My Favorite Vegan Kitchen Gadgets

As a vegan, who is passionate about both healthy and equally delicious food, I have accumulated a list of very helpful kitchen gadgets that have made vegan cooking fun and easy—as well as time-saving, which all of us Mommas’ need more of in our lives!

Learning how to cook new recipes and completely plant-based may seem challenging at first, but it is actually very easy and can be really fun as you explore new flavors and items, as well as new kitchen gadgets to take advantage of!

All of My Favorite Kitchen Gadgets

1.High-speed Blender: I am absolutely in love with my Blendtec!  It makes my morning green smoothies easy and fast, which the whole family is very thankful for! It is basically what I use for a food processor too, and can even make blended soups and sauces—which you’re going to want for creamy vegan sauces! Also—my daughter’s favorite: Nice Cream—blended frozen bananas that make an ice cream consistency!

2. Cast iron skillet: Not only does it add a source of iron to your cooking, I swear it adds better flavor and all-around cooks everything tastier! I also love that you can make one skillet meals and you can put it in your oven if you want to.

3. Spiralizer: Because who doesn’t like zoodles, or at least saying the word zoodles?! I also enjoy making curly fries for the kiddos with this fun gadget!

4. Good knife set: Makes chopping those fruits and veggies are breeze! I love this colorful & durable set. I also recommend sharping them monthly.

5. Bamboo cutting boards: Bamboo cutting boards are what I prefer to chop on and will last a long time, they’re also pretty!

6. Collapsible strainer: This colorful handy dandy collapsible strainer has a minimal profile, so easy storage!

7. Instant Pot: Multi-functioning, easy, and fast are all things that this amazing kitchen gadget is capable of. You can make rice, soup, chili, yogurt, popcorn, pasta, steamed potatoes & vegetables, beans, and even vegan cheesecake! I’m always learning new ways to use my instant pot and am absolutely in love with it!

You’ll find all of my favorite kitchen gadgets on my The Vegan Momma Amazon Shop https://www.amazon.com/shop/theveganmomma

In future posts, I’ll be sharing with you specific recipes that you’ll be able to make with some of these fun gadgets! Happy vegan cooking y’all!

Love & Veggies,

The Vegan Momma

A Vegan’s Guide to Dining-Out

So, your friends invite you out after work or your family wants to go out for dinner, and you’re not sure how to do this vegan thing while eating out…don’t panic!

Vegan Quiche

Vegan Momma to the rescue!

I fancy myself as a connoisseur of sorts when it comes to eating out as a vegan, I love going out to eat with family and friends, and I always say that no matter where we go, I can and will find something!

There are a variety of options at almost any restaurant. Sometimes you’ll have to substitute or take off the dairy, but it is definitely easy and do-able! I typically first look if there’s already an item on the menu that’s vegan or vegetarian. If there isn’t, remove the meat and or dairy. Depending on the type of restaurant you are at, you could add other yummy vegan add-ons, such as avocado, potato, beans, rice, extra veggies, etc.

Vegan Coconut Ceviche, Plantain Chips

Do your research

Google the restaurant and menu. Often times you can Google “[Restaurant name] vegan items” to see what is or can be made vegan. You could also look up the menu to see what your options are, that way you can plan ahead on what you can order, or if there doesn’t seem to be many options you like and you have a say in the restaurant choice, you can chose another restaurant that better suit you.

Lettuce Tacos with Black Beans & Mexican Rice

Be clear, nice and polite

If you’re making substitutions and changes, try to be as clear and as polite as possible. Don’t just say “make it vegan”, you need to be clear that you do not want any dairy, eggs, meat, or fish in your meal. Be extra nice and polite about your requests, most restaurants will be happy to accommodate you!

Look for codes on the menu

Many restaurant menus these days have a key code guide that will list if an item is vegetarian or vegan. Sometimes it will be a leaf or a green “v”, or some other type of icon. The guide will usually be at the bottom of the menu. I’m always excited when I find these, since it makes it so much easier to find items that will work. Some restaurants will even have a vegetarian or vegan section of their menu, I get super excited when I see this! Vegan win, yay!

What to order

Veggie Wrap

Depending on the type of food you’ve gone out for, I have go-to items that I tend to order at each type of restaurant. Here’s a handy guide to show you some of the options at various restaurants.

