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Veganism

This page describes how I went vegan, followed by resources like news sites and vegan recipes.

How I Went Vegan

I've been vegan twice in my life. First, in high school which I failed at because I didn't know any recipes and reverted back.

In late 2021 I went vegan again but it was after several years of gradually reducing my meat consumption to the point where I was eating meat roughly only once a month for 1-2 years. This is called the crowding out method.

The crowding-out method is where you reduce your reliance on animal-based foods by learning more plant based recipes to replace them.

The Vegan Label

Only after a month of eating a fully plant based diet did I watch the documentaries Cowspiracy and Dominion.

The footage in Dominion is from Australia and New Zealand so all the issues they brought up were directly relevant to me. Watching them reinforced my decision to go vegan and after this, the vegan label stuck a bit better.

You need to be mentally prepared to watch vegan documentaries because they are confronting. The animal agriculture system would rather people remained ignorant.

Take It Slow

My first attempt at veganism was a failure but I learned my lesson and knew I had to take it slow. I was mainly motivated to reduce my meat consumption for health reasons, though the ethics of veganism always appealed to me and I really admired vegans for being true to their values and living with an optimistic perspective of the future. That dream is that animals are not exploited by humans, we live in harmony with them and the environment.

Try New Recipes

I try new recipes all the time but I don't go back to all of them. I've curated a list of Vegan Recipes that I do go back to. If you're thinking of reducing meat or animal protein for any reason, consider trying some new recipes like I did.

Swap Protein Every Week

When I went vegan, one piece of advice I followed closely is to change protein source each week. This simplifies the process of getting groceries and looking up recipes. It also means if you get bored of red lentils you can try green lentils and your brain might accept it as sufficiently different.

I had never cooked with borlotti beans before I went vegan, but now I know multiple recipes for them. So do not be afraid to try something new.

Don't Be Discouraged

It takes time to learn new recipes, find new products that are vegan, find products you like, and overall change your daily habits. Just remember to take it one step at a time and be patient with yourself.

Every step, no matter how small, makes a positive difference to your health, the planet, and the animals out there.

The Well-Stocked Grocery

I want to share some photos I've taken from my local vegan grocery The Green Edge.

The general idea is if your grocery store only stocks 1-2 vegan products they're failing you. There is much more available if you know where to look.

I originally took these photos to share with my friends over Discord rather than for my blog. Other than cropping some of them, I haven't edited them at all.

5 rows of a fridge. The top two shelves are filled with herbed chevre style Vegan Dairy cheeses in plastic packaging, the flavors range from dill, chilli, and fetta in olive oil in jars. The third and fourth rows are Dilecto brand cheeses in purple boxes with gold art nouveau flourishes. They read Plant Based Dilecto followed by the flavors. Smoked, Blue, Fetta, Chevre style cheeses are available. The last row has Notzarella mozzarella style cheese in plastic packaging and a big red circle sticker. The same shelf also has Damona cheeses including boccocini and brie style cheeses.

The Green Edge has several entire fridges dedicated to vegan cheeses.

5 rows of vegan cheeses in a fridge. Notzarella mozzarella style cheeses are stacked with a large Special $5.99 label beneath them. There's a very large plastic bag of vegan grated cheddar cheese for $24.95. The second shelf has vegan sour cream in plastic tubs. The third shelf has variations of cheddar cheeses with different colours like beige, yellow, light orange. There are vegan cheese blocks underneath by the same brand. The lowest shelf has vegan haloumi, vegan parmesan, and vegan grated mozzarella for pizzas.

Vegan mozarella, vegan haloumi, packs of grated vegan cheese...

Two wire containers in a sliding freezer have different kinds of Field Roast vegan sausages: bratwurst, smoked apple and sage, caramelised onion and beer, classic sausage and chorizo style. The sausages are in bundles of four tightly wrapped in a casing with different colours labels with black wrapped around them: blue, green, yellow, brown, and red.

The Green Edge has 2-3 sliding freezers full of sausages and vegan meat substitutes.

