Cheap & Simple Vegan Recipes by Mara Tyler

I so never thought I would give up cheese.

I mean, I had tried vegan cheese a few times in college and it made me want to barf and cry at the same time. Why even try to mimic something so good, my then dairy-eating heart implored. But that was a long time ago, and let me tell you – vegan cheese has changed.

As my boyfriend so eloquently put it when I complained about missing goat cheese one day, “You’re never really going to be able to replicate anything that comes out of an animal’s tits.”

True. He’s so smart, my man.

However, it’s worth delving into the magical word of vegan cheese and seeing what brands agree most with your taste preferences and cooking methods. For you vegan veterans, this might be a refresher course, but newbies listen up. Here are the deets on vegan cheese:

Convenience. Sometimes I forget that I’m vegan. Mostly because it’s so easy to go into just about any store nowadays and buy stuff that looks and tastes like cheese. Hell, now we can even get shreds, blocks, loafs and cream cheese, vegan style. If you’re new at the vegan thing, the sheer convenience of vegan cheese is spectacular. Use it in casseroles, tacos, scrambles, etc. For me, sometimes food just feels naked with out it. Like something is missing. It’s a great transition food because it helps you veganize some of the most basic dishes you probably had before going vegan. 

Texture. I’m not going to lie about this – you’re going to have to get over the weird texture of some vegan cheeses. Some are a little more rubbery, watery or gritty than “what comes out of a cow’s tits.” But I’ve found that this is not-so-important next to how it tastes and smells to you. The melt-factor is another thing to consider here. Some vegan cheeses just won’t “ooze” and melt in the oven, while others will kinda-sorta get soft and spread out over a pizza or whatever. Bottom line? Don’t expect uber-gooey goodness. Settle for sorta gooey and like, not eating another mammal’s mucousy by-products.

Taste. So many people ask me what the best vegan cheese is on the market. But here’s the secret: it totally depends on your taste buds. A brand that I like might taste like glue to you, and vice versa. For instance, I’ll put Daiya in casseroles but don’t like it when I make tofu scrambles. I use Follow Your Heart in scrambles, but it doesn’t “stick” well in quesadillas. The best advice I have is to try different brands of vegan cheese until you find a few you like. Let the fun begin!

Nutrition. So here’s the dirty secret on many vegan cheeses: they’re not vegan! But yes, it’s true. Why? A lot of soy cheeses contain casein (a milk protein), whey and rennet. Vegan cheeses will also come under attack by people who say they’re full of oil. This can also be true. Truth is, vegan cheeses are still processed foods. So limit how much you eat, just like any other processed stuff.

Brands. So tell me what to buy, you’re thinking. OK. Here are some recommendations for vegan cheese based on varying cooking needs:

• For melty-ness: Daiya. Daiya comes in shreds and blocks, and it’s fantastically melty (at least compared to other cheeses). This is my staple for pizzas. (More on Daiya in my Top Ten Favorite Vegan Food Products.) $4 at Whole Foods
• For scrambles, casseroles and other one-pot dishes: Follow Your Heart. Comes in blocks, easy to shred, and mimics the flavor better than most. Melts fairly well. I like this brand because the flavor is less intense than Daiya, so it won’t overpower a dish. $3-4 at Whole Foods
• For sandwiches: Vegan Cheese Singles, Galaxy Foods. Slices! Yay! Put them on your sandwich. These remind me of Kraft American cheese slices. So yes, they taste a little processed, but it’s nice when you’re really craving that extra layer in a veggie sandwich or something. Also makes for great grilled cheese! $3-4 at Whole Foods
• For a dinner party: Dr. Cow. So you’re having your friends over but can’t eat the fancy cheese you bought their lame asses? Ya gotta try Dr. Cow. It’s kind of a splurge but this is the kind of stuff you can eat by the chunk. It’s made of nuts and there are like, a bazillion flavors. Just try some. Please. $10-15 at veganessentials.com
• On salads: Sunergia Soyfoods Soy Feta. Soy feta is awesome. It’s not the same thing as my beloved goat cheese, but it works. Give it a shot if it will help you eat your veggies. $4 at various retailers
  
• Instead of Parmesan: Rawmesan. Don’t cry cause you can’t have your Parmesan. Apparently there is a God. And he is the guy who invented this vegan Parmesan. This stuff is great on pasta, salads, or sprinkled on soups. $8 for a huge jar on Amazon

You can also make your own cheese “sauce” by blending up raw cashews with some nutritional yeast, soy milk and spices. It tastes better than it sounds.

Ok, so now that you’re all excited about vegan cheese, go buy some! If you live in the sticks, you can get most at online vegan food stores . While you’re at it, make me a pizza!! Also, stay tuned for a review on some other vegan cheese products I just got (spicy nacho cheese sauce, mac n’ cheese in a box (!), and another brand of cheddar I haven’t tried yet.

Image via The Hungry Dudes

You know how I told you I don’t like to shop?

But then how I also told you that shopping at vegan food stores is different? Well, somebody stop me cause I just keep buying stuff I don’t need. So then I thought, you know, other people should be wasting their money too, cause who I am to steal all the fun?

One of the fun parts of learning how to be vegan is buying stuff you’ve never bought before. And what’s cool about getting vegan foods online is that you can often find stuff they only sell in like, Scotland or something. But you get it right to your doorstep. I heart the Internet.

Anyway, here are eight great online vegan food stores. Read ‘em and weep. Your wallet hates me!

