Vegan Food List For Beginners
So, you’ve finally decided to go vegan, eh? Well, good for you and congratulations! Pat yourself on the back because you’re going to do a huge favor to your body, mind, and the environment. Of course, adopting a vegan lifestyle may not be easy at first so, you must know these things before going vegan. It would require some amount of careful thought and planning, not to forget introducing minor (or even major in some cases) tweaks to your current lifestyle to support the new one that you’ve adopted.
But let’s assure you, it can’t be that difficult either because after all you’ve already cleared level 1 of bringing yourself up to the idea of veganism and starting a vegan diet, right? So, we are here to help you get closer to your goal by giving you some ideas on creating a beginner vegan shopping list at first and then putting them together to make some easy but yummy vegan recipes to start with your vegan diet.
Vegan Grocery List For Beginners
What is it that separates it from a regular grocery list for the weekend? Well, it’s all plant-based to start with, healthier, and comprises more of whole foods. Of course, the list would have to be prepared in accordance with your pre-decided meal plan (what you intend to eat) on a daily or weekly basis.
We suggest making this vegan basics shopping list every Sunday (preferably) taking into account your meal plan for the whole week and then jotting down the items you need from the supermarket as you go. For beginners, we also recommend that for the initial phase you can try out one of the top meal plans. So, later you know what all you can prepare at home.
Here are some ideas from us to simplify your task of making a vegan shopping list for beginners:
- Buy lots of fresh vegetables, particularly greens
- Include some fresh seasonal fruits as well
- Stock up on some frozen fruits and vegetables too – they come in real handy to curb short hunger pangs between meals if you tend to run out on fresh ones suddenly
- Store some soy items such as tofu in your fridge at all times; it’s much healthier than fresh or processed cheese or try making some vegan cottage cheese with our recipe.
- Another great way to satisfy short hunger cravings is to stock up on dry pantry items – dried and canned legumes, nuts and seeds, and vinegar and nut butter to enhance the flavor of your snack
- If you’re fond of dairy products, time to switch to some vegan alternatives like almond milk or cashew milk, and dairy-free yogurt
- Buy whole grains such as oats, chia seeds, brown rice, quinoa, black beans and store some products made from whole grains as well – popcorn (check out vegan popcorn brands), bread, or pasta
- Restrict buying lightly processed food like cereal or healthy crackers to maybe once a fortnight instead of once weekly
You can prepare several recipes using the above products like nuts for milk or dry eating, can prepare quinoa smoothie, coconut pie, and many more.
All of the above items on your vegan grocery list for beginners are whole food and plant-based, designed to cater to your calorie and essential nutrient needs specifically. Remember that going for vegan diet does not mean compromising on your body requirement and intake of all the vital nutrients your body had been receiving from other food items so far.
It just means making a deliberate, intelligent move to healthier alternatives, all of which aim to keep your nutrient intake intact. To include vitamin B12 in your diet, you can go for vegan food supplements that will maintain B12 levels in your body and uncover the myth that vegans lack B12 in their food with our article on Vitamin B12 without supplements for vegans.
Now, once we’re done with stocking up our home with the special vegan groceries for the week, it’s time to try out a few simple, quick-to-make, delicious and healthy vegan meals for beginners. Take a look at some of our famous vegan recipes in the section below.
Easy Vegan Recipes for Beginners
Again, just a gentle reminder: all of these recipes that you will include in your vegan diet are whole food plant-based but absolutely lip-smacking and 100% healthier – worth a try and rather soon (why wait to try something healthy and delicious – a rare combination?). You can also try out some soups like vegan French onion with us.
Vegan Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce
Vegan Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Cashew cream
- 2 qt Shallots – large
- 5 qt Garlic cloves – medium
- 1/4 cup Olive oil
- 1 tsp Dried oregano
- 28 oz Tomato puree
- 3/4 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 pinch Pepper – freshly ground
- 2 tbsp Capers – drained
- 1 lb Bucatini pasta
- 2 pinch Basil leaves
Instructions
- First, make the cashew cream. It’s simple and an excellent vegan alternative to dairy-based cream. For this, you need to soak some cashews (preferably overnight for thick creamy consistency) in water and kosher salt. Once they’re soaked well, blend them with water or broth and salt to get a thick, creamy sauce to use over your vegan spaghetti!
- Cut shallots into thin slices. Mince the garlic too.
- Take a large saucepan and heat olive oil on medium heat. Now add shallots, garlic, and oregano. Keep stirring until they turn soft and translucent.
- Now add tomato puree, kosher salt, and black pepper. Once the mixture boils to a bubble, lower the heat and simmer it for about 20 minutes. Again, keep stirring to avoid burning.
- Now stir in the cashew cream and capers. Simmer it for another 5 minutes.
- To prepare the spaghetti, boil the pasta in salted water. Transfer the pasta to the tomato sauce. Toss it up to blend and coat the two thoroughly. Garnish with basil leaves and drizzle a few drops of olive oil over. Serve hot.
Nutrition
Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Vegan Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
- 15 oz Chickpeas or 1 ½ cup chickpeas cooked at home
- 1 stick Celery
- 3 qt Green onions
- 1.5 tbsp Vegan mayonnaise or cashew cream
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 tsp Celery seed
- 1 pinch Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
- 4 qt Bread
- 1 cup Lettuce, spring green mix, or sprouts
- 1 tbsp Hummus (optional)
Instructions
- Cut celery and green onions into thin slices.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Mash them in a bowl using a fork.
- Add them to the chopped celery and onions, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and celery seed. Mix well and add kosher salt and pepper to taste.
- Now make the sandwich your way – you can spread hummus or chickpea spread on the bread. Add lettuce or greens as per choice.
Nutrition
Try these healthy and yummy vegan meals today and experience the joy of being vegan! Although, veganism is not just in terms of food, you must turn your lifestyle to be vegan. This is because, there are several products that you use in your daily life that might or might not be vegan. And, if you are choosing to be vegan, you need to turn down all the non-vegan products and move forward with the vegan ones.
So, when you purchase any products, check its ingredients and then move forward with it. Check your daily use products like Vaseline on whether it is vegan or not. You must also check on soft drinks like soda before drinking. Check is soda vegan before consuming it.
You can also turn your dog vegan with these healthy homemade dog food recipes. Once you figure out your products, veganism for you will become more simpler and overwhelming. Enjoy your vegan lifestyle!