A store shelf with stacks of the vegan tuna brand Fsh Peas. The flavors are natural with a green label and chili with a red label. The cans are pink with the brand name in green. The price label reads $4.69.

This vegan tuna is so good, it exceeds what it's trying to mimic because it has more or less no scent to it.

Snacks

Some snacks!

Savory

A close up of two vegan cheeses resting on a white table. Plant-based Dilecto Smoked cheese 150g in a purple box with white text and gold art nouveau flourishes, additional text reads silky smooth, genuinely cold smoked, and rich flavour. The second cheese is a dill chevre style cheese in plastic packaging with The Vegan Dairy on the label in an outlined circle.

Some IGA and Harris Farm stores sell these gourmet cheeses. They're so good! On the left is a smoked cheese and the rigth is a dill chevre.

A packet of dumplings on a kitchentop. The packet reads Pierogi Polish Dumplings Sauerkraut & Mushroom, additional text reads Vegan and No Preservatives. The packet is green and white with a photo of the dumplings with some open to show the inside.

Coco's Grocery Store sell dumplings which are pretty good.

Piergo in a large metal pot filled with water on a gas stove, they are floating at the top and look plump with crimped edges.

In the pot they cook in about 5 minutes.

Holding up a rectangular packet of Lupin Tempeh in the cold aisle. The packet is tightly sealed in plastic and reads: Lupin Tempeh Bisque. BBQ. Traditionally fermented. Made in Belligen. Naturally delicious. Gluten free. 100% GMO Free. Plant protein. 250G. V. There is a small illustration of two hands making a heart shape with the thumb and fingers.

Harris Farm Markets sell a tempeh made of lupin beans. I wish the major stores would sell it because it's so nice having a tempeh not made of soy (vegans with a soy allergy unite).

A cylindrical tin of Khao Shong Wasabi Coated Green Peas. Japanese and german text is underneath the English name. Weight 280g. (Inhalt: 9.9oz) The packet has a photo of the product.

Wasabi coated green peas are delicious but a bit spicy. There are different brands out there.

Sweets

A menu board for Vegan Donuts. Made to order & Cabinet selected glazed donuts. Pricing. All Donuts $6ea. 6 for $30. 12 for $50 For orders more than 12 its $4 per donut (Glazed or Filled). A selection of our glazed donuts from the cbinet atop a light fluffy donut with our signature yummy toppings FILLINGS and garnishes. Jam (rasplum), Lemon Sherbert, Dark Chocolate, Lemon Passionfruit, Toffee, Lemon Sugar, Cinnamon Sugar. Specials. There si a photo of a truck with a large pink donut on top with motorbikes around it. On the right is a large photo of donuts in a white box and on a table with samples of each donut, lemon and toffee filling pokes out of the ends of several. The donuts are very round, fresh, and coated in sugar or cinnamon sugar.

This donut truck at Vegan Expo has allergy friendly vegan donuts - I almost wanted to cry I was so happy.

A cinnamon sugar donut with the end torn off in a cardboard container.

After years of not being able to eat donuts, this tasted like the best one in the world.

Holding up a clear plastic cup of coconut soft serve ice cream which has a swirl top and a BioPak spoon poking out of it. The label reads Coconut Soft Serve. I Should Coco. 100% Plant Based.

I Should Coco is a coconut soft serve brand. Due to my allergies I could only have it plain but it still tasted amazing. Some people got chocolate sauce or biscoff or oreos on them.

A clear plastic packet with several rectangular blocks of anko (red bean jelly) which are dark brown in traditional packaging. The top half of the packet has a gold colour with black Japanese kanji while the bottom half has prints of multicolour leaves in gold, purple, and light blue over the clear part of the packet. A can of Unsweetened Oolong Tea is next to it with the brand Ito En, Since 1980 with Japanese kanji on it.

Genki Mart sells anko which I ate with some Oolong Tea.

A resealable packet of Cocoa Almonds. The brand is Oh So Natural Foods. The text reads Premium Quality Dry Roasted Almonds Dusted with Cocoa 400g. It has a 2.5/5 Health Star Rating and has 2250kJ energy per 100g. The packet has red stripes, a small plastic window, and illustrations of cocoa beans and almonds.