1. The Vegan Store

So this place is a mecca for vegans. Get your soups, sauces, meats and like, everything else under the sun here. What’s also cool is they have an entire section of gluten-free stuff for those of you who need it. Vegan dog and cat food? Yep, they got that too.

2. Vegan Essentials

Vegan owned and operated, these guys have everything from baking mixes to chewing gum. They have featured items every day and cute T-shirts with elephants saying funny stuff. They also sell gift certificates here, so tell your lame friends to stop buying you Starbucks cards for Christmas and get you dollars here.

3. Abe’s Market

Natural products abound! Gluten-free cereal, truffles, bulk spices and vegan snacks are just some of the goodies these guys have. They seem to have really unique/lesser-known foods, which I kinda like. Always cool to try new stuff.

4. Veggie Brothers

These guys have a super cool business model. They deliver vegan meals to your door. Schwing! Breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts – you name it. Want vegan french toast in bed? Well, you might have to wait a day, but you can get it! It’s kind of pricey, but I see this as an option if you really wanted to cater a vegan event or put on Christmas dinner, vegan style. You know?

5. Allison’s Gourmet

OMYGOD sweets! But gourmet  vegan sweets and gifts. Easily one of the best vegan food stores online, at Allison’s you can get your gourmet vegan gift baskets (for your vegan boss), or, I don’t know, vegan fudge, chocolates, brownies, cookies or toffee!! But maybe you shouldn’t go near this place cause you’ll gain  300 pounds. Just a warning.

6. Food Fight Grocery

If I could marry a vegan food store, it would be this one. It’s a self-proclaimed vegan junk food store, with stuff like vegan ramen, nacho cheeze sauce, marshmallows and candy. If that doesn’t win you over, their “What kind of asshole eats a lamb?” tote bag sure as hell will. I love them.

7. Earth Shift Products

If you live in the boonies, this seems to be a good place to get your more obscure vegan stuff, like maca powder, cacao, chia seeds and things like that. They also have a bunch of cool-looking energy bars that I’ll have to give a try at some point.

8. Healthy-Eating.com

I already thought this place was cool, but then when I saw it was one of the few vegan food stores to carry “instant cheeze” packets (for like, pasta sauces and pizza and whatever), well, I was sold. Who thinks of this stuff? I love you.

Did I miss anyone? Gimme a shout in the comments section below!

You guys! I just found something amazing.

It’s a vegan food list from PETA – check it out here.  What I love about this is that it’s got products that are “accidentally vegan.” All kinds of crazy stuff you can find in a regular ol’ grocery store, but totally vegan.

Related: My Top 10 Favorite Vegan Food Products

Before you get all excited, though, there’s some fine print at the bottom that talks about how some of the foods on the list may not be 100 percent vegan, meaning there might be trace amounts of honey or bone char or something like that. So you’ve been warned.

What’s cool about a vegan food list like this, however, is that you newbies have a reference point. Like, say you want to make a vegan food dessert and you just grab your list and see that Pepperidge Farm makes a vegan puff pastry dough. No wandering the frozen food aisle like a dummy.

Some other weird accidentally vegan favs of mine? Thomas toaster bagels, Healthy Choice Garden Vegetable Soup, McCormick Fajitas Seasoning Mix (yay tacos!), and Clif bars (except the mini blueberry kind). Yeah!

I mean, I’m not saying to go out and eat a bunch of processed crap – that’s gross – but in a pinch, it’s helpful for navigating those daunting grocery isles as a newbie who’s going vegan. It also sounds like something fun for vegans that have OCD! Just sayin!

Do you know of any products that should be on the “accidentally” vegan food list? Gimme a shout!

So, by now you know that I love my crockpot.

But I’ve never actually considered using it for breakfast. Until last night when I made vegan oatmeal. In it. As thousands of women across the world already know (and I just figured out, no surprise there), you can make oatmeal in your crockpot. Why is this amazing? Lazy, I’m-not-a-morning person people unite! Throw some stuff in, turn on, and presto: warm goodness to greet you in the a.m. (unless you burn it, in which case, it sucks).

Mine turned out uh-mazing, however, and yours can too. Lemme know how it goes – and if you make any adjustments that render it even more fabulous.

What You Need

• 1 cup steel cut oats (dry)
• 2 apples, chopped into small chunks (1/2-inch is good)
• 1.5 cups coconut milk (or any non-dairy milk)
• 2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground flax meal
• 1.5 cup water

Directions

Spray your crockpot with a light dusting of cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in pot; stir. Cook on low for about 7 hours. (Note: I have this kind of crockpot. Turned mine on at 11 p.m. and turned it off at 5:45 a.m., and it was perfect.) Enjoy your vegan oatmeal!

Recipe adapted from The Yummy Life

Impress your foo-foo friends with this fancy homemade stuff.

OK, it’s actually not super fancy to make. But it’s one of those vegan foods that tastes gourmet. Speaking of gourmet, the only thing a little costly about this vegan pesto is the pine nuts. (Why are those little things so much money? I Googled it. Answer here.) But the rich, oily-nutty-basily flavor is worth it. I whipped this up in a blender the other night and tossed it up with some fettuccine noodles. You could also serve as a dip with some crackers. No one will know it’s vegan. It even passed the Italian-boyfriend test. He ate until he was incapacitated. Success.

What You Need

• 2 cups fresh basil (packed)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 cup pine nuts
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 5-7 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 3-4 pieces of jarred sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
• 1/4 cup water
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Ingredients

Loosely chop basil. Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. Texture will be a bit thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes about 6 servings over pasta, more if used as a dip.