MEXICAN

Guacamole, salsa, and tortilla chips are a fav of mine! Bean, bean & rice, or veggie burritos, rice, veggie tacos, veggie fajitas, taco salad. Ask if there is cheese, sour cream, lard (in the beans), bacon (in the beans), or if the rice is made with chicken broth. Sometimes, the refried beans will have lard, but the whole black beans or pinto beans won’t. I like to add extra guacamole or avocado to most items as well!

Veggie Tacos

ITALIAN

Pasta (I like to add grilled veggies) with a non-dairy based sauce. Bread with olive oil & balsamic, salad, bruschetta, olives, grilled artichokes, veggie pizza with no cheese. Tips: Double check that there are no cheese or eggs (in the pasta), also say no parmesan on top of anything.

THAI

Pad Kee Mao, Pad Thai

 I’m half Thai, so I know my way around a Thai restaurant and love the vegan options you can find. What I love is that almost any dish with tofu instead of meat and no fish sauce. Fried rice with no egg, add tofu and extra veggies. I like to add cashews to stir fry, noodle, and rice dishes. Curry, no fish sauce. Soups that are veggie broth based. Vegetable spring rolls for appetizer. For dessert: coconut sticky rice with mango!

CHINESE

Vegetable fried rice (no egg, add tofu), vegetable noodle dishes, vegetable dumplings, vegetable spring rolls, vegetable dumplings, vegetable soups (check that it’s vegetable broth base), bean curd, vegetable stir fry, steamed rice. Make sure that the dishes have no egg, no oyster, and no fish sauce.

JAPANESE

Avocado, Cucumber, & Asparagus Roll

Miso soup, make sure the base is vegetable broth. Vegetable sushi, avocado roll, vegetable tempura (make sure it doesn’t have egg), vegetable stir fry, seaweed salad, steamed rice, edamame. I love either doing miso soup and a vegetable roll and avocado roll or a bento box with a roll, vegetable tempura, and steamed rice.

AMERICAN

Double Veggie Cheeseburger

French fries, veggie burgers or mushroom burger, veggie dogs, potato wedges, onion rings, baked potato. Ask about no dairy in the dishes you order. It’s usually easiest to pick items off of the side-item section and making a meal out of it. Unless you luck out and they have a veggie burger options, always double check that there is no dairy or egg in the veggie patty.

BBQ/STEAKHOUSE

Mushroom “steak”, Sweet Potato Fries, Olives & Pepperoncinis

Yes, I have even found vegan friendly options at steakhouses and BBQ restaurants! The side-items list is going to be your best friend. Here you can usually find, fried pickles, French fries, sweet potato fries, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli, green beans, and corn. House salad, mushroom “steak”, vegetable sandwiches, and sometimes vegetable chili can be found as well. Make sure to ask for no cheese, butter, sour cream, mayo, and any batters that contain buttermilk. I like to order several side dishes to make a meal, get creative!

INDIAN

 Curries, vegetable samosa, channa masala, naan bread (check if it’s made with butter or yogurt), rice, saag, dal, and there’s usually other veggie dishes. Make sure to ask for no butter, cream, ghee, or paneer.

MEDITERRANEAN

Pita & Hummus, Greek Salad

Greek salad, hummus, pita bread, tahini, grilled veggies, pan-friend potatoes, vegetable dolmades, roasted eggplant, grilled veggie wrap, falafels, tabuleh, cous cous. Ask for no cheese or yogurt to make it vegan friendly.

VEGAN & VEGETARIAN

What vegan dreams are made of! You can order anything here, if it’s vegetarian, just make sure it doesn’t have any dairy in it. I like to order items that I can’t typically find vegan, like vegan french toast, vegan quiche, vegan breakfast burrito, and vegan cheese cake! Yum!

Vegan French Toast, Vegan Quiche, Vegan Breakfast Burrito

Last Tip: Use the Apps

Vegan eating has gotten easier with the awesome apps you can download and use on the go right at your finger-tips! This is my favorite way to find vegan friendly restaurants when I travel. My favorite apps are: Happy Cow, Vegman, and VeganXpress (helps you find vegan options at chain restaurants). I also like to use Yelp and search “vegan or vegetarian restaurants”.

Have fun finding vegan items at any restaurant! Let me know what your favorite items to order are or your go-to tips!

Love & Veggies,

The Vegan Momma

Being a Balanced Vegan & My Vegan Staples List 

O​ne of the most important things to do while following a vegan lifestyle, is to eat well-balanced and food that is packed with nutrients! This is what I have done for the last 19 years of living a vegan lifestyle, and I believe has accredited to the health, longevity, and sustainability I have had.