ALDI stocked these a few years ago but I haven't seen them since which is a bit sad because they were awesome.

3 product displays on a shelf which has Blue Dinosaur Macademia Bars 45g $1.49ea. The product display shows the blue triceratops head logo and a bright yellow colour with the text Hand-Baked Lemon & Macademia Bar.

Coco's Grocery Store buys the vegan energy bar brand Dinosaur Bars at bulk it seems to sell at a discount. These are usually $4-6 each.

A bright orange plastic container which reads Taiwan Dessert with Traditional Chinese characters. There is a large viewing window for the product which look like rounded beige tubes covered in sesame seeds stacked tightly together. The text reads Rice Puff with Sesame.

Asian grocery stores like Sunlit sell these sesame seed puff balls made with glutinous rice flour. They taste a lot like LCMs (marshmallow rice treats).

A long hard plastic container with individually wrapped biscuits inside. The label covering the middle third has a light orange label with nutritional information and ingredients in black and white. The text reads Korean Sweet Cake. Net: 320g. Ingredients: Wheat Flour, Glutinous Rice, Corn Syrup/Corn Starch, Another ingredient that is too blurry to read, Cotton Seed Oil, Sugar.

A korean grocery store sells an accidentally vegan sweet cake. Some brands make them with honey, milk, or egg, but these ones use syrup and starches instead.

A round iced biscuit in a cardboard container. It has pink icing, pineapple jellies for eyes, a worm lolly for the mouth, and round sprinkles for hair in white, pink, different shades of blue, yellow and orange.

Got this silly biscuit from the Vegan Markets. It was very soft and buttery.

Drinks

A clear plastic cup with a half sphere lid with a hole in it with a red and white striped straw going into it. The liquid is foamy at the top and a creamy white colour. A green stripe surrounds the bottom of the cup. It is resting on a white outdoor bench in a grey tiled area.

The Green Edge is one part grocery store and one part vegan cafe and coffee store. I got this vanilla milkshake made with coconut ice cream.

A large cardboard tube container for chocolate powder. The container is black with grey text and splashes of chocolate colour on the sides. The brand is Pana Organic. It reads Cafe Style. Hot Chocolate. 33% Cacao. Plant Based. Gluten Free. Delicious. Drink Blend. The lid rim reads Vegan. Organic. over and over again in diagonal lines.

Woolworths used to sell this chocolate powder in a large tin like this, but lately they only stock the small one (sadface).

Holding up a clear plastic cup with a flat lid and a wide straw. A black label with an illustration of mountains in a circle reads Iced Tea Co. The brand has a cross shape with two dots in the space above and below beneath the text. The cup is filled with a watermelon or light berry coloured liquid and ice.

The Vegan Markets have an iced tea stall.

A bottle of Toatl Oat Milk. Sooth & Creamy Caramel Flavour. 500ml. 3.5 Health Star Rating. The bottle is white at the top with a illustrated smiling sun with eyes closed and chocolate brown brush strokes for Toatl. The other text is in white. After the yellow sun the bottle has a noisy gradient of yellow to orange.

Toatl from 7-Eleven are my favorite convenience milk drink brand. The chocolate flavor is my favorite but the rare Caramel flavor is also quite nice.

Meals

Photos I've taken of food in different stages of completion.

Main Course

Homemade pizza in a square shape on a square cooking rack with brown cooking paper. The pizza has tomato paste, sliced tomatoes, sliced red capsicum, pineapple chunks, chopped spinach, vegan sliced sausage, sliced mushrooms, and vegan grated cheese. It is resting on a kitchen counter.

Sometimes you just have to make the pizza yourself.

The pizza cooked. It is resting on a barely visible large round plate. The cheese has become gooey, the spinach has gone dark and crisp, the mushrooms and sausage has browned, and the vegetables have cooked. The dough has turned golden with slight browning at the edges.

This pizza has slices of vegan sausage. The recipe for the sausages is at Vegan Recipes (Jump to Seitan).

