People often assume vegans live off of kale and plain air. Nothing could be further from the truth! French fries are vegan, after all.There arehealth food vegans, but many of us simply want to avoid animal products. If you’re wondering how to start eating meat and dairy-free more often, without sacrificing taste—or if you have a vegan neighbor/child-in-law/loved one you’d like to have offerings on hand for, here are some of my favorites.
If you’ve never treated yourself to these delicious, thin crisps, you’ve missed out. They’re a perfect versatile snack/brekkie/dessert. Available in savory or sweet, the orange flavor is my preferred Ines Rosales Tortas (cinnamon and sweet olive oil are also so good!). Handmade using simple ingredients, and wondrous tasty (all are vegan except the cheese flavor), they look fancy when serving brunch.
Ines Rosales Tortas
If you’re looking for quick, savory, light meals—Fillos beans are deliciously seasoned, ready-to-eat beans. You can slice avocado on top for a light lunch, or add rice or corn tortillas for dinner. Though beans are easy to make, sometimes you want to eat them right now. They’re also perfect to bring camping! Some ready-to-eat beans are made with lard, so it’s nice that all Fillos flavors are vegan. They also make grain combos—rice and beans combined are a cholesterol-free, perfect source of protein.
Another savory pantry staple is Butler’s Soy Curls—a meat replacement that comes in strips, which get rehydrated for 10 minutes before cooking. You can use them for any kind of meal, though they take a little practice to get perfect. I find a combination of searing them brown and tossing them in sauce best (buffalo, BBQ, curry, etc.), but I’ve had them prepared a few different mouth-watering ways. Just Google ‘soy curl recipes’ and you’ll find plenty! They’re saturated-fat- and gluten-free, high protein, and shelf-stable.
Vegans of the world celebrate Lotus Biscoff Caramelized Biscuit Cookies – a staple for teatime, in pie crusts that call for crumbled cookies, or with vegan ice cream. The creme-filled versions are also vegan, and the cookie butter has a cult following.
Hopefully, this makes buying vegan snacks a little easier, even if you don’t live near a health food store. With so many options, from oat milk mocha lattes to marshmallows, now is a great time to be plant-based. I could go on, but I’m hungry!
