beginning vegan lifestyle?
Posted by sdmc on May 13, 2006 · Member since May 2006 · 8 posts
Due to some shocking medical findings ??? I am switching to a vegan diet and I also can't eat any sweeteners, but I can have fruit. I'm really missing my whole wheat breads and baked things. If anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate them.
I've been really pleased with how much better I am feeling and I am slowly working my husband over to more vegan meals, but I know I still have a lot to learn.
Thanks in advance!!
Hello,
Yes I'm trying to slowly go vegan, too. For breads, if you look at the labels at your grocery store you can usually find a brand of whole wheat bread with no animal products. I forget specific brands off the top of my head, but if I remember any I'll post it here.
As for baked goods, I'd say your best bet is to check out some vegan cookbooks. Today I made vegan cupcakes out of the book How it All Vegan and they were pretty tasty. You can buy egg replacer at a health food store or you can even look up ways to make a homemade egg replacer.
I hope this was somewhat helpful. Good luck!
the simple treats cookbook is a really good baking book, and the how it all vegan cookbook is a good startring point for really yum recipes!
i find banana is really good for replacing eggs and being sweet in cakes and stuff.#
bb:)
:)Thank you all for the wonderful advice. I can make my own bread and love to do so - I just can't figure out how to make it sugar free (I used to use honey). :'(
I'm going to see if I can find some of the cookbooks mentioned. The only health food store didn't have egg replacer, but they suggested using soy flour. Has anyone done that?
One of my personal favorite breads is Ezekial. http://www.mybloodsugar.net/foodforlife.htm The only problem I have with the bread, is that it is not soft. Still it's very healthy.
For the first 3 or so months I'm not supposed to use any "sugar" -- I can't find a way to find breads without them. However, I can find recipes using very little fat or I can make my bread with canola oil. I can't help but think that if I stick to 2 tbsps of sugar or syrup for a loaf of bread that I can't be getting that much sugar. ???
I don't think it's possible to make a yeast-bread completely sugar-free....you'll always have to add even a little bit of sweetener for the yeast to feed on, otherwise it won't work.
I'm not having much luck finding sugar-free bread recipes for you, although I suspect that there might be some sugar-free quick-bread recipes. If you're feeling adventurous, you could try experimenting with a quick bread recipe like this dilled beer bread recipe: http://www.veganchef.com/dilly.htm
and omit the sugar and replace the beer with carbonated water. I have no clue if it'd work, though!
Your best bet might be unleavened bread, like tortillas and chapatis.
Everyone I know who has tried the South Beach diet has found that if they give up bread for a few days, they stop wanting it. For sandwiches, you could try using flour tortillas or flat bread? Some on those don't have sweeteners, I think. Also, rice paper?
We've pretty much eliminated bread from our diet because it's so hard to find vegan bread. Once you get some new recipe ideas from this site you might quit craving it.
My favorite recipe is the veggie stew with dumplings.
Thanks! I'm going to try to a few days without and see how it goes. I did find some sugar free whole wheat bread in the store, but I didn't have time to check to see if it has eggs added. I'll look next time.
i can't use any kind of sugar (even most fruits) or any kind of yeast either- so i tend to make soda bread and corn bread instead of regular bread.
i don't know if you've considered trying either of these, but because they don't use the yeast to rise, but use baking powder or soda instead, you don't need the sugar to activate it either.
it might not be 100% the same as regular bread, but cornbread and soda bread helps me fulfil that craving for soft and yet stodgy and crunchy bread kinda things that you get once in a while, and its not bad with soups, or toasted served with scrambled tofu, and the like.
i try and make a variety of little scones, and wedges, and those teeny US style 3 inch corn bread loaves, as well as bigger ones, and freeze them in batches, and nuke em as required. i sometimes add herbs and spices, and you could also add veggies and make carrot or zuccinni bread, or olives and rosemary and garlic and tomato, and go mediterranian style, etc etc etc.
sometimes just the fact thats its something new and different, and something that still tastes good and can be used where i used to use bread, helps me forget that i'm missing the origional thing, lol. no bread for me for nearly 10 years now.... but i'm still just about coping, lol.
oooh, and i just remembered, it might just be me, but i've recently found that if you make two american style pancakes, and put peanut butter on one, and slap them together, and stuff 'em in your mouth, i'll be damned if it doesnt taste justlike what i remember a regular peanut butter sandwich with cheap white bread being like, lol.
ps: you might need a nice glass of rice milk or similar on hand if you do stuff em straight in your mouth though,lol.
I love bread, but can't digest it :'( Anyway, how about naan bread with lots of lovely roasted veggies on top, kind of like an open sandwich? Or crispbreads?
I can definitely do cornbread. :-) It is my all time favorite! I'd never made it without eggs before, but now that I have -- yippeee!!!
Y'all are the best!!!!
Im vegan because of health problems so i know how you feel. Its very different for everyone. I know for me personally its because im severly allergic to dairy, meat preservatives, and most food dyes. I hope this helps you to improve your health and your life. I know for me its been a hard adjustment, slowly figuring out exactly what the problems are. But when im stressing out about what to eat or thinking i just cant do it. i think back to being in the emergency room. I just eat a lot of the meals i used to eat (keep in mind i have never had real dairy),with out the meat. Ive learned how to bake differently as well. For me i like trial and error, simply because i love to cook, and sometimes the turnouts are funny, sometimes fantastic. Now i make my own black bean burgers among so many other things.
Bless your heart! I have to admit to using way too much artificial crap....and just not taking care of myself like I should.
Yesterday I got caught and ordered a veggie sub and had half a diet sprite....only to almost pass out in the store. <sigh> So I am limiting myself to home cooking until I can figure out what is triggering. I don't know if it was excess salt, some preservative, or the sweetener in the soda.
Have you found any personal favorite meals?
Maybe you could bake bread, but replace the sugar (or other sweetener) with natural fruit syrup. Just a suggestion, I have no idea how it would turn out.
I have become interested in making my own San Francisco sourdough bread (since there is none to be found where I live) and have done a lot of research online. It seems to me that most starters and the actual bread recipes are vegan and do not require sugar or sweetner. You'll want to do your own research to find out what works best for your personal situation, but this might be something you could do (although it does require minor weekly maintenance to keep your starter going).
We've pretty much eliminated bread from our diet because it's so hard to find vegan bread.
I have noticed that most STORE BRANDS offer vegan bread. Publix brand is vegan, and so is Kmart (though I forget what they call it; its not "kmart bread" but it is made for Kmart distributors) and they are good breads, nice and soft and yummy despite being store brands lol. Good for PB&J if you have been craving them at least.