A fork holding up a slice of vegan schnitzel. It has a light yellow breadcrumb coating around the protein part which is a white-yellow colour similar to a chicken nugget. A knife, other part of the schnitzel and some baby spinach leaves and breadcrumbs are on the plate.

What the vegan schnizel looks like. The recipe is at Vegan Recipes (Jump to Seitan)

A frying pan on a gas stove. Browned seitan chunks are cooking on a frying pan with sesame seeds on them.

A large amount of seitan I was cooking to have with either rice or noodles.

A white bowl with white noodles, black sesame seeds on top, and a light brown broth. Dark brown rugged chunks of seitan are resting in the broth next to the noodles along with eating utensils shoved underneath and sticking out of the bowl.

Seitan with some noodles in broth. This was a very ad hoc meal.

Holding up a packet of vegan protein with a frying pan next to it cooking the product with a light green rubber spatula with a cartoon rabbit head on it. In the non stick pan is dark brown strips of plant based lamb, cooking in its own sauces and oil. The packet reads: Birds Eye. 200g. Plant Based succulent Greek Lamb style Strips. No artificial Preservatives. High in Protein. The image on the packet shows the cooked lamb strips with sliced red onion, basil, mint, and a white sauce on flat bread.

Birds Eye have these awesome plant based lamb strips. I can't remember what I ate them with (possibly greek style wraps), but it's awesome if you can get a hold of it..

A large white ceramic dish filled with uncooked lasagna. Grated vegan cheese covers a layer of bechamel sauce with layers of lasagna pasta sheets, lentil sauce, and vegetables like mushrooms and zucchini.

Lasagna I made at my partner's place. The recipe is at Vegan Recipes (Jump to Lentils).

Cooked lasagna slice on a plate with a fork. The cheese and bechamel have melted and melded with the tomato lentil layer.

Deliciously gooey lasagna.

A plate with a slice of lasagna on it. The top is dryer as the cheese is on top of a layer of breadcrumbs. The filling is a tomato lentil mixture. Next to it is a salad of white beans, vegan feta, chopped cucumbers, red onion, and parsley.

A different lasagna using breadcrumbs paired with the mediterrean bean salad (at Vegan Recipes (Jump to Beans)).

Two slices of brown toasted rye bread with vegan tuna on top with pepper.

The vegan tuna from The Green Edge on rye sourdough toast from ALDI.

Desserts

Top down view of a small tub of vegan margarine. The packet reads Naturli. Organic Vegan Spreadable with Rapeseed, Coconut, Shea Butter, and Almond. 100% Plant Based. 225ge. Milkfree Zone. Plants are the new black. It is vegan certified. The container is black with a serving suggestion.

The Green Edge sells this margarine which is closest to a soft butter I've found. Coles or Woolworths used to until they got rid of it, so my usual is Nuttelex which is more of a margarine in terms of texture and taste.

Two slices of white sourdough bread side by side. Hundreds and thousands are on top of margarine. The topping is round with multiple colours of white, orange, blue, pink, green, and red.

Fairy bread is often served at Australian birthday parties. White bread is the usual way to eat it but it's nice on sourdough as well.

Three large round pancakes cooked in a nonstick frying pan. They are golden brown and fried in oil.

Pancakes, though I was running out of batter on the third one. The recipe is at Vegan Recipes (Jump to Baking/Sweets).

Freshly baked pecan pie with a small tub of ice cream. The pecan pie has crush over the edge of the container with browned pecans decorating the top. The ice cream is mint fudge cookie flavor by the brand Halo Top. The lid reads Plant Based.

Pecan pie with some ice cream. The recipe is at Vegan Recipes (Jump to Baking/Sweets).

Vegan Resources

Guides

How to Go Vegan by The Vegan Society
This page covers the crowding out method and ways of swapping meals while maintaining a nutritious diet.
Aussie bloke's intro to veganism by Lazy Cat Kitchen
Some down to earth meal swaps if you have relatively healthy diet. Honestly I kind of like this post mainly for the image of the man staring listlessly at a broccoli.

