We don’t want your (possibly first) experience with plant-based cooking to disappoint. You want good tasting food, and we've tried to ensure that’s what you get by only including family favorite recipes tested on meat-eaters and vegans alike.  VegansEatWhat? hopes that these recipes (a collection of years of good eating by family, friends, and many amazing people) demonstrate one simple truth - eating a compassionate diet does not entail deprivation. Far from it!  If you are like us, you will actually eat a greater variety of delicious and healthy food on a plant-based diet than you ever did when you ate animals and their by-products.  
 
Most of the recipes are easy to prepare and many mimic traditional animal-based recipes because eating familiar food is often a good starting point when adapting to a more animal friendly diet. You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy these recipes, although our sincere hope is that you may consider it after discovering how good compassionate eating can taste!  

 

Buy “Non-GMO” food if possible. The package will usually indicate if the product is not from a genetically modified or engineered source. Look for “Non-GMO” or “NON-GMO Project Verified” on the product label.

We like to use recipes that incorporate nuts as an ingredient. All nuts used in these recipes are raw & unsalted. Buy organic if you can. This is true not just for nuts but other ingredients as well. Also, buy locally grown whenever possible.  It is best to rinse and drain all raw nuts prior to use, especially if they are not organic.

Always wash your vegetables before using them. You can do so using either a vinegar solution or a commercial vegetable wash. Salt is ‘sea salt’ unless stated otherwise and can be omitted if dietary restrictions require you do so. 

Tofu comes in several varieties. See Recipe Ingredients. Some recipes require that the tofu be drained prior to use to remove as much water as possible. To drain tofu, remove it from the package and wrap it in a kitchen towel. Place the tofu in a colander, then put a plate or other fairly flat object over the tofu.  Place a large can or other heavy item on top of the plate.  Let the tofu drain for 30-60 minutes, then remove the weight and plate.  Gently squeeze out any remaining water with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel.  You can also drain tofu using a Tofu Xpress, or other commercial product, available at most health food stores and online.  Do not use silken tofu unless the recipe specifically calls for that variety.     

We have intentionally left out “number of servings” because we have never found these to be particularly accurate and you can use your own judgment based on the amount of ingredients used, how you are serving the recipe (entrée or side), whether it is a light lunch or dinner and whether you are feeding children or adults. If you have questions about an ingredient, check our Ingredients section. The abbreviation “T” is for tablespoon and “tsp.” for teaspoon. 

For sautéing, use extra virgin olive, coconut, avacado, grapeseed or safflower oils. You can substitute one oil for another when sautéing or browning. However, if the oil is part of the recipe itself and not just for sautéing or browning, substituting an oil different from that in the recipe will affect final flavor.    

Eating animal-free foods does not mean that you have to sacrifice convenience. For a list of easy meal suggestions, please see our Quick Meal Ideas.