OK, I really should have said my six vegan essentials, because I’m sure there are plenty of vegans living happy, full lives without all of these things. I’m just not sure how they manage it!
- Nutritional Yeast – Great for making faux cheese from scratch (and sprinkled on pretty much any savory dish), it’s also a vegan source of B12.
- Vegenaise – Hands down the best faux mayo in town. Real mayo is made from oil and eggs, and I think Vegenaise is made from magic!
- A solid vegan cookbook – The one in the picture is VEGANOMICON, which is a really great one.
- Plenty of fresh, organic fruits and veggies – It’s easy to fall into the trap of vegan junk food. Keeping fresh produce on hand makes it almost as easy to cook up a healthy meal!
- Good olive oil – I’ve even been known to use olive oil in muffin or cupcake recipes.
- Tahini – Also key in many fake cheese recipes, tahini is full of protein and good, healthy fat! When I first went vegan, I had a hard time getting enough calories, but drizzling tahini on things like stir fried veggies really helps close the gap.
Just looking at that list, I know there are some things I’m forgetting, but this is a pretty good starter list. Do any of you guys have vegan essentials that are missing from here?
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Do you have a good recipe for cheese sauce made with Nutritional Yeast? I’m looking to try one soon!
Sure! The sauce portion from this recipe for Macaroni and Peas is out of control delicious and super easy!
http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2008/12/04/macaroni-and-peas/
I agree with everything but the mayo. I hate that stuff. Replace that with falxseed, and that’s my list too!
It is weird how the longer I am vegan the more I like nutritional yeast. They are directly proportional.
Katie – Oooh flax seeds! That’s a good one.
LazySmurf – I’ve noticed that, too! I wonder if it’s our bodies missing the B12? Or it could just be the magic of nooch!
Nooch is heavenly. My friends use brewer’s yeast too, which has a more earthy, smoky flavor but is also pretty darn good. I’d add Earth Balance to the list, maybe more so than Veganaise since I use it more. Though Veganaise is so so so good…
Oooh, I’ve seen folks talk about brewer’s yeast and always assumed it was the same as nooch. Where can you find it?
Earth Balance! Such a good one!
They have brewer’s yeast almost everywhere that they have nutritional yeast, including Whole Foods (right next to the nutritional yeast in the big cans). I have a hard time finding powdered nutritional yeast in stores and always have to order it online (I think it tastes cheezier than the flake stuff)