Helpful Hints for the Recently Vegan

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For those newly vegetarian or vegan, here is some advice and useful websites.Vegans don't eat animal flesh, dairy, eggs or honey. But, we eat everything else. Beans, tofu, seitan, nuts, fruits, vegetables, bread, potatoes, rice, fruit and anything else plant based. We substitute rice or almond or soy milk for cows milk and ener-g egg replacer for eggs. The vegan diet is much more varied and nutritious than the standard diet based on animal flesh. In the beginning, don't worry about the small stuff. Just concentrate on eliminating animal products from your diet. Don't worry about whether a food has preservatives in it or not. Get used to being vegan first and worry about such details later. Your are just in a transition phase and in time, you will wonder why you ever thought it difficult to eat vegan. Check out the PCRM veggie starter kit

(www.pcrm.org) that tells you step by step on how to become vegan. Almost everyone, vegan, vegetarian or carnivore, eats the same 7 or 8 recipes that they have developed and like. You can find many vegan recipes on-line for free. But, if you want to buy a vegan cookbook, buy a simple one and read how to put recipes together. I like The Complete Vegan Cookbook, available from Walmart.com for $13.03. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=1199558 Almost any recipe can be converted to

vegan. For instance, if you want a simple and fast chili recipe that you can make in under 10 minutes, here is one. Pan fry over medium heat 1/2 onion in a little olive oil, stir in Veggie Crumbles and brown lightly. Add canned vegetarian beans (drained), canned chopped tomatoes, and any store bought chili mix. Or, just follow the directions on the chili mix packet you can buy in any grocery. Substitute the veggie crumbles for cow flesh, of course. Also, check out the Lightlife's easy recipes. click on: http://www.lightlife.com/recipes.jspContact me any time with questions. And, come to VegNod's 4th Sunday of the Month luncheon at Veggie Garden in Richardson and talk to like-minded people for pointers. Best wishes for a healthy and

humane new year!Margaret MorinVegetarian Network of Dallaswww.VegNod.com

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