What's in Your Grocery Basket?

Becoming a vegan can be a challenging lifestyle change for many, myself included. It took me about 5 years to make the full transition from carnivore to vegetarian, then back to eating fish/white meat, and then back to vegetarian, and finally vegan.

One of the biggest challenges I faced, and one I think many people face when trying to become vegan is what to eat? Or really, what is available out there for vegans to eat?

For many new vegans, the wide-variety of foods actually available to them may seem strange, be brand new or very unfamiliar. Tempeh anyone? How about chia seeds, quinoa, agave nectar or almond milk?

Not familiar with these items? Well I am here to help you with your shopping list.  At least, I'm here to share with you what typically goes on mine.  So let's begin:


Vegetables!

photo source: Low Body Fat

Yes, vegetables.  You're vegan, so please eat vegetables and lots of them! Seriously though, you can eat all of them and as much of a variety of them as you like.  When I was a carnivore I never ate half the amount of vegetables I discovered as a vegan.  I was really missing out.

Experiment a little and try everything out there at least once.  And to help get you started, here's a fantastic list of all kinds of vegetables and plants you can enjoy!



Fruit

photo source: The Mary Sue

Fruit, to me, is mostly to be enjoyed in the Summer months.  I don't eat much fruit in the Fall/Winter simply because I live in Toronto and the Winter's here are very cold,. So that's when I like to enjoy my warm comfort foods like soups, chili and roasted vegetables.

However, I do love apples and because they keep well for many weeks (or months) at a time, I like to keep them in my grocery basket.

My advice however, if you do live in warmer climates, is to eat fruit (and lots of it!). And enjoy it, you bastards. So jealous!

How do you milk those almonds?(And other non-dairy dairy items)

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The answer: you don't.  But you do rinse, soak, grind, and strain them with water and natural sweeteners to make your own almond milk. Or you can just buy it in a carton, like I do.  Almond Breeze by Blue Diamond is a pretty common brand you will find in most grocery stores these days.  I personally like to buy Pacific Natural Foods Almond milk when I can.

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Can't give up cheese? Rice Vegan cheese by Galaxy Nutritional Foods might do the trick ... that is, trick your mind into thinking you're eating cheese.

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However, my personal favourite vegan cheese brand is daiya, simply because it's super delicious and it melts! Yes, nachos are back in play!

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If you're a fan of morning yogurt with granola and fruit, try soyogurt instead. It's dairy-free but still packed with protein.

Mains and Grains

photo source: Recipes for Rice

A perfect starter grain for nearly every dish or for just a quick meal is rice, preferably organic brown rice.  And if you are really up to the challenge, mix some wild rice into your brown rice for added protein.

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Ezekiel bread, by Food for Life, is a common staple among many vegans/vegetarians.  This naturally sprouted whole grain bread is hearty, healthier and tastier then regular bread.

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For something more filling, try Amy's California Veggie Burgers.  Did I forget to also mention, delicious! Amy's brand is a great one, because they have many great organic products.

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Can't forget the most important meal of the day. Besides enjoying options like oatmeal, fruit or toast with almond butter, another favourite of mine is cereal.  A brand I like to buy is Nature's Path, they have a lot of great organic products to choose from, including kid-friendly snacks.

photo source: Fully Nourished by Marni Wasserman

Another wonderful addition to breakfast is Chia Goodness. Just add water or add two tablespoons to oatmeal for added nutrients and protein.

photo source: wikipedia

Tempeh.  So what is it? In simplest terms, tempeh is made from cooked and slightly fermented soybeans then  formed into a patty.  It cooks similarly to tofu in that it absorbs flavours easily and makes great burger patties.  A good brand to look out for is Henry's Gourmet Tempeh.

When just a snack will do ...

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One of my favourite salty, savoury snacks is riceworks rice chips - in particular, sweet chili flavour is the best.

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Another great healthy, savoury snack is Mary's Organic Crackers.  And the best part? They are gluten free!  They taste great with vegan cheese or homemade hummus.

(As a treat, here's my own personal recipe that I often like to make)

Homemade hummus

• 1-1.5 cups cooked chickpeas
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup of lemon or lime juice
• 1/4 cup of water (or less) depending on desired consistency
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• Sea salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until creamy and smooth.  Add as much water as you like depending on your desired consistency.

