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Although Joanne is not able to respond to additional questions at this time, your concerns may have already been addressed in a previous column. Please check the Ask Joanne! Archive, which contains all the Q&As that have appeared here.
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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