Watched Dominion on youtube, looking for vegan alternatives.

[Contemplation2024]

I have also posted in chat as I didn't realise there was a vegan board so copied and pasted...

As stated, I watched Dominion and it made me sick to my stomach. It is a VERY hard watch.

I had already been contemplating trying a vegan diet because of veganuary but I didn't go through with it, now however I'm very keen.

Could anyone give recommendations on which vegan cheese would be best for mac and cheese? Also chicken replacements (my young daughter is going to try it with me and these are her favourite foods).

And just any tips or recipes you may have (including more documentaries) as I nave read that certain vitamins can be missing on this diet if you don't know what you're doing.

TIA!

You can get b12 vitamin flakes that have a cheesy flavour to sprinkle on to meals as an addition, cathedral city do a nice cheddar alternative cheese block, there's lots of other brands in the fridge plant based section and you can buy for example from tesco, tesco free from white sauce and also sacla vegan cheese flavoured white sauce with soya that would work for macaroni cheese.

The flakes mentioned are nutritional yeast. I buy mine in Asda by the Bosh brand.

I use violife cream cheese or plant based Philadelphia plus nutritional yeast and some grated vegan cheese for mac n cheese.

Birds Eye green cuisine chicken dippers or fry’s chicken nuggets are really nice. If you’re looking for plain fillets vivera do some.

Do you have a plant based butter and milk sorted? What were your favourite recipes?

Vitamin wise the vegan society sell them for adults and children https://www.vegansociety.com/shop/veg-1-supplements/veg-1-orange-180-tablets?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIr6Ke6MWEhAMVwZdQBh0A6QCsEAQYAyABEgLIDPD_BwE

It’s vits b12 and d you specifically need to watch out for.

I would also buy some excellent recipe books that have creative and tasty recipes without using fake meat/cheese.

We call Violife Vile Life in our house due to the sickly aftertaste.

Bosh have brilliant and inspiring recipes. A lot of the recipes in The Roasting Tin series books are vegan and delicious.

Vegan Mac and cheese

Preheat oven to 180.

Get about a third of a butternut squash and peel and chop into small chunks. Boil for 20 mins.

While this is cooking get enough macaroni in a pan to feed 4 and put onto boil for 15 mins. So now u have 2 pans going.

Meanwhile do your sauce using a third pan. Melt a knob of dairy free spread in a pan then add flour and oat milk until u get a sauce. It will need constant stirring on a low heat

You can add whatever you like to the sauce at this stage. I added salt, pepper, mixed herbs and nutritional yeast. Just simmer and stir until the 20 min timer is up.

Drain the butternut squash (sweet potato works well instead) but save some of the water (about a quarter). Blend the butternut squash and small amount of water until smooth then pour the whole thing into the sauce and stir until combined.

Drain the macaroni and add to a baking dish. Pour the sauce on top and add whatever you like as a topping - fake cheese, cherry tomatoes, bread crumbs, whatever.

Bake for 20-30 mins. Its delicious!

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Good buys:

Aldi coconut oil alternative to grated cheese

Oat milk

Aldi freezer section / Aldi in general has a great vegan range including tofu and soya yoghurt.

Flora plant butter

Holland and Barrett sell vegan protein powder. I have 2 teaspoons every morning whizzed together with spinach and banana.

Nuts and peanut butter.

Holland and Barrett sell vegan granola but it's expensive so you can bulk it out by adding porridge oats and mixed nuts.

I was a vegetarian for years but switched to veganism 4 months ago. I don't think I could physically watch dominion. The trailer broke my heart. I will be vegan for the rest of my life 100% and the trailer just made me more certain of that.

Watch Amanda ducks on YouTube, she's great. Good luck! I feel full of energy and so happy as a vegan and blood tests confirmed actually more iron than when I was a vegetarian! Ignore all the ignorant nutrition comments you're bound to get- perfectly possible to be healthy and happy as a vegan but I think some people don't like to admit that to themselves as then they feel guilty about their own choices.

https://www.madeleineolivia.co.uk/blog/10-min-vegan-mac-and-cheese

This is the recipe I use. DD & I both love it. I top it with Applewood smoked vegan cheese, grated, with breadcrumbs.

Kinda Co do the best vegan cheese - good mac&cheese recipe here too https://thekindaco.com/blogs/recipes/the-og-comfort-mac-and-cheese

We've found "This Isn't" chicken pieces to be extremely good for all types of meals. Plus the Richmond Char Grilled pieces are amazing, even straight from the packet.
I have to agree than "Dominion" was an extremely hard watch. I would also recommend "" which is still informative but more of an easy watch. It's also a great movie for any music fan!

Avoid supermarket own brand cheeses, we haven't found one we like yet!

Applewood smoked vegan block is nice enough to eat by itself, and available in big supermarkets
Likewise Philadelphia plant based

Kinda is also nice and fancy but not exactly like the above in that it's more like a tangy pate, and quite expensive. Delicious though!

For chicken we love aldi's hot and spicy not chicken burgers. They're breaded in a Southern fried style coating

Could also experiment with tofu, especially frozen and then thawed