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Need a mid-day break, try a sweet, healthy snack bar like LARABAR.  Everything about these bars are wonderful because they are vegan, gluten-free and made raw with all natural and organic ingredients.


Websites with recipes to help get you get started:

A big part of being vegan is cooking your own meals because, let's face it, it's the healthiest way to be.  You  will always know what goes into your food and you will have a bigger appreciation for it too. Here are just a few websites to get you started on recipe ideas ...

• Fat Free Vegan Blog - my favourite place to find recipes, a blog by Susan Voisin
• Vegangela - a blog that includes some healthy recipe ideas
• Finding Vegan -  this is a great blog that showcases vegan recipes from many other blogs or sites.

For more information about Vegan nutrition visit: Boston Vegan Association or The Vegan Society


Just in case you're still not convinced that, as a vegan, you have so many food options to choose from, here's a pie chart:

Happy Shopping!

Whole Foods, Fun Times

I have found Whole Foods Market to be  (so far) one of the best places in Toronto to find great vegan, vegetarian, organic, gluten-free or allergy and natural products for anything and everything you need for cooking, baking, food making and green living.

I could literally spend all day at this market.  Besides the endless isles to peruse they also have a fantastic food bar and eating area, an amazing bakery for all foodie types and great health and wellness section.

Here are just a few of the great products you can find there and that I picked up on my last visit for my weekend with the girls:

 I couldn't leave the market without at least getting one treat for Scarlet - these were for her!

I love daiya products, simply because if, as a vegan, you miss cheese, then try daiya.  It's delicious and it does melt when you need it to.

Gluten- and nut-free granola, can it get any better? Yes, just add cinnamon.  Granola for our Sunday breakfast parfaits.

The soyogurt for our Sunday breakfast parfaits.  I don't usually like to eat or drink a lot of soy but for now it seems the only non-dairy yogurt I have found is made from soy ... at least it's high in fiber.

Coconut oil is an excellent, healthy oil alternative for cooking and baking and especially for making raw desserts.

Agave Nectar is an amazing natural sweetener that is also fantastic for baking/cooking.  If you need sugar in your coffee or tea or anything else you enjoy, it's a great alternative especially to the while processed fine sugar you find in most stores.

I don't usually eat a lot of jam because I don't eat a lot of bread but I have found adding a spoonful of jam to my hot oatmeal in the morning gives it the perfect amount of sweetness and flavour.

I only bought this because it was on sale but I can't wait to add this to recipes and salad as dressing.  One of my favourite things about Whole Foods is the variety of oils they have.  Tired of olive oil? Try something different, sesame, walnut, almond, whatever it is, they seem to have it!

Happy Shopping!

I ♥ Toronto's Kensington Market

One pedestrian Sunday I took my two good friends out for a walk in Kensington market.  I didn't take nearly enough photos of all the really, really cool stuff you can see and find there but I did stop in one shop that had some really funky kitchen stuff that I wanted to share with you!

 

First up, Gaby Green, the Cheese Grater.  She's so cute!  I love how there's a message bubble saying her name, almost like she would be talking to you.  'Hi, I'm Gabby, I'm Grate!'

 

This ice cube tray by Fred & Friends would be a perfect addition for any music themed party or summer jazz festival. I was almost tempted to go back and buy it, it just looks really cool.

More from Fred & Friends: Mix Stix!  I can totally see my brother and law rocking out with these in the kitchen! Other cool products I'd recommend checking out on their site, the Cakewich and Batterfinger.  Trust me, go look! LOL

Now these I love and would fill my whole kitchen with them if I could even though they are tools for kids but hey, aren't we all kids at heart? Besides having some very cool products, they also have a fun website.

More from the greens family: Josie Green Ice Cream Scoop, Joyce Green Citrus Reamer and Marshall Green Potato Masher.  To see more visit this website.

What I like about the greens products, their kitchen tools are made from recycled wood and plastic blend that can be recycled.

I once bought these Hug Salt and Pepper shakers for a friend so I definitely had to include them on the list of cute things.