. My mum was still BFing me when she got pg with my DB (20 months between us). Fingers crossed it will happen soon. I am getting on a bi! :)

Anyone considering going to www.vegancamp.co.uk? We have a busy year planned with home renovations (meaning DH is aiming to put most of his time off work into doing work on the home, so not much time left over for holidays), but are not ruling it out. I am not a dog fan though, and the thought of camping with dogs running about does actually make me anxious. Anyway, just putting it out there! Not been before, but now we have DS, I am keen to be more social and have him see we're not the only vegans in the village!

jammyscone · 31/05/2011 21:31

Yeah, I didn't get any complaints re. my cake, apparently there were fights for the last slice! I just didn't want it to be that flat if it shouldn't have been.

Last night I fried up an onion, some mushrooms, cooked some broccoli then added that and stirred in tahini and some almond butter (then some leftover hummus I'd forgotten about) and had it over rice noodles so any bitterness may have just got lost in all that, I suppose. I may have to go and have a straight spoonful now just to check it out! :D

When I've made a sauce for falafel I've generally added garlic and lemon juice and thinned it down a bit with water.

NoHunIntended · 31/05/2011 21:34

jammy, that sounds delicious!

jammyscone · 31/05/2011 21:34

NoHunIntended I'd like to get to vegancamp if I can, but I'll be cutting it a bit fine, it's only a month before my due date, so not sure how I'll feel about camping at that point! More likely to make it the year after, especially as I've been meaning to go for ages and never quite got there.

NoHunIntended · 31/05/2011 21:36

Ooh, so exciting! Maybe see you and your new baby next year then!

PenguinArmy · 31/05/2011 21:37

I've never heard of vegan camp before, money will be tight and we move back to the UK on the 2nd Aug but I shall consider it

PenguinArmy · 31/05/2011 21:38

jammy you'll be fine I was still climbing and hiking a month before. I'll be 7 months by then I think. You can borrow DD for the day as practice if you want [hopeful]

jammyscone · 31/05/2011 21:42

Hehe, nice try PenguinArmy! :)

I think they offer concessions based on what you can afford, if that's any help (I could be imagining it, but worth checking out anyway).

Have just thought of another thing I used to make with tahini, which was chocolate spread - just mix up some sugar, cocoa powder and tahini in a saucepan until the sugar has melted. Can't remember proportions or if I added anything to thin it (maybe some soya milk or water?) but it was yummy! One of the many reasons I didn't lose any weight when I switched over - that and living on chips and smoothies based on coconut milk and jam!

CakeandRoses · 03/06/2011 12:25

the choc spread sounds good jammy. not bitter at all?

smoothies of coconut milk and jam?! Grin

i found an interesting recipe for a greek cake using tahini if anyone's interested?

had a super-yum dinner of veggie sausage, bean and red wine casserole with french bread last night. have left-overs for lunch soon which always makes me happy!

a friends just made 40 vegan cupcakes for a party we're off to later (her son is egg/dairy-intolerant so she's been using lots of my recipes Smile. Can't wait !

NoHunIntended · 09/06/2011 23:03

That chocolate spread sure does sound peculiar - but healthy with the tahini.

What is Greek cake? Anyway, always interested in vegan recipes, so do share please!

Hope you enjoyed the 40 cupcakes! :)

TimeWasting · 13/06/2011 11:16

Hello vegans!

I was vegan for a few years when younger but went omni due to I guess a desire to eat the same dinners as DH. He's not very keen on vegetables. Hmm A lack of variety in my meals didn't help and I think I was a little low on omegas as it was oily fish craving that took me back to omnivorous eating.
I've tried again a couple of times, but having to cook two dinners is a pain. And now we have DS that would be three separate dinners.

So now, I really need to cut all dairy out. I'm sure I'm intolerant and I had to cut it out when bf DS for the first few months as he had what I think was silent reflux. I'm 5 months pg so need to have cut out the dairy before October so I can get off to a good start with new baby.
I don't like eating meat all the time and simply don't want to eat cheap meat anymore at all, but can't afford organic free-range meat.
DS won't eat red meat at all and only eats chicken in nugget form anyway. Blush
So I guess it would be easier, cheaper and healthier to simply go vegan again! Smile

Feeding DH would be a problem though. The only thing we used to be able to eat the same was jacket potato with beans. Grin
A veggie chilli might be tolerated. I could just get some cheese in for him to put on his pizza. And then some frozen breaded chicken products. Confused
I don't want him to feel I'm rejecting him by not cooking for him anymore though.

