How long have you been vegan and what are some of your staple dishes?
I've been vegan for about 12 years (13 in January) after reading some discussions on Reddit about the theme, they hit me really hard after a beloved dog companion passed away.
I make pb&j daily, since it's so easy and yummy. I often eat beans and rice, fried rice, the most varied curries and farofa!
For the past month or so I've been making Pad Thai that I've been calling Pad Italian because I use tomato paste and lime juice instead of tamarind paste since I've never been able to find it and I use spaghetti instead of noodles because I can't find noodles that don't have egg in them. I also swapped out tofu for lentil "tofu" because tofu has gotten so expensive here.
Another one I've been loving recently is gardeners pie
I undercook lentils in veg stock then use that stock to boil some frozen veg. Then use that stock to make gravy. Blend a tin of chickpeas and mix everything together with spices/seasoning. I find thick gravy and blended chickpeas help keep the lentils sticking together so it doesn't all completely fall apart when I go to eat it.
Boil some potatoes and sweet potatoes together and mash them and put them on top and then bake it in the oven.
I've adapted the recipe a bit, I switched out hazelnuts for a mix of whatever nuts and seeds I have and I've swapped the dates for raisins with a bit of water since there are rarely ever dates in stock where I shop. I heat it up in the microwave before I eat it to melt the chocolate a bit.
Vegan for 7 months now. Not planning on ever going back. My staple breakfast is hummus toast or overnight oats with whatever fruit I get plus peanut butter and banana or carob molasses for sweetness.
Often we cook different curries at home. Oven baked vegetables like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, potatoes (sweet or otherwise) with spices also work really well. I don't make it that often but misir wat (Ethiopian lentil stew) is out of this world, you can easily make it vegan. Legume stews are on the menu at all times, and soy sauce peanut butter pasta is a guilty pleasure.
Was vegan for a year (2021 to 2022), and my go to is tempeh tacos. Season the same as regular beef tacos, just cook in water instead initially to soften, then add seasoning and some oil to fry them a little. Then add cabbage, tomatoes, vegan cheese, etc or whatever you want. For the sauce I would create a cilantro lime sauce using slivered almonds as the binder. Super easy to make and delicious.
I've been vegan now for about as long as OP. Since... 2011?
I always have mushrooms in the fridge. Always. I add them to any savoury dish basically.
I don't have that many staples in the kitchen, I buy stuff that's on sale. That's what's for dinner that day. I like all the replacement meats. I definitely don't eat healthy xD
chili:
1 cup dried pinto beans
1 cup dried navy beans
1 cup dried lentils
1 cup dried or canned corn
Garlic, granulated or fresh
Onion, dehydrated or fresh
10 cups of water
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
2-4 tbsp ground cumin (by bulk bags online for $7 instead of overpriced jars in store and grind yourself with a cheap Mr. Coffee)
10 tbsp or to taste of vegetable better than bouillon
Black pepper, chili powder, paprika to taste
Put in instant pot, pressure cook normal for 45 minutes, natural steam release, switch to slow cooker on low until meal time. Serve over rice, with corn chips, in burritos, etc.
Black bean soup:
1 pound dried black beans rinsed
1 large onion peeled and diced
2 medium bell peppers seeded and diced
2 quarts vegetable broth
1/3 cup Franks Cayenne Hot Sauce
6 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper
Combine in instant pot, pressure cook normal for 45 minutes, natural steam release. When done, use immersion blender until smooth.
Also lots of pan grilled tofu cutlets with various sauces, avocado toast on rye bread and a balsamic glaze, and black coffee. Coffee's a meal, right?
I do a lot of curries. My go to recipe right now is Japanese golden curry, with potatoes, onions, and carrots, and I do a few vegan sausages for the protein.
I used to love BLTs, so now I do them with smoked tofu, and it really scratches the same itch. Just slice the tofu, flakey salt, and fry in oil.
Also, probably more vegan sausage than is healthy. XD;
Chickpea of the sea sandwiches are my goto when I'm wanting something quick and easy. I pulse canned chickpeas on high in vitamix. Its way easier and faster then smashing them by hand.
equal parts water and oil to cover the bottom of a cold pan with a lid. salt the cabbage wedges then place in the pan and cover over a medium heat, 200c. use your nose to decide when to flip till both sides are golden brown.
ive burnt them and they’re still great once they cool.
Over 20 years here. Lots of things with rice: curries, stirfries, lentils, beans. I get a delicious mushroom burrito from my favorite taco truck a few times a week.
I really like autum, so I can cook my favorite pumpkin curry every week. It's so simple!
Potato-Pumpkin Curry
Ingredients:
Canola or sunflower oil
1 large red onion (diced)
1 thumb of ginger (finely chopped)
2 tsp curry powder or paste
1 can of coconut milk
1 can of diced tomatoes
Water or vegetable broth
8 medium-sized potatoes (diced)
1 Hokkaido pumpkin (diced, with skin, seeds removed with a spoon)
½ cup yellow or red lentils
Soy sauce or salt
Instructions:
In a pot, sauté the diced onion and finely chopped ginger in oil
Add the curry powder or paste and briefly sauté it
Deglaze with the coconut milk. Fill the empty can halfway with water and add it to the pot along with the diced tomatoes, potatoes, and a little vegetable broth powder
After a few minutes, add the diced Hokkaido pumpkin. Let it simmer for approximately 10 minutes
Add the lentils and continue simmering until everything is tender
Beans boiled with garlic and/or onions taste delicious after. Fried even better.
I eat them almost every day, alone or as a complement for my foods. They're cheap, delicious and fast to cook, since in my house we have a lot refrigerated just in case (I'm the case, I'm the one eating them).
I've been a vegan for four and a half years now, and ever since, I've been eating better than ever. The dishes I love to make the most are muamba, a delicious African dish with tomato sauce and peanut cream, palmito bacalhoada, which is pretty common in my home country, Brazil, and almost every day, I treat myself to a warm almond milk hot chocolate with dark chocolate because it's my go-to comfort food. I'd like to cook more and get better at it, but most of the time, my hubby is the kitchen boss, and I can't complain about that
I used to lift competitively, i dont anymore but the way of eating stuck with me, even if the quantities are lower:
Brekky: homemade flatbread (literally just flour,salt,water,oil, baking powder) and homemade hummus with a fruit and leafy green smoothie
Protein shake, homemade soymilk, banana, peanut butter, pea protein, sometimes oats
Lunch is just rice and tofu, sometimes veggies but usually not, i just microwave it at work.
Dinner is pasta with cannellini beans
Super cheap, easy to meal prep. Easily adjustable in amount for when i was counting calories, tasty enough. And also easy to change sauces and spices if i get tired of it.
I eat a lot of beans and rice to save money, even did so before I was vegan, which made the typical baby vegan question of "What will I eat???" a no brainer. If you use spices and vary your beans I don't find it gets too boring. I love curries of all kinds, especially with hearty veg like onion, potato, eggplant. I make my own seitan cold cuts fairly often, a sandwich with that, a homemade sauce, and homemade pickled veg is so good.
I have a mac and cheese recipe that I came up with myself and improved over time that I make fairly often, it's great comfort food. Involves making a roux, then adding water, pickle brine (or vinegar), nooch, and spices. The roux is what makes it thick and creamy, the pickle brine gives it that sharp flavor that cheese has, loooots of nooch, and for spices salt obviously but things like paprika and dill are good. For the roux I use canola oil because it's cheap and healthier, but palm or deodorized coconut or vegan butter would give the best mouthfeel because of the saturated fat. After the sauce thickens and you stir in the cooked pasta you can either serve as is or bake. It's simple, fast, and cheap.