Vegan and Plant Based Recommendations and Reviews

[StrattyNeet]

I’m vegan. It’s great to see all the recommendations especially a decent butter. Annoyed Flora changed the recipe for their buttery margarine because they launched a tasteless below par butter substituteCo-Ops mince is fantastic... but for some reason is out of stock everywhere at the mo I’d give meatless farm mince a swerve... dry with a weird smell and taste...Ikea plant based meatballs are fab... for the gravy I use chicken flavour granules and add plant based cream.. I’ve yet to find a decent halloumi cheese..... Aldi’s Cornish pasties, steak bakes, vegetable fingers, fish fingers were ok.. but grey..! This isn’t bacon is great... I love it in a cinnamon bagel...Richmond meat free sausages are lovely... great in a toad in the hole... Can’t speak highly enough of Patak’s Korma spice paste... Vegenaise Mayo is head and shoulders above Hellman’s...Aldi vegan pesto... not sure if that are going to continue stocking it though...Finally for now... my daughter told me about M&S salt beef... I’ve yet to try it and will report back

 

[Mustard]

I tried these as had them in my freezer. Not bad at all, but they work out to be quite expensive in my opinion. Had with ketchup and vegan Mayo.

 

[StrattyNeet]

Back as promised with my review of the M&S Salt No Beef Pretzel Deli Bun... Delicious... I like most vegans have had our fair share of sloppy vegan sandwiches and more often than not wraps....But this bun was delicious... 10/10... the combination of slaw pickle cheese and salt ‘beef’ was superb.. I have eaten the real Mc coy in the past and this subtler... but I am always happy with a close approximation to non vegan food at best....it was simply a trip to ‘flavour town.’ It’s not cheap at nearly £4 ... however I would happily pay that again.

 

[Fenella]

Annoyed Flora changed the recipe for their buttery margarine because they launched a tasteless below par butter substitute

did the buttery one used to be vegan? I seemed to remember they’d made everything like vegan but then I was super confused to see buttermilk on the tub.

I once made my own margarine, to avoid palm oil etc. It was quite easy but for the amount I actually use it, it wasn’t worth it, I’ll just have peanut butter on toast and vegenaise in a sandwich!

 

[Gym&Tonic]

So today I finally bit the bullet and have bought some tofu. But I’ve no idea what to do with it. I know some people say you need to press it? If I want to put it in say, a curry do I just chop it up and put it in?

 

[Bluelipstick]

So today I finally bit the bullet and have bought some tofu. But I’ve no idea what to do with it. I know some people say you need to press it? If I want to put it in say, a curry do I just chop it up and put it in?

Which brand tofu did you get?

 

[Gym&Tonic]

Which brand tofu did you get?

Cauldron, it was on offer.

 

[Bluelipstick]

Cauldron, it was on offer.

Ok so you can put it straight in but you'll get a better result with it if you press it. Or what would be good if you have time is to toss it in some oil and cornflour and bake it til it's crispy and then throw it in the sauce to cook for a bit. Improves the texture.

The tofoo brand is my favourite as it doesn't need pressing.

 

[Gym&Tonic]

I think I have cornflower!

 

[martaS]

@StrattyNeet - have you tried Naturli? They do a block "butter" and a spreadable. Both delicious, lightly salted. The block is great on toast (I swear, just a slice of nice quality bread and a big fat slice of butter) but you can also use it to sauté vegetables or mushrooms, or in mash potato You can typically buy it in Sainsbury's, I have recently seen it on offer for £1.50 but it normally costs about £1.80-£2, and small independent whole foods shops.

 

[purple-rain]

So today I finally bit the bullet and have bought some tofu. But I’ve no idea what to do with it. I know some people say you need to press it? If I want to put it in say, a curry do I just chop it up and put it in?

These are some really great tofu recipes:

General Tso's Tofu

This copycat General Tso’s Tofu is made with crispy baked tofu with a sticky and spicy sauce. Completely vegan and easy to make gluten free!

www.noracooks.com

Crispy Sweet and Sour Tofu (Easy + Healthy) - Okonomi Kitchen

Easy sweet and sour tofu thats vegan, healthy and better than take out! Ready in 20 minutes, this is the perfect weeknight meal!

okonomikitchen.com

Bosh also have a couple of good tofu recipes on their YouTube channel!

I agree with the poster who suggested coating it in cornstarch then baking before tossing in a sauce - if I'm particularly lazy, I just bake it for 20-30 mins then mix it with storebought hoisin sauce or teriyaki sauce or black bean sauce (the Lee Kum Kee brand sauces are good).

 

[StrattyNeet]

I have an unusual problem... my husband although not vegan loves the vegan meals I make.... however he really dislikes my quorn ‘chicken’ curry. Everyone who has tasted it disagrees with him.... so I asked. He said that the way I seasoned the quorn made it taste too much like chicken... and as he doesn’t like chicken...I’m really not sure if that is considered a vegan badge of honour or not

 

[StrattyNeet]

@StrattyNeet - have you tried Naturli? They do a block "butter" and a spreadable. Both delicious, lightly salted. The block is great on toast (I swear, just a slice of nice quality bread and a big fat slice of butter) but you can also use it to sauté vegetables or mushrooms, or in mash potato You can typically buy it in Sainsbury's, I have recently seen it on offer for £1.50 but it normally costs about £1.80-£2, and small independent whole foods shops.

