As 2018 begins we see a great surge in vegan products in the market place. This blog will take you through delicious vegan meals that can be made in 15 minutes with some of these products.
Most people believe that vegans are unhealthy and thin, I can attest to the fact that this is not true. I am a vegan and I am very healthy and the adjective “thin” has never been applied to me.
Actually, when others think of vegans they often think of people that only eat plants and are near starvation. It is actually quite easy to gain weight when you begin eating as a vegan because many look to the wonderful comfort foods of pasta, rice, potatoes and breads to keep them happy. With this in mind we will look at meals that come in under 500 calories.
There are so many products on the market now I thought it might be a good idea to get a bit of a vegan product education here.
MorningStar– these products are vegetarian, not vegan as they have egg in most of their products. It will only be vegan if it says so on the front label
Quorn– This is also a vegetarian product but they are making more and more vegan choices and you can find it on the front label
Boca– one of the originals but also is not vegan unless it specifies on the label
Gardein– ALWAYS VEGAN- this is the safest bet to ensure that it is vegan, as, all of their products are made from plant-based and soy
So-Delicious– Excellent newcomer to the market. They make vegan cheese, sour cream, ice cream and milk-like products
Tofutti– an old timer in the business as well and also always dairyfree dairy style products
This is just a starting list to help you to understand the different products to look for in the market. With this said, different stores carry different products in different places. This is a strange thing to me, sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to where the products are.
But we will keep you posted along the way.
Our first dinner is my all-time favorite- Beefless Beef Tacos!
This meal take approximately 15 minutes to make and includes:
3 Taco Shells – 150
3 ounces of meatless crumbles – 110
1 ounce of Cheese- 70
½ Avocado – 125
2 ounces of vegetarian refried beans-40
Total: 495 Calories
Directions:
Place Gardein meatless crumbles in the microwave with a little water(3 tbs) for 2 minutes
Put meat into the taco shells with cheese sprinkled on top and refried beans on side- microwave for one minute
Add a dash of Taco Bell Sauce and lettuce on top of tacos
Cut open Avocado and add a dash of salt
Ingredients:
You can use any number of brands of meat crumbles:
My favorite Gardien: Cost: $3.99-4.99
Where to buy: Stop and Shop, WholeFoods, PriceChopper, Walmart-Frozen foods section
James’ favorite: Boca(this is only 70 calories per serving) Cost: $3.79
Where to buy: Harder to find but sometimes Walmart and Stop and Shop
Cheese:
My favorite: Go Veggie Vegan Cheese Cost: $3.99
Melts well
Make sure it has the purple VEGAN on top or it is vegetarian
Where to find: The produce area of the supermarket- Almost all
James’ favorite: Daiya Cost: $399
Does not melt well.
Harder to find- Stop and Shop- milk section
Other cheeses-
If you can find shredded Follow Your Heart, it is excellent but very hard to find even at WholeFoods.
So-Delicious is now making a good shredded mozzarella that can be found at WholeFoods.
Taco Shells: Cost $2.50 for 18 shells Taco Bell Sauce: $1.25
Both found almost everywhere including Walmart.
And of course there is the avocado. This is likely the vegans best friend. Full of “good for you” nutrients and a great source of protein. This is also a great idea to ask for in restaurants in place of meat, that might be in a dish or salad. Avocados can be expensive but if you can find them for $1 – pick up 3 for your week.
I hope you enjoyed our first vegan recipe blog. Please go to the Practicing Vegan website to find more products and information about trying this lifestyle for yourself. Even one day a week is great!
For our next post we will be creating Chicken Scallopini-Vegan Style.
Follow this blog to keep up with our 15 minute- 500 calories meals.
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