Documentaries

Cowspiracy
A documentary about why climate change organisations and charities do not talk about the animal agriculture impact on carbon emissions.
Dominion
Hidden drones and cameras reveal what the animal agriculture industry does not want you to see. WARNING: Extremely graphic depictions of animal mistreatment, neglect, injury, death, and human cruelty.

Podcasts

The Chickpeeps Podcast
Evanna Lynch's vegan podcast that helped me feel less lonely early on.
The Animal Law Podcast
Highlights legal issues associated with farming and the negative impacts of animal agriculture lobbying on their legal responsibilites.

News

Plant Based News
The biggest vegan news platform out there.
Vegconomist
A vegan business newsite covering the opportunities and challenges associated with plant based businesses and start ups.

Tools

Barnivore
Vegan wine, beer, and liquor guide - check if alcohol is vegan or if it might contain undeclared allergens like milk, fish, or egg.

Local

Some Australian resources.

Vegan Australia
Most useful is the Events tab where you can see vegan events for your state.
The Vegan Grocery Store
An online Australian vegan grocery store. Currently closed, unfortunately but you can join a mailing list for when they open again.
The Green Edge
A vegan grocery store in Brisbane. Some useful products I've bought from here include vegan tuna, Field Roast sausages, Lamyong meat substitutes, vegan cheeses, and powdered coconut milk.
Vegan Style
Cruelty free shoes and accessories from an Australian company.

Vegan Recipes

This page will link to recipes I've curated from other sites. For quality control, I only include recipes I've made more than once.

Lentils

Red

Name and LinkCommentsModifications
Baked Lentil Falafel (Print Version)No chickpeas.None.
Curried Carrot Lentil Soup (Print Version)Cheap and easy.Reduce chilli to 1/4 quarter tsp if you're spice sensitive, increase dried lentils to 1 cup and add more water for more protein.
Dal Makhani (Print Version)Best dal recipe.If you can't find fenugreek leaves, fenugreek seeds work too. To veganise, use vegan margarine instead of butter and coconut cream for the cream.
Vegan Lasagna (Print Version)Can substitute soy sauce with coconut aminos.If you don't have cheese shreds, a cashew based cheese works. Can add breadcrumbs to the cheese to make crunchy.
Red Lentil Potato Soup (Print Version)Wholesome and yummy.Whole lentils cook well when soaked for 4-8 hours first. Can also put in a slow cooker on high for 4 hours.

Green

Name and LinkCommentsModifications
Lentil, Bean and Kale SaladHealthy.Reduce chilli to 1/4 a teaspoon if you're sensitive.
Orange and Lentil Greek Salad (Print Version)Refreshing in summer.If no vegan feta on hand (or too expensive), try marinated artichoke hearts.
Lentil Soup (Print Version)This recipe is titled Best Lentil Soup and they're not wrong.The S&B curry powder tastes really good with this one.

Black

Name and LinkCommentsModifications
Braised Black Lentils (Print Version)Definitely use wine in the recipe. Eat with toast.No Modifications.

Yellow

Name and LinkCommentsModifications
Moong Dal (Print Version)Fenugreek seeds work if you can't find leaves.To veganise, use coconut oil instead of ghee.

Beans

Red Kidney

Name and LinkCommentsModifications
Minestrone Soup (Print Version)Easy to modify.To veganise, use vegan margarine. Shorten the cooking time by adding the spinnach and pasta after the vegetables have been simmering for 5 minutes.
Vegan Stroganoff (Print Version)See changes to this recipe.Add:
  • 1 tablespoon of vegan Worcestershire sauce or coconut aminos
  • 2 teaspoons of paprika
  • Can use 1/2 can of coconut cream plus 1/2-1 cup vegetable stock instead of cashews
  • 1-2 cans of red kidney beans
  • 1/4-1/2 of chopped cherry tomato or green peas

Butterbean

Name and LinkCommentsModifications
Spiced Butterbean and Herb Salad (Print Version)I relied upon this recipe during grad school.Can simplify to just butterbeans, lemon juice, olive oil, spice mix, and parsley if you don't have all the ingredients. Reduce lemon juice to half to lessen acidity.

