Easter Recipes

Easter is fast approaching, and if you're a seasoned veg*an, you know that the holidays can be especially stressful due to the major differences between traditional holiday foods and veggie dishes.

With more people becoming vegetarian and vegan every day and learning how to make holiday cooking as simple as possible, there are more holiday food alternatives than ever before. So don't sit and munch on dinner rolls and side salads this Easter. Try out some new recipes, test them out with your friends, and make a great veggie meal this holiday.

Below are a few recipes you should definitely try out for you (and for your family!) this Easter.

Tofu and Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Vegetarian and vegan friendly -
Prep. time: 45 min.

*All of these ingredients can be found at any store in Statesboro, and the tofu can be found in the produce section of Walmart or at the Herb Shop

* 6 medium cloves garlic, peeled
* 3/4 cup vegetable broth
* 1/2 cup low-fat firm silken tofu (4 ounces)
* 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 675 grams / 1 1/2 pounds yukon gold potatoes (4 medium), peeled and cut into 5 centimeter chunks
* 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* Pinch of ground nutmeg

1. In small saucepan, combine garlic and broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until garlic is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Transfer broth to blender or food processor. Add tofu and oil and process until mixture is smooth and creamy. Cover to keep warm.

3. Meanwhile, in large saucepan, combine potatoes with enough cold water to cover. Add 1 tsp. salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of potato cooking water; drain potatoes well.

4. In large bowl, mash potatoes; gently stir in warm tofu mixture and enough reserved potato water to make smooth puree. Season with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and nutmeg and serve.
Recipe found here.



Raspberry Cheesecake
- Vegetarian friendly - Easily made vegan by using vegan cream cheese -
Prep. time: 10 minutes - Wait time: 2 hours

*All ingredients can be found in Statesboro - find the tofu at Walmart or the Herb shop, and try the vegan Tofutti brand cream 'cheese' from the Herb Shop

1 container silk tofu
8oz cream cheese
1 cup powedered sugar
2 tablespoonns Raspberry preserves

1. Sofen cream cheese in microwave. Blend togather tofu and cream cheese, and slowly add sugar. Beat until it's creamy and has all lumps out. Add Preserves.

2. Pour into homeade or already prepared crust. Let chill for 2 hours.

3. Before serving, swirl raspberry glass in a circle in the middle, and add 2 chocolate covered strawberries in the center of the raspberry ring.

Recipe found here.


Some other good sites for finding veg*an Easter recipes:
Bryanna's Vegan Feast
The Vegan Kitchen
Veggie Boards (Thread: Easter meal ideas)
Veggie Boards (Thread: Holiday meal ideas)

Ordering Food On-line: 'Vegan Unlimited'

Vegan Unlimited is one of my favorite places to visit to check out new vegan products and food. I haven't ordered a whole lot of food products from them yet (their non-food products are wonderful!). But they do have a wide variety of food, some that you can't find on many other sites. (Check out their food section here.)

One section they have that really sets them apart from many other veg*an sites is their 'snack food' category. They have all kinds of snacks, from dried fruit and nut mixes to soy jerky to non dairy/gelatin pudding. The site also contains a better variety of 'Mac and Chreese' products than many other sites. Along with the mac and chreese are some other quick meals that other sites don't carry, such as 'Tasty Bite' bombay potatoes, Tasty Bite eggplant and 'Thai Kitchen' peanut noodles.

Vegan Unlimited doesn't focus real heavily on prepared meat-substitutes, but they do still have several meat alternatives. Most of them are "Dixie Dinner" brand, which I haven't yet tried. But all of them are quick and simple (most say they need only 5 to 10 minutes of microwaving or mixing).

While the site's 'sweets' section is quite small, the sweets they do offer I've never found at another veg*an site. They have alternatives for foods that many people don't even know aren't vegetarian/vegan, such as gummy candy, 'rice'mellow cream, licorice and creme-filled wafers. Their chocolate section, on the other hand, is huge. They have everything from simple chocolate bars and chocolate bites to hot cocoa and high-quality gift boxes of chocolate truffles.

Despite Vegan Unlimited's smaller-than-average food section, what they do have is very good, and much of it you won't find at other major sites. If you're looking to find some unique items, and do your non-food and food shopping at the same site, Vegan Unlimited is definitely for you.

