Vegans? Vegetarians?

[nycfem]

I'm a vegetarian not a vegan (as you know), but I recommend big bags of frozen veggies which you can add to tofu and soy sauce to make an easy stir-fry. Fresh veggies go bad so quickly.

Originally Posted by candy_coated_bitch

For those of you who transitioned out of eating dairy, how did you go about it? I'm not sure I can be 100% vegan or not but I really want to cut back on my dairy intake. Mostly cheese trips me up. It's one of my all time favorite foods and it seems like all my favorite foods have cheese in it. Also, there really is no substitute for dairy in a cup of tea. Really, I've tried.

Also, I need to do veganism on the cheap, which is very difficult. People always tell you it's cheaper to cook for yourself and I scoff at that when I can buy a box of mac and cheese for 88¢ or a thing of ramen for a dollar or two. That's several meals right there for like $5 when you count milk and butter for the mac and cheese.

Buying a bunch of fresh veggies and cooking is not cheaper than how I have to eat now, so any suggestions on how to make veganism more budget friendly, let me know. I don't cook a lot know besides things out of a box so I also do not have a well stocked pantry. So a recipe is like an investment what with having to buy spices and all.

Help please! I don't feel like I can overhaul my entire diet at once but am looking more for suggestions of where to start small.

[candy_coated_bitch]

Originally Posted by easygoingfemme

CCB, do you have a crock pot? I have a couple of really low cost vegan dishes that I like to do in a crockpot. Very much- dump in ingredients and turn it on and come back in 6-8 hours.

One is a vegan split pea soup. I think that the last time I broke it down it came to about $5 for about 12 servings of soup.

Another is a red bean stew I like to make, red beans with a can of diced tomato, chopped carrots, and any other veggies that might sound good. Spice it up with either regular savory items like garlic, or spice it up with hot sauce. Good plain or over rice or with a piece of cornbread. If you catch the canned goods when they are on sale and stock up it helps make it even less expensive than it already is.

I have a crock pot but it's a little mini one.

Originally Posted by kittygrrl

Sweetest CCB..when i was vegan i found this little miracle "nooch"(nutritional yeast) that gives a cheesy flavor to just about any dish..it really helped! It's a great little investment to replace some of the dairy you will be craving! Ask for it in your health food store..you may even find it in a regular grocery.

Thank you!! I will try it.

Originally Posted by nycfem

I'm a vegetarian not a vegan (as you know), but I recommend big bags of frozen veggies which you can add to tofu and soy sauce to make an easy stir-fry. Fresh veggies go bad so quickly.

Good idea!