# Vegan Menus



## Diane1415 (May 1, 2006)

Is there anyplace where I can get some Vegan menu ideas?
I grew up with meat, potatoes, and a vegetable and am not sure how to go with just veggies.


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## grumblebee (May 1, 2006)

Do you ever read food blogs? There are always really good ideas on some of them. I read Eat Air - the Vegan food blog. The posters always have fantastic vegan dish ideas and recipes, along with pics. 

http://eatair.blogspot.com/

You may also want to check out this link: http://www.veganwolf.com/veganmenu.htm Lots of menu ideas.


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## Diane1415 (May 1, 2006)

Thanks I didn't know these existed.
My biggest problem is that cookbooks and recipe lists usually are only how to make the dish, never what it goes well with or how to put a meal together.


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## ironchef (May 1, 2006)

A great way to make a vegetarian dish which can impart a lot of flavor is to use a product like aborio or carnaroli rice, cous cous, quinoa, farro, etc. and use that as the base for the dish. You can then make vegetable or mushroom based stocks and sauces from fresh vegetable juices for flavor. I've done a beet "risotto" using quinoa and it comes out with this beautiful crimson color. I also put goat cheese but I'm not sure if any types of cheese are a part of your diet.


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## Diane1415 (May 1, 2006)

No I am a solid Vegan 
If it didn't come from a plant I don't eat it.


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## luvs (May 2, 2006)

i was Chef in a restaurant that is vegetarian 'cept for fish combined with another that's vegan. they had falafel, tofu (quite versatile), hummus, baba ganoush, tabouleh, i'll glance at thier items.
many soy items you may replace stuff with.
Medeterranian dishes are great for vegans. some Aisian dishes, too.
veggie broths- knorr boullion is delicious. fried rice, many soups, legumes, other rices......
'bout to look at at thier menu. gotta get bundled into something.


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## luvs (May 2, 2006)

yep, i went & read thier menu, & it was stuff w/ soy instead of meat/cheese. more regular items like pizza, etc., also.


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## Diane1415 (May 2, 2006)

grumblebee said:
			
		

> I read Eat Air - the Vegan food blog. The posters always have fantastic vegan dish ideas and recipes, along with pics.
> 
> http://eatair.blogspot.com/
> 
> You may also want to check out this link: http://www.veganwolf.com/veganmenu.htm Lots of menu ideas.


 
Thanks These sites are AWsum

And Thanks Luvs  that is also helpful


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## mish (May 2, 2006)

Diane1415 said:
			
		

> Is there anyplace where I can get some Vegan menu ideas?
> I grew up with meat, potatoes, and a vegetable and am not sure how to go with just veggies.


 
Welcome to DC, Diane.

Forgive me if this is a silly question - but I was never quite sure what vegan meant. If it's veggies, I love 'em, & there is a plethora of ideas here if you check out the Vegetable catagory.

What are some of your favorites?

I'm a fan of spaghetti squash - healthy and a good sub for pasta. Good as a main dish or a side of spaghetti squash pancakes. If you're a chilli fan - top the cooked squash with some chilli. Have you tried zucchinni pasta? Shred up the zuke with a mandolin and stir-fy - round up the usual suspects - butter, grated parm, s & p, and sprinkle over the top.

Rice is very versatile & couscous (as IC mentioned) can be prepared as a salad or main dish adding just about anything - chicken, raisins, cukes, etc.

Squash can be prepared in so many appealing ways as well.


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## grumblebee (May 2, 2006)

mish said:
			
		

> Forgive me if this is a silly question - but I was never quite sure what vegan meant. If it's veggies, I love 'em, & there is a plethora of ideas here if you check out the Vegetable catagory.


 
Vegan means that a person will not consume any products that come from animals. This includes all meats, dairy, eggs, etc. The base of a vegan diet is veggies/fruits, legumes, nuts, grains, tofu, etc. 



> I'm a fan of spaghetti squash - healthy and a good sub for pasta. Good as a main dish or a side of spaghetti squash pancakes. If you're a chilli fan - top the cooked squash with some chilli. Have you tried zucchinni pasta? Shred up the zuke with a mandolin and stir-fy - round up the usual suspects - *butter, grated parm*, s & p, and sprinkle over the top.