Ordering Food On-line: 'Vegan Essentials'

Vegan Essentials is a wonderful site for vegan food as well as all kinds of other vegan products. For the vegetarians, there is a wide variety of soy meats and non-rennet cheese/dairy products. For the vegans, there are subsitutes for nearly any non-vegan foods you could want. (Click here to check out the site's food section.)

This is an especially great site for vegans who enjoy baking and cooking. The site contains a lot of substitute ingredients that are nearly impossible to find in Statesboro, such as honey and egg replacements, dairy sauces/spreads substitutes and prepared baking mixes.

My favorite thing about Vegan Essentials is that the site has comment sections below every product they offer. Buyers are encouraged to rate and review products they've bought from Vegan Essentials and compare them to other products. Nearly every product on the site has several comments and reviews. (For an example of the product reviews, click here.)

Below is a list of some of the things that Vegan Essentials offers:

Soy meats: The site offers similar 'meat' dinners and snacks as The Vegetarian Site, but they offer a much larger selection. Some of these products include soy hotdogs, deli 'meat' cuts, prepared quick dinners, "Bac'uns" bacon bits and 'beef' jerky.

Cheese substitutes: They have a nice variety of different kinds of cheese substitutes, including nacho 'cheese' dip, 'Mac and ChReese' quick meals, parmesan 'cheese' and non-dairy creamy dressings and sauces. This is one of the sections where the comments/reviews really help out - there are some really strange cheese substitutes out there, and the buyers on Vegan Essentials will let you know exactly what they did and didn't like about each product.

'Meals in Minutes': This is the section for college students! Although not as cheap as, say, Wal-mart, you can still find veg*an versions of quick, simple meals. Plus, if you shop smart and keep a lookout for sales, you probably won't spend much more than you would have elsewhere anyway. Some of the products in this section include many different kinds of 'chicken' noodle soup, 'Mac and ChReese' (including flavors such as alfredo and cheddar), 'chicken and cheese' enchilada soup mix, 'Rice Express sushi wraps and rice bowl,' sweet basil pesto mix and deli style 'meat' chops.

Some of the other sections on Vegan Essentials include:
- Baking mixes
- Candy
- Cookies, brownies and donuts
- Vegan jello substitutes
- Sauces, dressings and spreads

Ordering Food On-line: 'The Vegetarian Site'

Not finding the food you want in Statesboro? Unless you're really passionate about your diet, it can be difficult to stick to it when there is such little variety of veg*an options in town. Vegans hoping to find cheaper, quicker, ready-to-nuke sorts of foods can turn to the Internet for those simpler options. Vegetarians still transitioning from meat might want to check the Internet for fake meats that aren't available in the area.

Two years ago, I had never bought a single thing over the Internet. Today, I regularly check out my favorite sites for sale items and great foods I can't find here. Below I've described one of my regular sites, 'The Vegetarian Site.' I've never had a bad experience ordering from their company. In fact, the first time ever ordering from them, they e-mailed me not an hour after I sent in my order to let me know one of the products was back-ordered, asking if I preferred to have it shipped separately or a day later with the rest of the order. That's customer service!

The Vegetarian Site
Although The Vegetarian Site doesn't have an incredible amount of food products compared to some others, what I have tried from them has been very good. (Check out their food section here) Their hummus and falafel mixes are perfect for a quick snack and they have a lot of protein, nutrition and snack bars for when you're on-the-go.

They have several “Harvest Direct” fake meat products, such as “Strip Style Soy Chicken,” “Veggie Ribs Mix” and “Soy Taco Mix.” They also have many “Dixie Diner” quick meals, such as “Tuna (Not!) Salad Mix,” “Oriental Delight Choice Cuts & Sauce” and “Tenderloin Tips'n Mushroom Sauce.” I haven't tried any of their 'meat' products yet, but I've heard great things about them.

My favorite things to buy from The Vegetarian Site are chocolate bars, cookies and snack bars, but honestly, I haven't tried a single thing from them that I haven't loved. They commonly have products on sale too, which is a great bonus for the poor college student. (Check out their sale items now!)

Statesboro's Herb Shop

Health food nuts, vegetarians and vegans, organic buyers - if you haven't yet been to The Herb Shop in Statesboro, you are missing out!

