The key to succeeding on any diet is planning. With a Vegan diet, planning is more important because without proper planning you could cause great harm to your body. Although following a vegan diet has many health benefits, it is important to remember that you need to supplement the vitamins and minerals you will no longer be getting enough of thru the diet you will be eating. For example, on a Vegan diet you will no longer be drinking cow’s milk which supplies your body with calcium and vitamin D; you will need to supplement your diet with them.

As with any major dietary change, it is recommended you consult with your doctor before you begin. In addition, you might want to consider easing into a Vegan diet; that is start eliminating animal products one at a time so as not to completely shock your system. The Vegan diet works mainly on the system of substitution: instead of cow’s milk use soy or rice milk; instead of eggs use an egg substitute that is animal free; instead of getting your protein from meat, fish or poultry get it from tofu, soy or other resources.

Here are some great resources you can use in planning your Vegan diet:

• Vegan Outreach– Offers a PDF guide on the Vegan diet as well as answers to frequently asked questions and support
• Vegan Diet Advice — Offers nutrient information
• Becoming Vegan — Up to date information on nutritional needs for the Vegan diet
• Sugarrocket — Tips on going and staying Vegan

These tools will aide you as you plan for your new lifestyle.  Remember to check with your doctor and continue to check Vegan Resource for news, recipes and tips.

Here is a great Vegan friendly chocolate chip cookie recipe that I wanted to share here.   If you like chocolate chip cookies, I definitely recommend you give this a try!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• cinnamon to taste (opt)
• Vegan chocolate or carob chips - put in as many as you like
• 1 cup raw sugar (turbinado #1, sucanat works too but sucks up a lot of the moisture)
• 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup water

(Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon (if you choose).
3. Add chocolate chips.
4. Make a well in the center and set aside.
5. In a medium size bowl mix sugar and oil.Mix it well.
6. Add the vanilla and then add the water. Mix it well.
7. Add the wet to the well in the dry. Mix it well but be careful not to overwork it. Add more chips if you need to.
8. Spoon dough onto ungreased cookie sheets.
9. Place them in the oven.
10. Bake for 5 minutes and then flip and rotate the sheets. (top to bottom, and 180 degree rotation)
11. Bake another 4 minutes and check them.
12. The cookies are done when they seem a little bit softer then you want them to be. They will harden up as they cool.

[Recipe Courtesy of Razzle Dazzle Recipes]

There is a debate among the Vegan community as to whether honey is vegan or not. Insects are animals. Vegans will not use or consume any animal or animal by-product. Honey is an animal by-product. Vegans often choose this lifestyle out of concern for the pain and treatment animals suffer when they are used for food or other resources. Vegans argue that animals feel pain or are treated inhumanely when they are used for their by-products.

Some vegans argue that insects are not conscious of pain and therefore products such as honey and silk do not need to be avoided. They also argue that even if insects feel pain, the making of honey involves no more pain than then harvesting of vegetables since the harvesting and transportation of vegetables causes pain to insects.

Other vegans disagree with the idea that insects do not feel pain. They also disagree with the idea that the pain the feel is acceptable and consider honey to be a non-vegan food.

Essentially, the choice is a personal matter; one that each vegan will have to decide on his/her own. If you do decide that honey can be included in your vegan diet, please keep in mind that not all vegans will share the same view. So if you make food to share with friends and it contains honey, make sure they know.

Here is an excellent Vegan recipe I ran across and figured I would share with you all.  It is for a cornbread.   Enjoy!

Vegan Cornbread Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup white flour
• 3/4 cup polenta or cornmeal
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 2 tablespoons applesauce
• 1/2 cup low-fat soymilk
• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Mix wet ingredients in another bowl.
3. Add wet to dry and stir well.
4. Bake at 375° for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

[Recipe Courtesy of Recipe Zaar]

This casserole will make enough to feed an army. If you aren’t cooking for an army, that will mean lots of yummy leftovers. Vegan Taco Casserole is hearty enough for vegans and non-vegans.

Vegan Taco Casserole Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Baked Tostitos, broken into bite sized pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 gloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup frozen hashbrowns
• 1 can of mexican style chopped tomatoes with chilies, including juice
• 3 cups cooked long grain rice
• 1 cup salsa
• 3 teaspoons hot chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon leaf oregano
• 1 can refried black beans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease 11×9 inch baking pan.
3. In large non-stick skillet, add onion, bell pepper, oil, garlic and hashbrowns and cook until pepper and onion are soft.
4. In a bowl combine tomatoes w/chilies, rice, salsa, chili powder, cumin, oregano and black beans.
5. Add mixture to skillet, stir and cook until everything is heated through.
6. Place broken tortilla chips in bottom of pan.
7. Poor mixture from skillet into pan over tortilla chips.
8. Bake in oven for 20 minutes

[Recipe Courtesy of Vegweb.com]