Cheap Vegan

Haha

2008-09-08T13:56:25Z

Oh wait, now I remember it.
Someone once told me about a vegan cream they made out of almonds (I think, or some kind of other nut, you know, it was more like for the moist creamy texture rather than the actual taste kinda substitute), though at the time I forgot to get it off them, so does anyone have a recipe for that or something similar, it's just, my god, when I do eventually go vegan, I would so hate to loss out on strawberries and cream....

A couple questions...

2008-09-08T13:50:11Z

1). In terms of processed food, is it still vegan if it doesn't explicitly contain animal derived products, but it may contain say like, traces of milk powder, because it's made in a factory that does produce products with those animal derived ingredients? (Wow, does that make sense?)

2). My momsy got me this Protein Plus cereal the other day and it says on the ingredients that it has the mineral calcium, though it doesn't say where they've derived the calcium from, 'cause I'm not sure whether they would have gotten that from dairy or what. Any one have any ideas with that kind of stuff?

3). I had a third question... damnit. Wait... wait... wait... :thinks: Nope, it's gone...

what to do with too salty baked tofu

2008-09-08T04:29:34Z

So, I got this awesome fresh tofu from a local farmer's market, and decided to make baked tofu, so I could have it in salads, as a sandwich, etc.

Except .... things have been sort of crazy lately, so I ended up marinating the tofu for a couple of days before baking it. And now it is unbearably salty.

The weird thing is, I didn't even use salt or anything - I used Bragg's liquid aminos instead. My baked tofu recipe is something like this:

1/3 c. bragg's liquid aminos
1/4 c. water
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. toasted sesame oil
(I also usually mince a clove of 2 of garlic, but didn't bother this time)

I have made this recipe a ton of times, but usually only marinate for a couple hours per side. Now it's so salty and strong tasting, I don't know what to do with it. I could try to maybe try to cover it up in a thick coconut curry sauce or something, but I'm so sensitive to salt, I'm afraid it won't do the trick. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Vegan sheetcake?

2008-09-07T23:18:39Z

I am having a big birthday party soon and I was wondering if anyone knows of a good place to get a vegan sheet cake. I live in the DC area, and we have Safeway, Giant, Whole Foods, Bloom, Wegman's, and I have a Costco membership. Has anyone had any luck getting vegan options at any of those stores, or do you know of any others in DC? I could make my own, but I just don't think I'll be wanting to do that, and honestly I don't have a ton of luck with vegan baking.

xposting to cake_decorating and cheapvegan

Candy?

2008-09-07T22:53:26Z

Can you guys refresh my memory on what candy is vegan in the US? I'm pregnant and craving candy BIG TIME. Target was out of Mambas and I almost cried.

frozen tofu?

2008-09-07T19:57:54Z

Hey, quick question/troubleshoot. The few times I have frozen-then-thawed tofu, it has crumbled when it thawed. Since I was using it in a recipe where I would have torn it into little crumbles anyway, that was no big deal. Now, though, I've stumbled across a recipe I'd like to try that requires frozen-then-thawed tofu that comes out... not crumbly. And I don't seem to know how to do that.

Can anyone tell me what I might be doing wrong?

Thank you. :)

Two questions

2008-09-07T03:22:43Z

Hi! I'm a simple living single parent who is trying to incorporate more vegan meals in our family diet. We eat mostly vegetarian meals for financial and environmental reasons, but I'm trying to reduce our environmental impact further. I live in a rural area where it is difficult to obtain some of the more diverse grains/veggies/veg alternatives, so we do the best we can. Anyway, if you could please give me info on the following, I'd be incredibly grateful!

1) Powdered soy milk. I checked the archives and found one measly review of this. Does anyone use it with regularity? What brands do you use? Would it successfully replace the use of the dairy version of nonfat dry powdered milk? How do you find it cheaply (online or in store?)

2) Making your own soy yogurt. I've not even tried to make my own yogurt, but I was thinking about if it would be possible to make your own soy yogurt at home. Has anyone done it? Do you know of an online recipe for such?

Thank you so much!

cheapvegan @ 2008-09-06T20:05:00

2008-09-07T03:05:38Z

my mom sent me a pot full of mushroom risotto that i can't really stand, i hate mushrooms. is there anything that could possibly make it more edible? i really would hate to have to throw it out :/

crepes?

2008-09-06T23:21:28Z

has anyone made a successful batch of vegan crepes and wants to share the recipe?

thanks!

new to community

2008-09-06T16:09:05Z

Hello all! I was wondering if anyone could suggest some cheap foods to make as a broke art student. I have been vegan for almost 2 years now and vegetarian for a year before that. I just moved into an apartment with my friend (who doesn't eat meat, but eats fish). Anyways, I'm looking for easy/cheap things to make for lunch and dinner. For lunch, I commute to school so I need portable things or fast things to make between classes. I have a very small kitchen: two small electric burners, toaster over, microwave, NO oven, and two small dorm-size refrigerators with equally tiny freezers. Any suggestions of recipes, meal ideas, grocery lists would be greatly appreciated!

Edit: Don't know if this matters, but I should add that I live in Philadelphia. The grocery stores I can get to are SuperFresh, GIANT (although not unless my friend drives me) and Whole Foods (which I try to only buy hard to find vegan items at cause it's so expensive).

