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Making the Transition

Some people shift into a vegan diet slowly, starting with vegan analogues — plant-based foods whose taste resembles animal products. Some people simply take out the animal products from their diet and replace them with plant foods with which they are already familiar with.

While others concentrate on experimenting with entirely new vegan foods, often from international cuisines. Thankfully, there is no shortage of vegan foods to help make the transition. In fact, most of the food we eat is vegan, without us knowing it!

Start a Garden

An even better option is to grow your own food! If you have a porch that can hold large plant containers or a front or back yard with just a little space, start a garden of your own.

Growing your own food is a healthy and cheaper way to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Go to your nearest library or bookstore and find out what grows best in your neck of the woods and get planting!

Vegan Meal Ideas

With a little time and practice, you will develop a new routine for planning meals and cooking. We recommend getting a good cookbook and experimenting, as well as checking out the amazing recipes from the Post Punk Kitchen,Serious Eats!, andHealthy Happy Life. You could also visit our Recipes and try out some vegan recipes.

In the meantime, here are some simple and healthy meal ideas to start with:

Breakfast

Bagel with soy cream cheese
Cereal/granola with Soy/Almond/Rice/Hemp/Flax/Coconut milk
Fruit smoothie
Oatmeal made with soymilk and strawberries/ Maple syrup & brown sugar
Toast with nut butter and jelly
Toast with nut butter and sprinkled with Cinnamon & Sugar
Tofu Scramble with with veggie sausage
Vegan pancakes/French Toast with hashbrowns
Vegan Muffin
Wheat farina

Lunch & Dinner

  • Baked potatoes and baked beans
  • Bean burrito with Spanish Rice
  • Beans, rice and salsa tacos
  • Dairy-free pizza loaded with veggies (You can top with Daiya cheese, Chicago Soydairy’s Teese, Follow Your Heart Mozzarella, Nutritional Yeast Cheese,  or  just veggies)
  • Falafel in a pita pocket, topped with Tahini paste (Also known as tehina, it is a paste made from ground sesame seeds)
  • Pasta with cannellini beans and marinara sauce, Pasta with meatless meatballs
  • Peanut butter & jelly sandwich
  • Spicy Tofu Lettuce Wraps
  • Stir fried veggies with Tofu, Tempeh, Seitan or other mock meat
  • Taco salad- with vegetarian refried beans, salsa, guacamole, vegan sour cream, and taco sauce, over a bed of corn tortilla chips and lettuce
  • TLT (tempeh bacon, lettuce and tomato- with Vegenaise) and Sweet Potato Fries
  • Vegan Chili
  • Vegetable lasagna with tofu “ricotta”
  • Vegetarian hotdog, Vegetarian hot dogs wrapped in Crescent Rolls, Chopped vegetarian hot dog with vegetarian baked beans
  • Veggie burger: Quinoa Burgers, Black Bean Burgers, Lentil Burgers, Soy Burgers
  • Veggie lunchmeat sandwich

Snacks & Dessert

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