Yes I have. I thought it was Violife.. shows how much notice I take.. and yes it’s lovely...agree with everything you’ve said...I still haven’t found a good hard cheese... all the ones I’ve tasted are ok... even applewood

 

[Meh]

For a long time I’ve been toying with the idea of going more towards plant based/vegetarian diet. I currently eat meat and dairy although I don’t eat sea food. Dairy wise it’s milk splashes for tea/coffee and cheddar cheese on things (like pizza) but I’m not a major cheese lover and I dislike cows milk taste.

I like the Alpro dairy free yogurts and have been eating them for a while and I love Oatly/Alpro hazelnut/soy milks for porridge and muesli.

I’m currently swapping out meats for veggies and packing my foods with chickpeas, lentils, pulses etc for filling power.


Does anyone have good cooking/recipe account recommendations or even cook books/websites? Really looking for variety and inspiration. Liking hearty, filling foods. I wfh and have slow cooker, food processor, air fryer etc. And want to put them to work more. Don’t want to only have the same 4/5 meals in rotation.

 

[On A Roll]

For a long time I’ve been toying with the idea of going more towards plant based/vegetarian diet. I currently eat meat and dairy although I don’t eat sea food. Dairy wise it’s milk splashes for tea/coffee and cheddar cheese on things (like pizza) but I’m not a major cheese lover and I dislike cows milk taste.

I like the Alpro dairy free yogurts and have been eating them for a while and I love Oatly/Alpro hazelnut/soy milks for porridge and muesli.

I’m currently swapping out meats for veggies and packing my foods with chickpeas, lentils, pulses etc for filling power.


Does anyone have good cooking/recipe account recommendations or even cook books/websites? Really looking for variety and inspiration. Liking hearty, filling foods. I wfh and have slow cooker, food processor, air fryer etc. And want to put them to work more. Don’t want to only have the same 4/5 meals in rotation.

Definitely recommend Rainbow Plant Life - her red lentil curry, Mac and cheese (made with butternut squash - trust me it’s so good) and Creamy white beans with wild rice are so delicious

 

[rivermonster]

Definitely recommend Rainbow Plant Life - her red lentil curry, Mac and cheese (made with butternut squash - trust me it’s so good) and Creamy white beans with wild rice are so delicious

I also use Rainbow Plant Life, her you tubes are brilliant, yes that Mac and Cheese is so good and does freeze well.
Fat Free Vegan is a blog with loads of recipes.
Brand New Veg has a blog and lots of you tubes.

Edit - forgot - The Veg Space. (Vegan Batch Cooking) is another good one.

Four Week Vegan Meal Plan and Shopping Lists

Get ready.... this 4-Week Vegan Meal Plan with full shopping lists is going to revolutionise your dinner time! ❌ No more dinner stress❌

www.thevegspace.co.uk

If you shop in Aldi they have just started to stock Soy Yogurt and the Vanilla one is the best I have tasted.

 

[CosmicCreepers]

Birds Eye vegan Chicken strips are heaven!! Closest thing to KFC I've found in 8 years!! FYI, they're usually on offer for £1.50 a pack at Tesco! https://www.birdseye.co.uk/range/me...en-cuisine-chicken-free-southern-fried-strips

 

[Jbf]

For a long time I’ve been toying with the idea of going more towards plant based/vegetarian diet. I currently eat meat and dairy although I don’t eat sea food. Dairy wise it’s milk splashes for tea/coffee and cheddar cheese on things (like pizza) but I’m not a major cheese lover and I dislike cows milk taste.

I like the Alpro dairy free yogurts and have been eating them for a while and I love Oatly/Alpro hazelnut/soy milks for porridge and muesli.

I’m currently swapping out meats for veggies and packing my foods with chickpeas, lentils, pulses etc for filling power.


Does anyone have good cooking/recipe account recommendations or even cook books/websites? Really looking for variety and inspiration. Liking hearty, filling foods. I wfh and have slow cooker, food processor, air fryer etc. And want to put them to work more. Don’t want to only have the same 4/5 meals in rotation.

I bought the Liz Cook so what do you eat book and her vegan wallchart for minerals and vitamins foods... The book has some lovely ideas with easy to find ingredients

And although I don't eat a lot of cakes now THIS has been my most used cookbook since I went vegan

Eta the Wall chart is also inside the Liz cook book but I got a separate one as it rolls out and its on my window

 

[rivermonster]

I bought the Liz Cook so what do you eat book and her vegan wallchart for minerals and vitamins foods... The book has some lovely ideas with easy to find ingredientsView attachment 503359View attachment 503362

And although I don't eat a lot of cakes now THIS has been my most used cookbook since I went vegan

View attachment 503365

Eta the Wall chart is also inside the Liz cook book but I got a separate one as it rolls out and its on my window

The Liz Cook one looks a really nice book, ideal for someone starting out eating Vegan. Just had a look for a Kindle edition but only the spiral bound book - I do find them better than usual books. When Staples was open I used to take my new books there and have them spiral bound. I am not buying any more paper books as I now have shelves of them but would have been tempted by that one.

 

[Bluelipstick]

All books by isa Chandra moskowitz are winners.