Top tips for a vegan virgin!

[Holidaytan]

I’m going vegan while my DH stays very much an omnivore.

I don’t want to eat any meat ‘substitutes’ mimicking a meat or dairy product, just real, whole food that hasn’t been messed about too much, as I do currently.

I already eat lots of fresh prepared fruit and veg packed meals, but it’s so easy to grab salmon, cheese or chicken as the base of a salad, or yoghurt with fruit for a quick, tasty meal.

Are there any essential ingredients I should always have in, to make appealing meals and to help resist the lure of an animal product snack?
Do you find you need to meal plan more?

Thanks.

I’ve always done meal plans and I find that they really help make sure I’ve got all the ingredients, as vegan meals often use some unusual/obscure items that you wouldn’t necessarily have in your store cupboard at all times.
If I were you, I wouldn’t be too categorical about not eating replacement dairy products. Avoiding things like dairy free milk and spread really narrows your options and makes it harder for other people to cook for you if you were invited over. I think, in time, you’d really miss some of the things that you’d otherwise be able to enjoy, like a big bowl of porridge, buttered crumpets, pizza and macaroni cheese! Also, most of these foods are fortified with B12 and calcium.
Start with small steps, like make all your evening meals at home vegan and then your breakfast and for me, lunch was last.
Take a little time to go over the basics of plant based nutrition. Find a useful book like Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina's Becoming Vegan, or Ginny Messina and Jack Norris' Vegan For Life. At some point, someone will ask you where you get your protein (or your iron or calcium), and while you could laugh the question off, it's a lot more satisfying to give a good answer.

Sorry don't want to write a big essay this time of night but want to help .Best advise would be joining some Facebook groups and having a look at wholefood plant based YouTube channels :)
It might seem difficult at first but it really isn't

Thanks. @Fivemoreminutes1
I already drink oat milk and olive oil spread.

I only mean I’m avoiding things like fake bacon etc, that are a million miles away from an original food source.

Hi i just wanted to join in as i am in the same position as you - my DH cannot imagine not eating meat. Im unsure how to organise our family dinner without doing separate meals for each person!!

I have just finished the book - plant power doctor which was really good and ive tried a couple of recipes in there. Theres a no tuna sandwich, with main ingredient being chickpeas - honestly it was delicious!!

I would agree that staying away from vegan bacon is for the best but in a sandwich hellmans vegan bacconnaise is great!

If you want a less processed meat alternative then perhaps think about seitan, it's 100's of years old recipe that is made using flour (you can either wash regular flour or buy the vital wheat gluten flour from Holland and Barrett to save time), or tofu which is also a more natural product that you could make at home but obviously easier to buy, and is very versatile.

Falafel and similar bean based patties are good for putting in sandwiches, and you can make some vegan cheeses at home using nuts that are set with agar agar powder.

The best cheese sauce recipe is in the first wicked kitchen book and uses soaked cashews and butternut squash. Seriously amazing, better than a dairy cheese sauce!

We tend to eat a lot of curries and dahls as they are easy to batch cook and freeze, plus vegetable lasagne, lentil shepherd pie, bean chilli, lentil bolognaise etc.

Slow and steady is the best I suggest.

School Night Vegan and Jamie Oliver have some great recipes.

Some absolute crowd pleasers are:

Jamie's Smoky Veggie Chilli - fucking delicious.
www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetable-recipes/smoky-veggie-chilli/
Mushroom Risotto
Crispy Tofu Katsu
Vegetable Sushi from Waitrose/Asda Sushi Counter
Veggie Kebabs with the Vivera schwarma pieces or with vegetable nuggets (strong roots are lovely) with garlic mayo, pickled cabbage and lots of salad.
Lentil Spag Bol
Lentil Cottage Pie
Sweet and Sour Crispy Cauliflower
Jamie's Aubergine Arrabiata.