 
Butter and grated parmasan wouldn't be allowed on a vegan diet, however there are soy alternatives for these. (soy "cheeses" and "butter" are available at most health food stores) 

- - - 

*Diane1415* if you want actual menu ideas (as in what dishes go well together) why not check out some vegan restaurants online menus? That could give you a few ideas. I did a quick search on google for "vegan restaurant menu" and came up with these:

http://www.realfood.com/menu.htm
http://www.candlecafe.com/menu.html
http://www.dragonflyneov.com/
http://www.horizonscafe.com/menu.htm
http://www.millenniumrestaurant.com/menus/index.html

Hope that helps you out!


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## Diane1415 (May 2, 2006)

Thanks Grumblebee, that helps out a lot.


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## luvs (May 2, 2006)

great you appreciated it!


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## ironchef (May 2, 2006)

You probably already heard of this product but you can use these vegan cheeses. I don't know how they would melt down though.

http://www.followyourheart.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=fyh&Category_Code=GC


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## Ishbel (May 2, 2006)

Here's a UK vegan site that I've found helpful for recipes.
http://www.veganfamily.co.uk/kitchen.html


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## bevkile (May 3, 2006)

Giada De Laurentiis's mother is vegetarian. Giada shared some recipes she had created for her mother. They sounded delicious. I copied and pasted them all and I am not a vegan or vegetarian. I just like veggies of all kinds.

Recipes 







Veronica's Veggie Meatloaf with Checca Sauce






Mushroom Parmesan






Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables


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## marmar (May 3, 2006)

Vegetarian Times magazine has some really got menu plans. each month they have a section titled vegan gourmet. February is the most recent one up:
http://vegetariantimes.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=466
They dont have all the recipes up, but it goes along with a portaobello-seitan hash, avocado salsa, red cabbage slaw, and everyday chocolate brownies.
The brownies are the only part of it I've made, and they are good. It's a shame the recipe's not up, but I guess if the recipes all were up I wouldn't spend $5 on the magazine.
But it is a good magazine.


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## Diane1415 (May 3, 2006)

I used to subscribe to VT. Back then I was only a vegetarian and thought the vegan section was extreme. Now I are one and find it is not an easy lifestyle. I forgot all about VT, thank you for reminding me.


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## BreezyCooking (May 4, 2006)

Diane - how long have you been a total vegan?  I only ask because it seems odd that you seem to be "not sure how to do just veggies".  

There is SO much more to existing on a total vegan diet in order to remain healthy, & I get the feeling that you haven't done a whole lot of research about it.

I think you need to do a lot more research than just cooking forums if you plan to become & exist healthily as a total vegan.


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## jpmcgrew (May 4, 2006)

I think its really hard to be a vegan its more complicated than other diets.For instance you need to be able to get enough protein  which can be 
done by combining beans and rice together they make a complete protein.Personaly I dont think I could do a diet like that because.I LOVE CHEESE!


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## Diane1415 (May 5, 2006)

Breezy - You are probably right. I have been vegan since 1 Dec 2005. I have many cookbooks and a few have some menu ideas but not the everyday put-it-together-yourself type of instruction. What I probably need is some better idea what pairs with what. I really don't want to eat soups or stews all of the time - but some of the ingredients are also unusual and hard to find in this Conservitive South-Western Michigan area. I have several vegan-food websites from which I could order. 
I want information like - "you never eat a meal without sprout" - Hiawatha Crommer about eating Raw.
It seems that if I go to Entre-salad-dessert the entre and salad are both veggies just served on a different plate. I would like to vary my meals more so I don't get bored eating the same food every meal.
Where could I get that information?

jpmcgrew - I DO miss cheese. And I have missed the bacon also.

I went vegan out of self-defence  --  I cannot eat dairy without gastric problems and I don't need the health problems dairy causes - and eggs cause me to have a migrainne. all I had to do was cut out the meat which I really didn't care for anyway, except bacon.
The book *Vegan Cooking for One* is very helpful as I am the only vegetarian in the family, the rest just don't understand my inability to eat the eggs and dairy, oh well.


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## BreezyCooking (May 5, 2006)

While I'm not a big fan of "processed" foods, "Frieda's", the fruit/vegetable specialty company puts out a number of products that you might like.  Here's their website:

http://www.friedas.com/

I particularly like their "Soyrizo", which is a soy product resembling Chorizo sausage.  It's very spicy & great scrambled with eggs, tossed with pasta, as a taco filling, etc., etc.  Many many supermarkets carry Frieda products - usually in the refrigerated produce section.  Worth a try.


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