By focusing on whole plant-based food that are preferably minimally processed you will be able to live a long and happy vegan life! Later on, we will talk about any extra vitamins or supplements you may want to take as well, however, you can get almost all of your daily nutrients and vitamins just by eating a well-rounded diet packed with lots of vegetable and fruit sources.

Another tip I have is to focus on eating the rainbow, try to have different colors of fruit or veggies in your meals, and get a variety. Also, eating seasonally can help to round out those essential vitamins and nutrients.

Here is an example of a Vegan Food Pyramid, which will give you an idea of how easy it is to pack those needed nutrients in. 

Source:https://www.pinterest.com/pin/173036810661453719/

I find it so simple and easy to focus on whole plant based sources for the bulk of our meals. Here is a basic list of vegan staples that I always include. 

My Go-To Vegan Staples

Protein:

  • Beans (black beans & refried beans are our favs)
  • Lentils
  • Chickpeas
  • Edamame
  • Hummus

Protein Alternatives:

  • Tofu
  • Tempeh
  • Field Roast Maple Sausages  
  • Veggie Burgers

Dairy Alternatives:

  • Almond Milk
  • Coconut Milk
  • Cashew Milk
  • Oat Milk
  • Soy Milk
  • Coconut Yogurt
  • Soy Yogurt
  • Almond Yogurt
  • Ben & Jerry’s Ice cream
  • So Delicious Ice cream
  • Nada Moo Ice cream
  • Go Veggie Cream Cheese
  • Field Roast Chao Cheese
  • Follow Your Heart Cheese
  • Earth Balance

Bread:

  • Daves Killer Bread
  • Daves Killer Bread Bagels (to go with the cream cheese!)
  • Ezekiel Bread
  • Pita Bread
  • Sprouted Bread

Condiments & Seasonings:

  • Maple Syrup
  • Everything Bagel seasoning
  • Garlic Powder
  • Onion Powder
  • Turmeric Powder
  • Cinnamon
  • Smoked Paprika
  • Chili Powder
  • Himalayan Salt
  • Nutritional yeast
  • Tamari
  • Sriracha
  • Avocado oil spray (for cooking)
  • Coconut oil

Grains:

  • Couscous
  • Quinoa
  • Brown Rice
  • Rice ramen noodles
  • GF pasta or whole wheat pasta

Nuts & Seeds:

  • Chia
  • Flaxseeds
  • Hemp Seeds
  • Almonds
  • Cashews
  • Walnuts
  • Sunflower seeds

Produce:

  • All of your favorite fruits and veggies!
  • Make sure to get your dark leafy greens in, my go-to greens are romaine, kale, spinach, and Swiss chard. It’s also very beneficial to rotate which greens, fruit, and veggies you eat; eating seasonally and shopping farmer’s markets makes this easy.

I’m looking forward to continuing in helping you a long your vegan journey, next I’ll be sharing my vegan guide to dining-out! 

Love & Veggies, 

The Vegan Momma

Vegan 101

So, it’s a new year, new you and you’ve decided to partake into this plant-based lifestyle trend. But where do you start? How do you transition? What do you add to your grocery list? What can you order when you eat-out?

Transitioning to a plant-based lifestyle can seem overwhelming and daunting, you may feel like you have to completely change your life and throw everything in your kitchen in the trash. Before you have a panic attack about whether or not plants have feelings or not, and if you’ll just have to survive on water & sun alone. Take a deep breath. I’m here to help, Vegan Momma to the rescue!

I’ve been eating plant-based for over 19 years, since I was 10 years old, and I think I know a thing or two about living a sustainable and delicious life through plant-based eating. I’ve also had 2 vegan pregnancies and have 2 vegan kiddos who are healthy, strong, and thriving! We don’t feel like we’re missing out on anything, in fact we feel like we are enjoying our lives to the fullest with the best health we can possibly have.

We’ll start this Vegan 101 series with a list of my favorite grocery staples! I will be keeping it budget friendly, but will also include some “treat” items that will help as you transition, such as my favorite vegan cheese and ice cream; because you’ll still want to treat yo’self once in a while! 

Welcome to the Vegan Momma family, I can’t wait to help you on your vegan journey into health & wellness!

Love & Veggies,

The Vegan Momma