Vegan product recommendations

I’ve used M&S fake grated ‘Cheddar’ on a vegan lasagne - it was pronounced pretty good.

The lasagne recipe was very good - the ‘meat’ part was a lot of mushrooms. Can find a link if you like.

I recommend that tofu, nuts, and nut butters are the best vegan product that you should have to eat.

Violite hallumi, and chedder alternatives are ok, there are several more expensive brands available on line and in specialist shops. My daughter's preffered milk is pea milk and flora vegan spread. Find sainsburys the best selection at the moment the have chocolate similart to bournville for around 50p.
Join a fb site for vegans they often post reviews of new products.
Also aldi and lidl often have special offers on vegan and gluten free every so often.
Best sausages linda mccartney and no duck duck sainsburys is really nice best meat substitute I have had
Much easier than 6 years ago when my daughter then 18 went from Vegetarian to vegan for a week and never went back.

I need to get a hand blender. It’s actually turned out ok but I feel it needs a few more herbs. I put rosemary, thyme, garlic and brandy in it. Saw another recipe that mentioned smoked paprika.

I would use my hand blender for a pate.

Well, I made it and it tastes ok. But it’s so thick I nearly burnt out the motor on my blender. What’s the best way to blend stuff like that? I used my nutribullet but I did burn out a motor when I made some liver cake for my dog a few years ago. Would a hand blender be better?

Thanks. I’ll try making some tomorrow.

* MayBee70*
Puy lentils are green lentils. Just a bit posher and I think they are French

Does anyone know if I can use green lentils instead of puy(?) lentils to make mushroom pate? I don’t want to waste the excess of mushrooms I’ve just cooked by using the wrong lentils.

I basically eat vegan and thankfully never crave for cheese - it was a side effect of the menopause when i was vegetarian. I also don't like any creamy sauce such as mayo - so would ask about using other sauces on food such as sweet chilli with tofu houmus with falafel . Peanut butter mixed with soy sauce on stir frys etc

I have been vegan for nearly 30 years and only the last few years have I had any choice in what I eat.
Helmanns do a vegan mayonnaise
Violife Block cheese is the very best you can buy.
Trust me I have tried them all!!

Maremia

MayBee70, is that the same reason that almond milk is not considered strictly vegan? Because of the bees?

Yes it is but you can over think these things and end up cutting out lots of foods. Google food you thought were vegan and are not, youwill find lots.I don't eat processed vegan food so am happy to have avocado and almond milk.
My son who has been vegan for 34 years told me to stop this searching and just enjoy the natural foods he and I have always eaten.

MayBee70, is that the same reason that almond milk is not considered strictly vegan? Because of the bees?

All the vegan cheeses are made with coconut oil and have no protein or calcium in them. I loved NoWhey cheese which has lots of protein and calcium and is a soft cheese. However, Holland and Barrett has discontinued all their cold fridges, Planet Organic seem to have stopped doing it. At the moment I can't find it but if you see any I think it is absolutely superb.

MayBee70

Because bees have to be transported to pollinate them and that’s regarded as cruelty to animals/insects ( I just googled it). I did read that they’re the worst food you can eat air miles wise, too. I do like them, though!

www.thekitchn.com/are-avocados-vegan-migratory-bees-263550

This is an interesting article re bees.

River walk, your lunch sounds delicious!

I used M&S grated ‘cheddar’ on a big vegan lasagne I once made and was surprised at how reasonably passable it was - and I love cheese.

The vegan lasagne (a first for me) turned out really well. The ‘meat’ was a lot of mushrooms, sautéed with a little soy sauce until they lost most of their moisture. If anyone would like the recipe do feel free to PM me.

Because bees have to be transported to pollinate them and that’s regarded as cruelty to animals/insects ( I just googled it). I did read that they’re the worst food you can eat air miles wise, too. I do like them, though!

Riverwalk - please tell me how/why avocadoes are not strictly vegan!

I have been vegan for just over 35 years and it is important to read up on nutrition to ensure a healthy balanced diet . Vegan diets can be nutritional very healthy, but most vegan cheeses are not a nutritional substitute for animal milk cheeses. Commercially made Vegan cheese is mostly unhealthy highly processed lumps of yellow coloured fat with no protein and very little calcium , and should not be used other than as a garnish or minor ingredient otherwise it might result in an unhealthy processed diet high in fat. There is one made from cashews nuts which is better but very expensive.

Avoiding cheese for new vegans can be difficult especially for sandwiches and snacks and cheese sauces. A bit more thought is needed for
interesting sandwich fillings, but cheese sauce substitute is easily made at home.

For dishes like lasagne I make a white sauce using a 50:50 vegetable stock and soya milk, with cornflour ( or make a roux with wheat flour), and add tablespoon of nutritonal yeast , with sliced mushrooms or fresh herbs.
For sandwich fillings I make houmous using tahini, with fresh sliced tomatoes and black.pepper, homemade mushroom & lentil pate with sliced cucumber, home made vegan cream cheese ( soya milk curdled with fresh lemon, celery salt, and strained through fine mesh, or smashed avocado, sliced tomatoes and grilled smoked tofu.

How Vegan Cheese is Made Without Milk is a very interesting article on BBC Future newsletter which I receive every Friday. Getting the taste and texture the same as dairy cheese is very difficult at present. You can have one but not the other. Tyne Chease make their vegan cheeses from fermented cashew nuts. MozzaRisella use coconut oil and sprouted brown rice mixed with apple vinegar and water.

Whilst these obviously don’t use any animal products there is a big cost in terms of transport so not as eco friendly as at first appears.

Yesterday following a two-hour yomp around the wonderful Hackney Marshes my sister and I bought lunch from her local 'neighbourhood' shop (i.e. not an overpriced fancy deli) to take home.

Looking back, it was a vegan meal and didn't include any 'manufactured' food:

Dolmades (stuffed vine leaves)
Spinach felafels
Hummous
Mixed salad
Baba Ganoush (smoked aubergine dip)
Tabbouleh (bulgur wheat)
Avocado - I know they're not strictly vegan

Toasted sourdough - too much of this, oh why is it soo good!

(and wine )

vegansrock

You do not have to eat ultra processed foods to be a vegan, beans and legumes are a good source of protein and can be delicious in many different dishes.

This was really my point (upthread) - no need to mimic, enjoy those dishes that are naturally vegan instead!
Good luck.

notoriousnooch.co/
make Cheesy Immature Nooch and a Smokey Bacon flavoured one (both Vegan) Flavoured Nutritional yeast.
They are an on line company and I buy it quite often. You get 10% off your first order but often there is a voucher code for 20% if you google it.

You do not have to eat ultra processed foods to be a vegan, beans and legumes are a good source of protein and can be delicious in many different dishes.