Tasty meals for a picky vegan?

Question

i'm 15 and a lacto-vegetarian, and i'm making the treacherous transition into full vegan.

i'm a horribly picky eater--i grew up with a morbid fear of green veggies, dont ask--and salads, etc. are something that makes me want to vomit. most of all, i CANNOT STAND CELERY. cannot.

i'm very into fruits. love oranges, peaches, bananas, cherries, etc. but now that i'm going to be vegan, i need some full meals that arent for your average garbage-disposal-like vegan.

i cant eat veggies just by themselves. they need to be like smothered in some obscure sauce or mixed in with so many others that i cant pick out the taste. (i have mild ocd, so yeah, i will focus on it.)

and, above all, the taste factor is important, as with any meal.(:

i'm not looking for a lecture.

just someone who knows what a living h**l it is to hate veggies and who happens to know some good recipies. :D

gracias.

Answer 1

If you really want to become vegan, nutrition is going to be very important. You said it was a treacherous transition, so first make sure it is a choice you are doing for reasons you believe in. It will be easier if you are doing it for yourself. Nobody should tell you how to eat or make you feel bad for eating a way that is different from them.

You are cutting out major food groups, and so you want to make sure you get enough nutrients, otherwise you will not feel well, and you won't have support of those around you.

I understand having 'aversions' to certain foods, but you will have to eat green vegetables even more now than when you were 'vegetarian.' I would suggest 'hiding' the vegetables from yourself. You could make a pesto with basil, spinach, pine nuts (or walnuts - or other nuts), salt and nutritional yeast. Put this all in a food processor and make it into a paste. It will keep in the fridge for about a week. You can eat this tossed with pasta.  You can also make pizza and lasagna without the cheese, and add this pesto. The pesto gives it a nice 'meaty' flavor and texture.

What is it about the vegetables that you don't like? If it is the texture, or the flavor, there might be a way to prepare them that you like better. I know certain foods like eggplant are really disgusting if not cooked well. But if cooked well it is so delicious. You have to make sure it is thoroughly cooked. I use a small "George Foreman Grill" to prepare my vegetables. In minutes you can have roasted peppers, onion, eggplant and even sweet potatoes. You can make a great sandwich with roasted vegetables and hummus.

If you like dips, there are also a lot of things you can do with vegetables to change the texture. You can make a 'guacamole' dip using steamed broccoli and peas to the avocado and other ingredients.

http://www.texmextogo.com/guiltless_guac...

You can make baba ganoush, by taking a whole eggplant, washing it and wrapping it in foil then baking it in the oven for about 40 minutes (until the whole thing is soft). Then let it cool and blend it with lemon juice, garlic and tahini (sesame paste). I love dipping carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers and crackers in this.

And if you don't mind vegetables if they are smothered in sauce, another favorite sauce I make is cashew cheese. Take about a 2 cups of cashews (raw is best if you can find them) put them in a food processor until they are almost smooth, and then add 1/2 red bell pepper, 1 clove of garlic, and 1/4 cup of diced onion. Blend it all until smooth and then add salt and nutritional yeast to taste. This is very thick and spreadable. You can use it in place of cheese and it bakes nicely, or you can make a sauce with it by adding water and heating it (while stirring) on the stove. It burns easily, so keep the heat low. This is very nice over steamed vegetables.

Hopefully as you experiment, you will find things you like.

Check out the Post Punk Kitchen for more ideas on eating and being vegan.

http://www.theppk.com/

Answer 2

Wow. You have a tough time. I adore veggies of all kinds, so I've never had this problem.

You might need to take a supplement for some things. Make friends with tomato sauces and curry sauces, I guess. You could try to steam veggies and throw them into the food processor with a ton of seasonings (or your tomato sauce) to try and cover up the taste.

Answer 3

Most Asian foods have very little protein, so you could get the non-meat versions.

Indian (as in India) food uses a lot of fruts and vegies with sauces.  Try an Indian buffet (lunch is cheaper): put one spoon of each on your plate.  Then, make note of the things you like.  You can ask beforehand which dishes have animal products in them so you can avoid them.

Happy eating!

Answer 4

i absolutely hate celery too, i think its the texture cause i dont like onions(except for green) either.

okay i love this meal, get a couple corn tortillas and fill them up with beans(whatever your favorite kind) and then put your favorite salsa over the top, and zap it in the microwave, its amazing.

i also make vegan pancakes, just get pancake mix, make sure it doesnt have any added dairy(i dont think bisquick does) and then follow the recipe on the box and use applesauce for eggs(1/4 for every egg) and soy milk for milk.

also its really easy to make stirfry tofu just pretty much add whatever veggies you want and cook the tofu in a pan with soy sauce and seasonings you like. and then make some rice and its pretty delicous.

and pb&j sandwich is pretty much as easy as it gets for a meal.

you can also eat spaghetti, just make sure the sauce is meatless and the noodles are eggless(just get a cheap brand)

and of coarse there is always boca patties to eat on occasion.

and thats all i got, hope i helped

Answer 5

Stir fry with rice.  Use whatever veggies you do like.

Mexican foods.  Use rice cheese - it is really good

Look up vegan recipes online, there are a lot of websites