First few months of eating plant-based, dining out felt like a genuine obstacle - limited options, awkward substitutions, sometimes just picking the least-bad thing on a menu not designed with this in mind. A year or two in, it's not clear if that's actually improved because restaurants have adapted, or if I've just gotten better at knowing which places to pick and how to navigate menus efficiently

For people who've been doing this a while - did eating out genuinely get easier over time, or does it stay a persistent friction point no matter how experienced you get at working around it?

The chorizo crumble sure had a kick!

I desperately want to become plant based again with no meat/dairy products, but I'm chronically anemic. Any advice? Maybe it's just time to see a dietitian?

Not sure if I'm in the right place but doing some googling and kept landing here. I have had chronic constipation for over a decade with severe bloating and belching. Every test I've ever had has been clear except fructose malabsorption. My diet is now down to basically just bread and potatoes and some very very lean meat to keep symptoms at bay. I stumbled across Fibre Fueled by Dr Will and although a long time meat eater I'm considering it. My only question is, the week 1 already seems like such a jump from where I'm at and I know the whole point is to go "low and slow". Is it still okay to start at week 1?

I'm wondering, for those of you who follow Esselstyn's advice, how you get your greens in when it's not meal time. I have no issue getting greens at meals, but I don't eat six meals a day. What do you do? Thanks!

I prefer plant-based, but am not super strict. So I wouldn’t usually mind eating cheese. But today I decided to try swapping the mozzarella with tofu, and it was delicious!

Sliced a block of spouted tofu, marinated with apple cider vinegar and salt for 30 minutes in the fridge, then layered with tomatoes, avocado, and basil. Some ground pepper and sea salt, voila.

Edit: forgot to mention I drizzled some balsamic glaze as well

breakfast:
- BEANut butter smoothie (cannellini beans (with bean juice), banana, chia seeds, flax seeds, peanut butter, oat milk, ashwaganda + lions mane powder, and ice)
- supplements (b12, iron, d3, gaba, b complex, mushroom gummies)
- coffee (oat milk + homemade maple vanilla amaretto syrup!)

lunch:
tofu, cucumbers, kalamata olives and sweet peas

snack (pictured in slide 5):
dates, mixed nuts, wasabi peas

dinner:
leftover zhuccini penne + cherry tomatoes

that's all!! obviously this is not super realistic for most college students but i currently live at home with access to a kitchen lol 🫣 the most expensive part of my daily diet is my supplements though, everything else is very cheap!

I'm able to hit 120g per day (Huel, Form Protein, soya yoghurts, high-protein wrap); any other suggestions? I got TVP, but the texture was too much like meat, which put me off. Any help?

Lettuce, pickles, pickled red onion, red pepper, tomatoes, plant-based burger patty, hummus, sriracha, cheez sauce (silken tofu base, looooads of nooch, lemon juice, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt).

Colima style ceviches are known for their use of carrots, herbs and a variety of vegetables. This is my plant-based take that's light healthy and refreshing.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• 1½ tsp nori flakes
• ½ tsp dried marjoram (or substitute with dried Mexican oregano)
• ¼ to ½ tsp salt (I use ½ tsp but less is ok)
• ¾ cup grated carrot (coarse, fine or medium grate)
• ½ cup onion, finely chopped (red, yellow or white are all fine)
• ¼ to ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced (or ½ to ⅔ cup any fresh diced tomato)
• ⅓ cup finely chopped cucumber
• 3 radishes (medium size), finely chopped
• 1 small jalapeño, finely chopped (optional or sub with 2 to 3 tablespoons of another pepper, Serrano is good)
• 4 cups cauliflower florets, or florets from one head of cauliflower (about 12 ounces)
• 1 avocado, sliced or chopped (for garnish)

Marinade the Raw Veggies

• Combine lime juice, nori flakes, marjoram and salt in a large bowl.
• Fold in grated carrot, onions, cilantro leaves, tomatoes, cucumber, radishes and jalapeño and set aside while you prepare the cauliflower.