I think the biggest issue I have is when DS is out and about. He's three and has always been omni. I'm thinking that we could stick to vegan at home, and then let him have what he wants when out and about, particularly at grandparents.
We do a cooking class that I want to keep up with, so I think I'll let him eat the produce(cakes and biscuits in the main) but refrain myself.
If I find that his health or mood seem to be affected by this I would reconsider.

I'm still in the planning stages of the full switch, but am milk and yoghurt-free already which is a start. Smile

CakeandRoses · 13/06/2011 12:30

nohun this is the cake baking.food.com/recipe/tahini-cake-123962, it's a traditional Greek cake. A friend on here made it and said it's unusual, quite stodgy but moreish.

the 40 cupcakes were lovely. even better the next day was the vegan carrot cake and scones with soya cream and jam Smile

i've just seen a cheese muffin recipe in the family section of the Observer which could be made using vegan cheese, i'll let you know if i try it.

made my usual choc chip banana bread yesterday - could live on that stuff!

Hello time Smile. def sounds like yo've got a sensible plan there. you might well find that once you've entered a new paradigm (for want of a less wanky way of saying it) that you might find lots more meal in common with dh. it's much easier to think of things once you;re doing it from a position of thinking of the possibilities, iyswim?

my dh is an omni whilst our DCs and I are vegan. it works really well. dh eats vegan or at least veggie almost all the time at home (i've never cooked meat) but doesn't feel he's missing out as i've come up with meals he enjoys too. eg my mushroom, asparagus and leek risotto is one of his fave things Smile, i do a lentil and (veggie) sausage casserole he woofs down and for a quick dinner he really enjoys Linda Mc pies with mash, gravy and veg.

he eats meat when we eat out although he rarely eats red meat now and will often choose a veggie course instead Shock. This from a Yorkshireman who hated nearly all veg and lived on cheese and ham sandwiches.

CakeandRoses · 13/06/2011 12:30

link again cake baking.food.com/recipe/tahini-cake-123962

CakeandRoses · 13/06/2011 12:31

doh!! [[http://baking.food.com/recipe/tahini-cake-123962 cake!!!!]

CakeandRoses · 13/06/2011 12:31

give up! not my day for links

NoHunIntended · 20/06/2011 14:02

Aw, cakes, never mind!

Finally tried those Jus-Rol croissants - WOW! They are awesomo!!! I put chocolate chips in some of them too, pain au chocolat style, delicious!!! :)

Writergirl · 20/06/2011 21:06

BB3 now - "kill it, cut it, use it" just heard the intro - can't watch it now as I'm working. About how animal products permeate our lives.

Methinks some veganising will be going on afterwards!

mrmzholland · 20/06/2011 22:12

Hi! This is my first ever MumsNet message so be nice :D
Also I'm not a mum, I'm a dad - hope that's ok.
I'm a vegan, as are my wife and our 4yo DD. We've been vegan since about three years ago, so not when my OH was pregnant.
This seems to be a very long thread and I will read through it all when I've time, but just wanted to say hi while I'm here.
I'd be happy to answer any questions people might have.
Mattx

mrmzholland · 21/06/2011 19:06

Two sites I like:
vegandad.blogspot.com/
www.theppk.com/recipes/

NoHunIntended · 22/06/2011 18:50

Writergirl, would be great if it converts people. We live in hope.

Hello, mrmzholland. Welcome to MN, and especially to our vegan thread. Great to see another vegan family. How did you come to be vegan, and did you all go vegan at exactly the same time? How does your DD do at mainstream parties?
I have an 8mo child, so happy to hear any tips on raising vegan toddlers, anything at all!

PenguinArmy · 23/06/2011 01:09

My biggest issue with trying to raise DD vegan is that when she doesn't eat anything I get paranoid and then give her something of DHs plate Blush However, I've realised I'm just being anxious as she recently weaned. Got her weight checked and she's jumped over a centile so am vowing to stop (especially since most of the time she also doesn't eat DHs food either).

NoHunIntended · 24/06/2011 13:38

Aw, Penguin. I don't have that issue as I am so repulsed by meat and dairy, I couldn't bear to give it to my child.

Looking for vegan shoes for my DS now - any recommendations? I've only found www.greenshoes.co.uk - all handmade, and therefore pricey - and when their feet grow so fast, it seems a crazy extravagance. Am aware of Jingas too, but laces seem like a bit of a pain - any tips? He's eight months, and walking, so I need something that will give him good support, soft, pliable, etc etc. Thanks.