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Vegans: Help me find products

2K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  Naturebound 
#1 ·
Hello, I'm part of the vegetarian section of this site and I was wondering if the vegans here would list some egg & dairy free products that I could buy on a college budget. Here's what I need to find:

-bread
-'cheese' besides daiya
-microwaveable dishes, for quick meals
-nutrition bars

I already drink non-dairy milk.
 
#2 ·
Bread: Most bread is vegan. For sliced bread, you can read the ingredients list.
Cheese: There is Follow Your Heart (make sure you get the one that says vegan and NOT the one that only says lactose free), toffuti... Those are the two brands you'll probably find more in stores beside daiya.
Microwavable dishes: This is a difficult one to do on a budget. A lot of vegan ready meals are expensive. You have Amy's Kitchen, and I believe Tofurky has hot pockets now if you can find them.
Bars: I don't eat them personally, but Larabars seems to be popular amongst vegans. I like Taste of Nature bars. Where I live, it's $5 or $6 for a box of 5. Still read the ingredients as not every flavour is vegan.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Hi dbrittany,

It's not uncommon for breads to contain dairy ingredients (whey, non-fat milk powder) or honey. You are in luck, because you have three Trader Joe's markets in the Houston, Texas area. Trader Joe's sells several of their own breads, and the vegan ones are clearly marked with a big "V".

Only once have I tasted a vegan cheese that is truly satisfying, but it's a German brand that is not available in the United States.

Trader Joe's sells a variety of microwaveable vegan items: https://www.google.com/search?q=trader+joe's+vegan+mark&biw=1143&bih=519&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=F1cOVb-oJIOWgwSck4PYDA&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#tbm=isch&q=trader+joe%27s+microwavable+vegan&spell=1 (not all of the items shown on this image search are vegan).

"Clif Bars" are an inexpensive brand of nutrition bar, and almost all flavors are vegan. Trader Joe's sells them at a good price, and they are available at many supermarkets, as well.
 
#4 ·
You won't find better, cheaper bread than making it yourself! all you need is flour, salt, water and yeast unless you can get a sourdough starter off of someone :) (I know this is not what you asked, but a lot of people are scared of breadmaking when it's not difficult or scary at all! It's not even time consuming for hands-on time - google no-knead bread recipes for starters.)
 
#5 ·
For nutrition bars: larabars, cliff bars, some luna bars, and Kind bars are vegan; or make your own if you have access to a kitchen. I always refer people to this energy bar blueprint for making your own: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/homemade-energy-bar-recipe/

Bread: I second what dropscone said about making your own bread. It is way cheaper and you can make two loaves at a time and freeze what you aren't using for the time being. After a few times of making it yourself it becomes second nature. If you don't have access to a kitchen, I know of these brands that are vegan: Food For Life, Ezekiel (they also make english muffins and tortillas), and Rudy's bread (this company also sells buns and english muffins). Whole Foods and Health stores often have tortillas, buns, and other types of breads that are vegan. Thomas Bagels have several types of bagels that are vegan. I think there are a few Sara's breads that are vegan. The thing you have to watch with commercial breads are the fillers that may or may not be vegan, such as ingredients like L Cysteine or vitamin D3 or sugar or honey.

Can't help much with cheese. Daiya is the only commercial vegan cheese I buy and it is only a rare treat. I am a nutritional yeast kind of vegan lol. I make my own nut based cheese and cheese sauce using tofu, sweet potato, almonds, almond milk etc. Once in a very great while I have used Tofutti Cream cheese. Here is a list of commercial vegan cheeses in the U.S.: http://www.vegan-nutritionista.com/vegan-cheese.html (The Vegan Store online and Vegan Essentials online both have lots of commercial vegan cheese products for sale)

Microwavable meals/easy to make stuff:

https://www.rightfoods.com/new-products.php

http://www.fantasticfoods.com/ourproducts.aspx (I like their hummus mix, falafel patty mix, and chili mix; many of their products are vegan/vegetarian but not all)

http://www.amys.com/ (many of their products are vegan but not all)

And if you can find these: http://www.amazon.com/Food-Merchants-Organic-Tradtional-18-Ounce/dp/B000LKYX9S

They go well sliced and fried or microwaved and add some of Amy's canned vegetarian baked beans to go over it, maybe some steamed broccoli on the side.
 
#6 ·
Hi guys and thanks for the helpful answers! I found an organic supermarket near me called Sprouts. Has anyone heard of it? They have a great selection of vegan foods & are way cheaper than most organic supermarkets. For example, Amy's kitchen chili is about $2.99 at Kroger & about $.20-.30 cheaper at Sprouts.

The only thing I'm skeptical about is freezing my bread after I make it. It might sound silly, but won't it be wet & mushy after it defrosts?
 
#8 ·
I've never had a problem with my bread becoming mushy after rethawing. Surprisingly it also cuts/slices very well even when frozen. I also buy on occasion Ezekiel or Food for Life bread/english muffins which are always kept in the freezer section at the grocery store because they use very few if any preservatives in their breads. Frozen is how they keep it fresh. I break off a few slices straight from the freezer at home and put it in the toaster and it still toasts and tastes great! Or I might nuke it in the microwave for a few seconds to get it warm. no problem at all!
 
#7 ·
No, it won't be mushy! I actually buy my bread frozen, I found a sprouted wheat bread that I really like... It's a Canadian brand, Silver Hills Bakery, but I just checked and you can get it in the US as well. It looks like Target, Whole Foods and Sprouts sell it. I defrost mine in the fridge, though it is fine if left on the counter. Not even a little mushy!

This Sprouts store sounds interesting- I'm jealous! Where I live, there are a few regular chain grocery stores and one small privately owned health food store... It seems like they focus a little more on organic food rather than vegan/gluten free stuff, though.
 
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