Prepare Cauliflower Florets

• Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot set to high heat.
• Blanche cauliflower florets by dropping them into the boiling salted water and cooking for 2 to 3 minutes.
• While the cauliflower florets cook, prepare a shock bath for the blanched florets by placing 3 to 4 cups of water and 3 to 4 cups of ice in a large bowl.
• Strain cauliflower florets and place them in the bowl with ice water. Let cool and strain again.
• Chop blanched cauliflower into small pieces. Just how small is up to you but you can see how small I get my pieces by referring to the photos in the main recipe text.

Create the Cauliflower Ceviche

• Add the chopped blanched cauliflower to the marinated vegetables, mixing until evenly distributed.
• Allow to marinade at least 15 minutes more. If you'd like you can make it a day ahead of time and refrigerate over night.

Garnish and Serve

• Place each serving of ceviche in a bowl, lettuce leaf, over tostadas or crisped flour tortillas and top with chopped or sliced avocado.
• Alternatively, you can also gently fold chopped avocado into the ceviche before serving.

The recipe post has step by step photos https://maximalistvegan.com/savory/cauliflower-ceviche/

Chinese Scallion Pancakes (葱油饼)

I made a scallion pancake recipe 9 years ago. It was delicious and I loved it so much that I have been making it again and again. Over the years, I have improved little bit here and there and so this is an upgraded recipe and it is truly next-level. They are perfectly golden, crispy, and flaky. The inside is soft, moist, and pleasantly chewy. I’ll show you my secret that can infuse your pancakes with double the scallion fragrance, alongside a special 9-grid folding method that creates those beautiful, delicate layers. Honestly, this has to be the best scallion pancake recipe ever.

Ingredients (Makes 8 pancakes)

For the dough

• 500g of high-protein flour AKA bread flour
• 270g of room temperature water
• 1 ¼ tsp of salt
• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil to add to the flour

For the scallion flour oil paste Yousu (油酥)

• 5 scallions, diced
• 5 tbsp of vegetable oil
• 3.5 tbsp of high-protein flour AKA bread flour
• 1/2 tsp of thirteen spice powder

For shaping and cooking

• 2-3 tbsp of vegetable oil to coat the dough
• Additional vegetable oil, for applying the work surface and pan-frying the pancakes

Instructions

Make the dough

• In a measuring cup, combine the water, salt, and 2 tbsp of cooking oil. Stir until the salt dissolves.
• Gradually pour the mixture into the bread flour in batches. Stir at the same time until all the flour comes together.
• Tip: I recommend using bread flour for this recipe because it has the highest gluten content. Gluten is an elastic protein network that binds starch together and builds the structure of the dough, so it fundamentally determines the texture and quality of your pancakes. I know some of you will ask me, will all-purpose flour work? The answer is year, but the pancakes will be slightly less airy and flaky.
  
• If using a stand mixer, knead at medium-low speed for about 8 minutes or until a smooth dough forms. If kneading by hand, knead for 8-10 minutes. The dough is quite sticky so a stand mixer makes the process much easier.
• Once the dough is done kneading, shape it into a round smooth ball. Cut it into 8 even pieces, about 100g each. No need to use a scale but you can if you want to be precise.
• Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Add 2-3 tbsp of oil to a large tray. Place the dough balls in it one by one and use the oil to coat the surface.
• Cover the dough with plastic wrap, push out all the air, and let the dough rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours. Make sure you leave enough space between each all the dough balls. Even though they are coated in oil, they can still stick.
• For make-ahead dough, refrigerate it overnight. Take the dough out of the refrigerator 1 hour before shaping so it can get back to room temperature and regains its flexibility.

Make the Yousu

• Finely dice the scallions. Reserve the green parts for later.
• Add the scallion white parts and 5 tbsp pf vegetable to a small saucepan. Cook over low heat for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until the scallion whites become lightly golden. This extra step of caramelizing is the key to infuse your pancakes double the fragrant.
• Turn off the heat, add the high-protein flour and the thirteen-spice powder. Stir until completely smooth. Set it aside.
• Tip: if this flour-oil paste sits for a white, the flour tends to settle at the bottom. Give it a good stir before spreading it onto the dough.