Now, first off I do have to say - the place is very small. But if you're a vegan in Statesboro, you'll be able to find food there that you won't find at any other store within 50 miles of town. It seems as though they're constantly getting better options, too.

One more thing I must mention for the college students out there - it's not cheap. But if you're serious about your diet, it's well worth the price. I myself can only afford the occasional trip to the Herb Shop, but it's been more than worth it every time I've gone.

The store seems to be mostly all about, well... herbs. Remedies, herbal supplements, things like that. But considering how small the shop is, you'll also find a very wide variety of vegan foods. Here's a list of some of the things I've recently tried out from the Herb Shop:

Chocolate - They offer a huge variety! Check the ingredient labels, though. Some are vegan, some aren't.

Soy sour cream - Amazing stuff! I wasn't all that fond of sour cream before going vegan, but one of my favorite late-night meals these days is tortilla chips with salsa and soy sour cream. Also - I've only had one person out of several try it and say it didn't taste like the real stuff!

Cereal - I actually haven't tried any of their cereal yet, but just the fact that they offer it is great. I only found two kinds of cereal at Wal-mart that don't contain any milk derivatives.

Dairy-free cheese - Also something I haven't tried from the Herb Shop yet. I recently discovered that they offer vegan cheese and I'm saving up the money to try it out ASAP!

Soy meats - They have your typical veggie burgers and veggie dogs as well as a few more options that Wal-mart doesn't offer.

Quick vegan meals - This is the only place in Statesboro I've found where I can buy food that I can make in less than 10 minutes. Definitely try the microwave burritos!

Soy milk - They have about the same variety as Wal-mart, but they offer a variety of carton sizes as well, plus they also have soy milks that can be stored in the pantry.

Vegan mayonnaise - They offer the very-popular 'Nasoya' Nayonaise brand. I have to admit, I've had it on my shelves for months now and have never tried it. I've never been a fan of mayonnaise to begin with, so I'm still trying to figure out how to use it. But I have heard that it's incredibly similar to the real stuff, and that you'd never know the difference if it's used in a recipe.

Dairy-free ice cream - I just can't even express how excited I was to see vegan ice cream in a store in Statesboro - I went nearly 5 years without any deserts of any kind before realizing vegan options existed! My all-time favorite vegan ice cream (SoyDream) is unfortunately not offered at the Herb Shop yet, but I've been happy enough with the flavors they do offer.

Now, just to clarify - the Herb Shop is not a 'vegan shop' - you should still definitely read the labels before buying anything. But most of their products do seem to be clearly marked as vegan if they are. Products like the chocolate aren't so clearly marked - the "Endangered Species" brand has both vegan and non-vegan flavors of chocolate, but a quick read-through of the ingredients to scan for whey or milkfat is simple enough. (Check out more about Endangered Species Chocolate)

If you're new to veganism (or just getting sick of feeling like there's nothing to eat in Statesboro), the Herb Shop is the place for you. It's not Wal-mart cheap, but it's worth it. Check them out some time - the shop is located on Highway 67 in the plaza across from the fairgrounds, next to Smiling Buddha Tattoos. (Google map & directions)

Cheap groceries: Vegans

For the vegans living in Statesboro, I honestly can't think of a cheap place to buy groceries other than Wal-mart. Fortunately, they do have a decent selection. And luckily for the less-health conscious vegans out there, Wal-mart sells a lot of their own brand of products which are very cheaply made - meaning no dairy in many products that would normally contain plenty of non-vegan ingredients. My rule of thumb when shopping at Walmart - check the cheapest products first before scanning every product in the isle. I've actually found a lot of things this way, including cookies, cereal, bread, spaghetti sauce and pasta.

For the junkfood vegans: the peanut butter and mint Oreos
at the Statesboro Wal-mart appear to be surprisingly vegan!

Some ingredients to watch out for, if you're new to veganism, include eggs, milk, honey and butter. These may all seem very obvious, but if you're a new vegan you'll probably be very surprised to discover how many products contain these very ingredients. Some less obvious ingredients to avoid include gelatin, casein, lactic acid and whey.

Wal-mart currently offers a couple different brands of veggie dogs.
You should still check over the ingredient label before you buy, though.
Some of these products still contain eggs and/or milk derivatives.

