I have been contemplating for several months about fully transitioning to a vegan lifestyle, but I have encountered significant challenges. My family primarily consumes meat and holds negative sentiments towards plant-based diets. As a result, when I attempt to adopt healthier eating habits by purchasing fruits and vegetables, they often go to waste since I am the sole consumer. My current diet primarily consists of salads with avocado, onions, and nuts, which has become monotonous and has led me to occasionally revert to meat consumption. While I am not a proficient cook, I am eager to acquire cooking skills. My primary motivations for considering veganism are to prioritize my health and achieve weight loss. In light of these circumstances, I kindly request guidance from the esteemed community. I am particularly interested in learning about your initial vegan dishes that proved to be both tasty and satisfying, thereby keeping you in maintaining your commitment to this lifestyle.
don't you mean r/veganrecipes?
Pasta with gluten free bases like red lentil or chickpea pasta, and brown rice stir fries should really be more present. Find sandwiches you like, hummus, etc.
Why do they have to be gluten free?
They don’t, but the higher protein gf pastas are nutritionally excellent.
True! The red lentil pasta has a crazy nutritional profile. I just hate the texture. But I’ll make it occasionally to get some extra protein and fiber in my kid lol.
I'm a fan of Nora Cooks ( https://www.noracooks.com/) and Jessica in the Kitchen ( https://jessicainthekitchen.com/)
They both have a variety of recipes for all meals and desserts. When I was learning to cook vegetarian and then vegan, I had a goal of finding one new recipe per week to try while cutting out animal products.
Seconded. These two have some amazing recipes.
I’m also going to throw in hummusapien for the best lasagna I’ve ever had
https://www.youtube.com/@PickUpLimes
I know, I post that link often, but Pick Up Limes is just so beginner friendly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJxMsypwnqg
That's an older video but a really good overview.
I've got no "initial vegan dishes" because I always ate lots of plant-based meals, even when I was a vegetarian.
I love pasta with tomato sauce and veggies, roasted veggies, pan fried rice or millet with loads of veggies, creamy vegetable soups, oatmeal, plant-based yoghurt with fruits (cherries!), krautsalat (german: vinegar based dressing), tomatosalad, steamed potatoes, baked potatoes, loaded potatoes, all the potatoes!, maultaschen (southern german dumplings), freshly baked breadrolls with vegan butter, proteinbars with peanut butter and hempseed mix, proteinpudding... There's just so much food I really love and I already ate most of it before going vegan.
If you don't know where to start: look at the thumbnails of Pick Up Limes videos and klick on the ones that look the most appealing to you and go from there.
You're missing starches to fill you up and satiate you. Check Dr. John mcDougall, he has great recipes on his website.
Tahini and peanutbutter can be diluted to make epic dressings. Have some examples:
https://biancazapatka.com/en/the-best-tahini-sauce/
https://minimalistbaker.com/5-ingredient-peanut-sauce/
Adding fat is in my opinion necessary to get over those humps where you have just reduced caloric intake too much.
These are great:
https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/easy-soy-curl-tacos-vegan-chicken-tacos/
https://rainbowplantlife.com/10-ingredient-vegan-red-lentil-bolognese/
https://www.sweeterthanoats.com/how-to-make-a-quick-and-easy-vegan-tofu-bowl/
https://simple-veganista.com/texas-three-bean-chili-sweet-chia/
Vegan Outreach runs a FB page to help people transition to veganism. https://veganoutreach.org/10weeks-all/
With topics from meal ideas to how to stock a pantry or deal with family, it is a very welcoming, non judgmental group with admins who do not tolerate social media silliness. So you are welcome to join! This link will sign you up for 10, weekly emails with tips and give you the FB link.
I have a recipe I always suggest when people ask for ideas. It's from the Veganomicon, which is a great recipe book.
https://www.food.com/recipe/vegan-mac-daddy-veganomicon-435793
It is basically vegan mac and cheese but it doesn't try to mimic the original, instead going for the "feel" of it. It's really tasty!
Google your favorite meals and add the word vegan to the search.
Making food vegan is really just swapping out the animal ingredients and replacing with the vegan versions of those ingredients.
Black beans spiced with garlic, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and oregano. Rice of your choice. Avocado makes it fancy.
Go with stews. I particularly recommend a greek lentil stew, which is super easy to cook: https://www.olivetomato.com/greek-lentil-soup-fakes/ Use more Olive Oil though!
Combine with a few slices of toasted white bread, and you'll have a nice meal. In the fridge you can keep it for a few days.
Make some spaghetti with Raos Arrabbiata and Beyond Meat. Its super simple to make and will impress non vegans. (The sauce is incredible. It does all the work for you.) I don’t usually like fake meats, but for a struggling new vegan, they can be really helpful.
Another quick and easy thing I like is quesadillas. I don’t love the consistency of vegan cheese, so I do refried beans, a small sprinkle of cheese, and grilled onions. Serve it with some guacamole.
Teriyaki tofu and rice with broccoli is pretty simple. Air fry some tofu cubes, toss it in teriyaki, serve it with white rice and steamed or roasted broccoli. There are also amazing vegan spring rolls at Costco and most grocery stores have vegan potstickers. We do this once a week.
Chili: Beans, Rice, Corn, (Bell)Peppers, Tomatoes and Spices
Me and my young son are the only vegans at home. The freezer is your friend to avoid food waste.
Of course you’re bored, oof, salads get old quick!
Get spices. Especially anything umami. Msg.
Slow cooker recipes are easy and convenient. They have small ones for the individual.
Many flavoring packets are accidentally vegan, so I use those. Taco seasoning or stew for example. They can do a lot of heavy lifting if you’re not familiar with how to combine your own seasonings yet.
In addition to veganizing your favorites, look into ethnic food that happens to be vegan already. They’ve been perfected and passed down for years, and it will introduce you to new ingredients that will break up the monotony you mentioned.
We are so lucky to have youtube. Search for easy vegan recipes.
Can't go wrong with a green lentil or chickpea curry with mango chutney or Marmite / Vegemite in it =D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35B8UG3a2Ic&t=2s
Or a bean chilli non carne. Lush and wholesome https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT-EQRbyT8Y
Just two ideas if you're interested...
www.itdoesnttastelikechicken.com
Sam Turnbull has never steered me wrong in neay 10 years vegan. She has helped me so much - super easy & damn tasty recipes. I have many of her dishes memorised as I make them so often ❤️
Where is the protein in your diet? No lentils, legumes, beans or even tofu. Here's a pretty easy and yummy recipe that includes tofu https://www.veganricha.com/manchurian-noodles-indo-chinese/
Btw I recommend getting an instapot. Makes cooking recipes that include beans and lentils super easy if you buy the dried versions which are super cheap.
I highly recommend checking out https://www.eatfigsnotpigs.com. I've tried a handful of her recipes at this point and they are seriously banging. My husband is a meat eater but he loves her recipes. We keep going back to the Chipotle cauliflower tacos. I honestly don't think you can go wrong on that site.
r/plantbased is a better spot for this question. But make beans lentils and chicpeas your new best friend.