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Do you have questions about being vegan? Send them
to Jo using this easy form.
She would be happy to address your individual concerns
as well as general inquiries about vegan ethics, philosophy,
practical applications, and living compassionately.
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Jo will make every attempt to answer each question
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If you'd like to view previous questions Jo has
answered, visit the Ask Jo! Archives.
Cooking
for the Vegan in the Family
 Your
books sound exactly like what I've been looking for --
so I ordered ALL of them. My niece is vegan and I am trying
to convince her to cook something other than just beans
and rice. My family is not vegan -- in fact, not even
vegetarian. So I need recipes that can win them over occasionally.
I went to a vegetarian restaurant where the meals were
so well prepared that I'm really motivated to try it myself.
However, I find purchasing prepared products to be quite
expensive.
Thank you -- I look forward to receiving
your book orders. Since you ordered ALL the books, you
will certainly be well equipped for almost any vegan
recipe you might want!
Beans and whole grains are nourishing,
low-fat, high-fiber foods, that are staples for myriad
cultures around the world. They also form the foundation
of many vegetarian diets. There are innumerable varieties
of both beans and grains; so, not only are they healthful,
wholesome and inexpensive, they are exciting as well.
Nevertheless, many people who are current
(or former) meat-eaters aren't enamored by a regimen
of strictly beans and grains. And, of course, for a
well-rounded vegan diet, one must also eat plenty of
fresh fruits and vegetables, and occasionally, if desired,
some nuts and seeds.
There is a vast array of vegan meat
"analogs" available in natural food stores and some
supermarkets. These are products designed to look and
taste like their animal-based counterparts, but they
are made totally of plant foods. They are usually quite
delicious, and there are enough different manufacturers
that if you don't like one company's products you can
always try another's.
You're right that a diet centered around
these items could become very pricey. New vegans and
vegetarians, however, often find them to be convenient
"transition" foods. Others enjoy them as regular standbys,
quick meals for when they don't feel like cooking, or
helpful to serve when meat-eating friends or relatives
come for dinner.
Vegan cooking doesn't have to be fancy,
exotic or costly. A simple baked potato with a little
olive oil or low-fat salad dressing, steamed vegetables,
and a salad can make a satisfying and economical dinner.
Other familiar options are pasta with tomato sauce and
stir-fried vegetables with rice. Tortillas filled with
mashed and seasoned beans, lettuce, tomato, onions,
olives, salsa and avocado is yet another quick and tasty
meal. Many common foods like these are so familiar that
people sometimes forget they're eating "vegetarian."
What's particularly enjoyable about being
vegan is that there are no "rules." You can certainly
eat the "typical American diet" if you want to -- veggie
burgers on whole wheat buns with all the trimmings,
tofu "hot dogs," cereal with soymilk, nondairy "ice
cream," meat analogs (ground "beef," deli slices, "bacon,"
and more), vegetable-topped pizza, etc. But vegan diets
open the door to many new and exhilarating ideas. You
can use your imagination to conjure up any combination
of foods that sound appealing, and no one will tell
you "that's not allowed." In all honesty, compared to
what most North Americans consume, the vegan diet inspires
continual creativity and offers an incredible amount
of joy and freedom!
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