Thankfully, Walmart does have a tiny little vegan section hidden among the fresh veggies. There you'll find many varieties of tofu, vegan "hot dogs," a few different kinds of guacamole, spring roll wraps and a couple other options. Careful though, there are a few vegetarian - not vegan - products in the area, including some veggie burgers and some "veggie cheese" (which is technically not even vegetarian, let along vegan - I really don't know what that's all about).

Tofu is a vegan staple - if you've never had it before, definitely try it.
It took me 5 years to give in and try it, and I really wish I had much sooner.
Tofu beginners: buy the "extra firm" or "firm," cube it and fry it in a
pan with other vegetables and any sauce you like.
*(The Azumaya "extra firm" pictured above is available at our Wal-mart!)

For some other vegan options, head to the very back of the store for a very nice selection of soy milk (well, nice for Statesboro). In that same isle you'll also find almost-vegan margarine. I randomly came across "Smart Balance Light" one day - it doesn't fit the "cheaper is closer to vegan" rule at all, but it is dairy free. However, it does contain a very minimal amount of lactic acid, so if you're strict vegan you'll want to stick to the veggie oil for awhile until you can find a better butter substitute.

Wal-mart carries a pretty decent variety of Soymilk flavors.
If you've never tried it before, I suggest starting off with the vanilla or chocolate.
Also - don't make the same mistake I first did - make sure to get plain or
unsweetened if you're going to be using it in a recipe that isn't supposed to be sweet!

After nearly six years of trying to come up with the perfect formula for finding vegan food in non-vegan stores, the best advice I can give to other vegans is just to read read read the labels. I'm always finding new food I thought I couldn't eat, as well as discovering ingredients in the food I'd thought was vegan-safe. Walmart is getting new vegan-friendly products all the time - you just have to find them!

Check out some of these sites for help finding cheap vegetarian/vegan alternatives:
1. "I Can't Believe It's Vegan!" : PETA's "accidental vegan" list of vegan options that can be found at regular grocery stores
*(NOTE: If you're a strict vegan, double check the ingredients on this list - there are many "close-enough" ingredients on this list meant for those new to and transitioning to veganism)
2. Veggie Boards
3. Vegan Forums

Cheap groceries: Vegetarians

Finding decent vegetarian and vegan fast food can be a major pain in Statesboro. But if you enjoy cooking even the least bit, you'll be able to find plenty to eat in town. For students on a tight budget, even Walmart has a variety of veg*an products. I honestly can't stand shopping at Walmart for several reasons, but I too am on a very tight budget, so I find myself there more often than not. I'm actually pretty surprised at the amount of products they do offer.

Vegetarians:
As a vegetarian, some ingredients you'll want to scan labels for include the obvious: anything with some kind of animal flavoring (companies seem to love to brag about the "real" chicken or whatever flavoring in their products, so you shouldn't have to look hard for those kinds of things). When I first gave up meat I was disappointed to see that the only Ramen noodles not flavored with real animal ingredients was the "Oriental." If you're not a big fan of the Oriental flavored Ramen, just save those packets for other uses (great for flavoring on a vegetable stir-fry!). I save the seasoning packets for my roommate to use and then I flavor the Ramen noodles with other sauces, like peanut sauce or butter and garlic.

If you're a strict vegetarian, you should definitely also look out for gelatin, which is in many products, including things like Jello (gelatin is made from crushed bone and skin mostly). Another ingredient to avoid is casein, which is found in most cheese and some dairy products (casein is made from cow stomach mostly). I'm finding that companies tend to put things like anchovies and other seafood flavorings in their dressings and sauces, so be sure not to miss those kinds of obvious ingredients that may be hidden in seemingly-vegetarian products. Bacon is another ingredient that's also found its way into dressings and other products. The good news is, Walmart sells cheap products - that means many of the "bacon bits" and dressings that claim to contain bacon bits may not actually be made with meat. Check the label!

If you're a veggie burger kind of person, you'll be surprised to find a pretty decent selection of Morningstar Farms and Boca brand products in the last freezer section isle in the front of the store. They even offer things like veggie quesadillas, spinach bites and other quick veggie snacks. Note: if you're a vegetarian who avoids eggs, read every label very closely. Eggs are a common ingredient in veggie burgers.

Click the photo above to visit Boca's Web site.

Also, check out some of the great recipes they offer.


Click the above image to view Morningstar Farm's site.
Search through their products online and even find recipes here.