Cannellini

Name and LinkCommentsModifications
Mediterranean Bean Salad (Print Version)Healthy and easy to modify.Replace chickpeas with white beans. Add fresh mint and use lemon juice instead of red wine vinegar if you like.
Creamy Dill Pickle Salad (Print Version)Contains nuts.I haven't tried it but could replace the cashews with vegan mayonaisse instead if you have an allergy.
Garlic Parsley Pasta (Print Version)If you like parsley and garlic this is for you.Try adding white beans for protein.

Borlotti

Name and LinkCommentsModifications
Smoked Red Pepper and Garlic Bean DipQuick to make.Goes well with corn chips.

Black

Name and LinkCommentsModifications
Black Bean Rice (Print Version)Simple and fast.No modifications.
Black Bean Burrito (Print Version)Tasty and easy to make.Can omit a lot of the ingredients if you don't have them.
Black Bean Salad (Print Version)Add 1 cup of quinoa to make it more filling.
One Pot Mexican Rice (Print Version)CommentsCan use 1 can of corn instead of 100g.
Cilantro Lime Pasta SaladNo comments.Add a can of black beans for protein.

Adzuki

Name and LinkCommentsModifications
Adzuki Bean & Sweet Potato BakeNo comments.Can substitute miso with hulled tahini.

Pinto

Name and LinkCommentsModifications
Stuffed Potatoes with Salsa and Beans (Print Version)No comment.Add vegan sour cream.
Refried Bean and Avocado Wrap (Print Version)Easy to make and filling.Easy to modify.

Alt-Egg

Name and LinkCommentsModifications
Scrambled Vegan Egg (Print Version)Black salt is required.Use faba bean protein powder instead of mung beans if you want.

Seitan and Other Proteins

Seitan is a meat substitute made of gluten protein.

Name and LinkCommentsModifications
Easy Homemade Seitan (Print Version)Takes awhile so make in bulk and freeze leftovers.Can substitute soy sauce with coconut aminos.
Seitan Schnitzel (Print Version)Tastes remarkably like the animal counterpart.Can use oat or almond milk instead of soy.
Seitan SausagesGoes well on pizza.I've forgotten to include rice and onion before and it still turned out decent. Replace soy sauce with coconut aminos or miso paste with tahini.
S&B CurryUse seitan or other meat substitute.In Australia, S&B curry powder can be bought from Genki Mart. You can also use the golden curry mixes.

Alt-Cheese

Name and LinkCommentsModifications
Cashew Cheese (Print Version)More nutritious than many store bought vegan cheeses.Soaking not required.
Vegan Mozzarella (Print Version)Good on pizza.Can replace miso with tahini.
Vegan Feta (Print Version)The dill and salt is what makes this taste like feta.Use about 1 1/4 cups of cashews instead of tofu and replace about 1/2-2/3 of the coconut oil with water to include in a spanakopita.
Vegan Spanakopita (Print Version)Very delicious.Use the vegan feta recipe to substitute the tofu with cashews.

Baking and Sweets

Name and LinkCommentsModifications
Chocolate Nut Bars (Print Version)Relatively easy.Can use different nuts or seeds if you want.
Pecan Pie (Print Version)Serve with vegan cream or ice cream.No modifications.
Coconut Oil Mocha (Print Version)Found this recipe via a fanfiction lol.No modifications.
Vegan Pancakes (Print Version)Fluffy pancakes.Add vanilla extract, reduce the salt to 1/4, and add 1/4 of a cup of protein powder (may need more water to compensate).
Tapioca Pudding (Print Version)Add whatever you want for flavoring.I like to add sweet azuki beans as a flavoring and for protein.
High-Protein Sandwich Bread (Print Version)Sandwich loaf with an even and soft texture.For an air fryer, set to 180 Celcius and bake for 30 minutes. Might need to cover the top with foil part way through to avoid browning the top too much.
Dinner Rolls (Print Version)Replace dairy products with vegan versions.For an air fryer, cook at 180 Celcius for 10 minutes, check how they are after 5 minutes.

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