EDIT AGAIN: Good cookbooks that would have recipes that I can make in my small kitchen would be awesome too!

thanks so much!

lalalalalaweeee first post

2008-09-06T08:04:31Z

I'm not vegan, but I'm considering going vegan. I was vegetarian for a long time but had to stop cos my doctors thought I became anemic, but tests showed that I was fine. Anywayssss. Is it hard to start out? What types of foods should I avoid and not avoid? Would making the change to veganism have any affect on my health or weight or anything? I've been thinking about it for a while and I'm definately interested. Is food harder to prepare? Any insight would be greatly appreciated
^o^

2 little tid bits

2008-09-06T04:29:00Z

First, I just had quite the tasty sammich and it was REALLY simple and super cheap and really tasted awesome. Just some 12 grain bread, tomato, onion and veganaise (and a dash of tobasco). It really hit the spot i must say.

Second, a question posed by a student about cheap, easy to find hair products kinda prompted me to poast this little FYI.

Not many people know that Freeman Beauty is a VEGAN company. They use NO animal products and NO animal testing EVER. Their stuff is REALLY AFFORDABLE and can be found in most any drug store or supermarket. They make hair stuff and face stuff. Pretty good too, and you can't beat the price for vegan product!

Enjoy :D

EDIT!
The Freeman thing is being looked into. Apperently some products have lanoin in them. Freeman has been on a few diffrent vegan company lists (and not just no animal testing links, they have been listed as VEGAN, i know the diffrence) so i emailed them for some clear up on this.

Eat To Live

2008-09-05T16:59:36Z

I just started Eat To Live this month. I know it is not a strict vegan diet, but it is one that vegans can use. Has anyone tried it who has tips on keeping costs down?

I am on day five. I have been eating lots of salads, soups, and smoothies/blended salads. I've also cut out coffee (for the time being).

Peru and South America

2008-09-04T17:50:09Z

Hey friends,

I am planning to go to Peru in several weeks, and I would stay there for at least a couple of months (with a host family) to volunteer in a small community.
If anyone here has traveled South America as a vegetarian, could you please share some wisdom?

thanks!

cheapvegan @ 2008-09-03T23:25:00

2008-09-04T04:27:10Z

si i'm gonna be cooking something for a vegan potluck next monday for about 15 prople. i need an entree and a side, something that will work easy in a picnic situation, and will cost me less than $50. anybody got any suggestions?

cheapvegan @ 2008-09-03T21:26:00

2008-09-04T01:20:59Z

So I'm looking for some nutrient-dense meals that are pretty quick to cook. I'm an art student, meaning I'm broke and don't have a ton of time to cook, so I'd like to get the most out of the meals that I do eat.

So far, I've been sustaining myself on oatmeal, falafel, lentil stew, and various pasta/vegetable things. Oh, and coffee. =P Basically, I want something that's cheap, fast, and, most importantly, well-balanced.

cheapvegan @ 2008-09-03T00:18:00

2008-09-03T04:20:48Z

hey so ive just moved into the dorms at school and have recently converted to vegan lifestyle...i am very limited in terms of cafeteria food but will be getting a mini fridge and microwave in room so i was wondering if you guys had any ideas of what types of foods are easy to make in a dorm room...any help is GREATLY appreciated.

cheapvegan @ 2008-09-01T10:23:00

2008-09-01T14:26:59Z

Hallo! So, i've just moved to detroit and was wondering if there were any other detroiters that might know good places to shop? I'm a gluten free vegan and am having a heck of a time finding gluten free bread or mixes around. I miss my small town and it's handy little one-stop-co-op! Do such things exist down here? Seems like all I can find are big mega-stores. And for some reason, veggie burgers are twice as much! I can get a box of four up north for 2.50, and down here it's 4.99 or so! Mysterious mysteries of strange mystery!

peanut butter

2008-08-30T21:23:37Z

hi i have a question. my friend was trying to buy peanut butter and we looked at the labels and saw milk in the ingridients and also sugar. i don't like peanut butter personally, but i did see in a lot of blogs and communities online a lot of vegan people were going on and on about peanut butter, so i figured i would ask. do you guys know of any brands that are completly vegan?

thank you so much <33

cheapvegan @ 2008-08-30T14:46:00

2008-08-30T18:47:45Z

hey guys!
I need help finding Rice Paper Wrappers for some Thai Vegan Summer rolls I am making. Do you know what store I can find these at that isn't online because I need the wrappers soon!

Thanks so much!

cheapvegan @ 2008-08-28T16:34:00

2008-08-28T23:42:23Z

my husband and i tend to buy a lot of convenience foods when we go shopping. as you can imagine, this is an expensive habit. :/

but as we are going grocery shopping this weekend, i have a chance to rectify this!

what are some staples that i should have stocked at all times? im planning to get rice and beans in bulk as well as a good variety of frozen vegetables. and a slow cooker/crockpot since we dont have one. i tend to like easy no fuss meals (hence my convenience food habit) so any ideas/suggestions are very much welcome.

what else should i be getting besides beans, rice and veggies? i dont have a Whole Foods near me so im somewhat limited when it comes to specialty items.

Basil

2008-08-28T22:49:26Z

How do you store it so it stays fresh?

beans, beans, they're good for your wallet

2008-08-28T20:45:34Z

What can I do with beans besides put them in rice or tortillas? I cannot use tofu or seitan, have exhausted peanut butter, and am looking for other protein options. I have heard of a "bean pate" but do not know what this is or how to make it. Other ideas?

greens!

2008-08-28T19:06:21Z

Hello!

Does anyone have any tips on keeping greens (such as spinach and lettuces) fresh for longer? I hate when I buy some and it goes bad before I can finish it all.

thanks!

MOCK DUCK

2008-08-28T17:23:15Z

I found a can of Mock Duck in the back of my pantry (I have the same brand as the picture in wiki). I bought it over a year ago during an impulsive shopping episode. O_o
What should I make with my can of Mock Duck?
I consider myself a good cook but I am a little scared to open the can of Mock Duck. Canned meat in general makes me squeamish.

HELP!