One of the most common questions I get when people find out I’m vegan (and have been for almost 14 years now), is “what do you use instead of. . .(milk, cheese, eggs, etc.)?” I sometimes take for grated that I live in Vancouver and that vegan food substitutes are easy to find in even the smallest grocery and corner stores. Not only that, but there are dedicated stores like Choices and Whole Foods that have large sections in their stores for all the vegan food my heart desires. . .beyond the regular milk and cheese alternatives, there’s vegan cookies, ice cream, candy, meat substitutes and more.
Whether you’re a new/seasoned vegan or someone who wants to substitute your “regular” food for health or taste reasons, this list is for you!
As I mentioned, I’ve been vegan for almost 14 years now. I didn’t start out liking certain substitutions—I used to have cashew cheese sometimes, but I hadn’t bought cheese substitute until very recently. There are always new foods, recipes, and products I want to try out. That’s part of the fun!
I recently had some vegan sour cream at a taco café and loved the tangy flavour. I’d never thought of buying it myself, but I think it would taste good on my homemade tacos. I’ve also recently been making pizza from scratch and adding Daiya brand vegan mozzarella cheese to the top. It melts, tastes remarkably similar to real cheese, and (unfortunately) is just as expensive. That’s probably why I haven’t added it to my grocery list in the past. I got a sample bottle of Follow Your Heart Reduced Fat Vegenaise at the Wellness Show and have been using it on the outside of my grilled cheese sandwiches. If you don’t have a store nearby where you can buy vegan substitutes, Amazon has an amazing selection of vegan food products.
When I lived with my best friend, I relied on him most of the time to come up with the meal plan. It was easier having two vegans in the house when it came to preparing meals. Plus, with his extensive food knowledge, he was a whiz in the kitchen. We didn’t have to go out to eat very often (unless we were travelling), because every day I got restaurant quality food at home! I did prepare some of our meals, but I tended to stick to just a few things that I felt confident preparing.
I’ve been living on my own for the past 2 years and have been coming up with new favourites, experimenting with recipes that I can make and spread out over a few meals, and meal planning so I know exactly what I need to buy and so nothing ends up going bad/getting wasted. I’m pretty proud to say that I have very little food wastage and rarely consume pre-packaged food.
I’ll be sharing more vegan recipes, tips, and suggestions for when you’re travelling in the future. Here’s a printable to help you know what vegan substitutes to try out:
Click here to download the free printable.
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Here are some of my favourite vegan food pins on Pinterest to check out:
