My friend is vegetarian and is looking to go vegan... We live in Wisconsin, so she says that naturally her biggest difficulty is cutting out cheese from her diet. I've given her all the suggestions that I can but I didn't feel my suggestions were helpful enough; I'm one of those people who can DO, but not teach HOW TO... you know what I mean? So, if any of you have suggestions regarding this, please let me know ...She really wants to do this, and I'd like to help but I'm horrible when it comes to giving out advice and suggestions. ALSO, if any of you have any great vegan recipes, please list those as well, because she asked me for some, and honestly I can't cook for jack shit, so I couldn't really help her out in that department. Thanks
Mexican Beans and Rice Ingredients (use vegan versions): 2 cup Cooked black beans 1 10oz pkg frozen whole kernel corn 1 cup raw white rice (can use brown, but should parboil a little) 1 jar (16oz) thick and chunky mild salsa 1.5 cup V8 (or you can blend together 3/4 cup canned diced tomatos with green chiles and 3/4 cup water) 1/4 teaspoon oregano 1/4 teaspoon cumin Directions: Heat oven to 375' Combine all ingredients, stir to mix and bake for 1.25 hours, or until rice is tender, and casserole has started to thicken. Serve with tortillas. Enough for four servings.
Yumm, squawkers's suggestion made my knees weak. It's completely fruitarian, too (minus the oregano). Also, you can make homemade flour tortillas (ingredients: flour, water) and do burritoes, quesadillas or fajitas. Just add bell peppers & stuff. My biggest advice to new vegans is CHINESE FOOD. And put soy sauce on everything. (Soy sauce kills your craving for cheese.)
Spicy Chili Beans Over Rice Ingredients (use vegan versions): 1 med. onion 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup water 6-10 white button mushrooms, sliced 1 14.5 oz. can chili beans (kidney beans will also do) 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes 1 tablespoon chili powder (or to taste) 1 4 oz. can green chilies 3-4 cups cooked brown rice Directions: Cook onion, garlic and mushrooms in water until soft, about 5-7 mins. Add tomatoes, beans, chilies and spice. Simmer 15-20 mins. Serve over cooked brown rice. Serves: 3-4 I like to have rice more then pasta or potatoes most of the time. While my oldest daughter was growing up she LOVED garlic & chilis on most everything.
If you MUST have cheese, Follow Your Heart makes good vegan cheese that melts, sort of. I used it on pizza last night, and it was good. For sour cream and cream cheese, Tufutti makes excellent substitutes. Personally, though, I would recommend going cold turkey on the dairy for 30 days. Dairy substitutes tastes "off" compaired to the real thing. It tastes way better after your sense memory no longer remembers what dairy tasted like. Also fake dairy is still full of fat and calories. Learning to eat non-animal sourced whole foods is much healthier. Avocados are a great whole food, plant based substitute for cheese.
