Transitioning from vegetarian to vegan?

[dreamer-rags]

Honestly... help! I've been a vegetarian for many years and dairy tends to make me feel ill, so going vegan is the obvious choice for me... but veganism just tends to be so (I hate to say this) inconvenient. :( Now please don't take me as lazy, I've put a lot of care into my diet, but it's hard to find a substantial and enjoyable vegan meal when the day is in full swing.

Does anyone have any suggestions? What was it like for you when you were first starting out on a vegan diet? If you guys have any quick meal suggestions that would also be appreciated!

[karma-free-life]

Hey, DR, I think the answer lies in your title, namely, transitioning! If you approach this using the principles of transition itself, you'll be free to dive into a quick 'feel-good' vegetarian meal every now and again (that's not to say we can't have feel-good vegan meals, of course :) ).
The secret would be to celebrate your days of veganism, as you rightly should, and feel no defeat in taking the occasional 'day out' with a quick comfort meal. It'll be so much better than abandoning veganism altogether.
I'm guessing you've already touched base with the Vegan Society? There is a great book available on their site by Stephen Walsh, which looks at the science of it all, I can highly recommend it.
I know a lot of serious cooks may see this as a bit of a cop-out, but did you realise that Linda McCartney's new recipe range is vegan? It might be worth having a few things in the freezer on standby for those desperate days? A sausage sandwich, or a quick 'bangers 'n' mash' dinner might keep you out of trouble.
Good luck with the journey! I'm going through it myself!

[Black Sheep]

but it's hard to find a substantial and enjoyable vegan meal when the day is in full swing.

What do you mean? Like that just eating a holiday meal sensation? Or something that holds you over for hours? I personally don't see much of a leap from vegetarian to vegan(aside from difficulty in eating out).

If you are looking for a hearty taste, I prefer mushrooms(oysters, ports./crimis..baked are like meaty chips, :P), whole grains, lentils, and beans also take a while to digest(tend to have that heavier feel). I like to cook meals ahead, put them in a tupperware and just reheat, or eat cold with crackers or whatnot for a quick filling snack.

Black bean, corn, and tomato salad is quite good. Samosas are fun, and easy to make ahead(or freeze and make your own ready-meals). Lots of good vegan sandwiches recipes too, if you are pressed on time. Though, it may take some time to find a good, hearty meal, that goes with your preferences.

[kris]

http://plantpurestore.com/foods

http://www.veganshift.org/

http://www.foodchoicesmovie.com/

[Tobi]

It can be a little bit tricky in unexpected ways. Like today I was invited out with some people and we went to a cafe. They are not vegan. We all ordered toasted teacakes, and they arrived with butter. Now I didn't say anything and ate the butter. It would have been possible to have made arrangement to have margarine or have them dry in my case....but yep -I ate the butter. Didn't want to fuss about. And hadn't thought ahead before everyone ordered.
Sometimes being vegan just means a bit of forethinking and tweaking in simple circumstances like that which crop up.

A quick meal suggestion....some firm smoked Tofu sprinkled with Tamari and in a little oil, with curry powder, can be fried or in my case I cook them in a little mini-oven. Only takes 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile do some medium size vegan noodles or brown basmati rice whichever you prefer. (Noodles only take 5 minutes, rice cooks in about 20) Serve with watercress & avocado salad?....or steamed broccoli....anything you like.

Another one...(so quick, so cheap and so yum!) Baked bean curry....chop an onion finely, add sliced garlic and fry in your favourite oil until very slightly browned. Add your favourite curry powder or sauce. Chuck a can of cheap-o baked beans in there and heat 3 minutes more. Top with toasted sunflower seeds. You can eat this with anything you like, such as toast, chips, rice...whatever. You can have a green salad on the side....protein-rich and tasty.

[mogenblue]

Fresh whole fruits are nutritious and saturating.

I use a lot of ready made condiment mixes that I buy in toko's or specialized shops for herbs, etcetera.
So I don't have the trouble of finding the right mixture for flavor in my food, I just put more or less curry paste, or condiment mixes in my food.

There is a whole range of Indian curry condiments that you can try out. You can mix them in bean burgers, in hummus, in seitan. Taste great.
Tandoori, vindaloo, kashmir masala, curry madras, and so on, and so on.
You can spice up your veggies with it too.

I also add tahini to my veggies for dinner. Gives more body to it. Works good for your all important proteins and fats and oils, and what not.

I have become kind of addicted to tahini.

[Tobi]

Oh, I have always been addicted to Tahini. Wonderful stuff! The problem is I am inclined to binge-eat it, once I start, I can't stop! Yikes!
Dogs like it (in moderation) too, and it is very funny to watch them eat a 'lick' of it from your finger....lol

[mogenblue]

It's very comforting to know I am not the only one with that addiction.

I thought there might be something wrong with me for putting it in almost everything I eat.

So at least I am not the only one.

[RosieGeller]

you can always grab an apple or banana and eat on the go. I love hummus, it rocks!

[Debrah]

Another thing you could do is make a large pot of soup and then freeze it in portions. I like to make what I call a 'refrigerator soup' out of the leftovers and especially if I have half a jar of spaghetti sauce to kick start it! I also find that adding a big 'glop' of coconut cream to the soup makes it ultra smooth and satisfying. As well, starting off right at the beginning by cooking up a half cup or more of lentils before adding the vegetables and sauce and coconut gives you all round nutrition, great flavour and great convenience.