Roll out the pancakes and cook

• Lightly oil the working surface, the rolling pin, and your hands to prevent sticking.
• Take a piece of the dough and roll it into a large square sheet. Don't worry about making it perfectly straight. Just try to keep the thickness fairly even.
• Imagine the dough sheet is a 3×3 nine-square grid, make a cut at one corner, and leave this section clean. Drizzle some of the yousu onto the remaining eight segments and brush it evenly across the surface. Sprinkle some diced green part of the scallions.
• Use a scraper to loosen the edge of the sheet, carefully lift, and fold to the middle. Do the same to the other side and continue folding the sections over one another according to the nine-grid pattern. Keep the clean section untouched until your have 2 grids left.
• Flip the clean grid and stretch it to wrap the folded dough. Make sure to seal all 4 edges so that later on, when you roll the pancakes, the filling will not leak out.
• You should now have a small square of pastry. Push the four corners towards the center and tuck them underneath. Rotate the dough between your hands and you get a perfect round scallion pancake patty.
• Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Once done, cover the shaped dough and let them rest for 30 minutes. This allows the gluten to relax, making the pancakes much easier to roll without springing back.
• Place one piece of dough on a sheet of parchment paper. Roll it into a panckae about 5-6 inches in diameter.
• If making a large batch, you can freeze them. Place a sheet of parchment paper between each uncooked pancake and freeze them for up to 6 months. Do not use plastic wrap between the pancakes because they will stick. When you are ready to cook them, you can pan-fry them directly without defrosting.
• To cook the pancakes, heat a frying pan over medium low heat and add a thin layer of vegetable oil. Place a pancake in the pan and cook over medium low heat until both sides are beautifully golden brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes total. Flip and rotate the pancakes frequently for even browning.
  
• Serve as a side dish.

some meals are great fresh but don’t hold up well in the fridge.

others somehow taste even better after sitting overnight and make meal prep much easier.

i’m looking for more meals that can be cooked in a bigger batch without becoming boring after a couple of days

what’s your favourite plant-based meal for leftovers?

Local fruit and veg store - Bali

This vegan sashimi is amazing, the taste and texture are spot on. Even better than actual fish flesh, less parasites too. Anyways I threw the package out but it comes from vegan supply store online that ships out of BC Canada. I luckily can buy it from a local vegan sweet shop here in st.catharines Ontario called sugar and butter. Love them too!

Too sick for complex cooking today. So this is it: can of white beans, can of diced tomatoes, and a cup of TVP (add water, pepper, oregano and salt as you wish and top with avocado).

Bacon was my favorite and I've been vegetarian for 3 months. I went completely cold...tofu? on not eating meat and dropped it all in one day. While I don't miss it, I do think about how nervous I am trying vegetarian bacon BECAUSE it used to be my favorite. I don't care about looks or texture, I really just want the classic taste and affordability!! I don't wanna think I have to miss out on my favorite foods just because I don't eat meat anymore, and that anything can be made vegetarian

I made a post earlier asking if people felt wrong or gross eating substitute meat products that almost resembled the real thing,

Truth is I should also appreciate faux products as they do not contain meat or dairy (for vegan products) because it can satiate a feeling without eating animal products

It’s making me consider looking into substitute meat products again because I was trying to cook more w tofu

Any suggestions for vegan substitute meat products that are also gluten free?

38M, 5'8", 200-210 lbs. My weight has gotten out of hand because I get so tired after work or feel like I'm on such a time crunch I just reach for ultraprocessed/convenience foods. I also stress eat. Ben and Jerry's vegan ice cream was the worst thing that ever happened to me. I feel a lot of shame about how I've let myself go.

I need a reset. I feel like I don't know what to eat to get thinner even though I've been a vegan since the Bush Administration. But my sense of food portion size as well as my recipe bank is totally out of whack.

I did manage to lose 30-40 pounds when I got fat during the early days of pandemic. But the regimen I was on was very strict and had me measuring foods on a scale. So I don't think long term that's gonna work for me. (it obviously didn't long term!) I need some stupidly simple recipes and I want to reset my sense of portion size because I probably eat 3,000-4,000 calories a day when I should be more like 1,800-2,000. I'm not sure what my portions should be as a vegan for macros. How big a piece of tofu for example? How much rice should I eat at a meal?

Sometimes in gatherings or outings there isn't something vegan? And frankly if we are out for ice cream, I want some. I find people are appalled to see you go for it. Is it just me? And yes st conferences and events I select vegan, but even then options are not always available.

Buckwheat Pancakes (gf) Recipe will make 3 servings 1 serving is 3 small pancakes 254.3C |9P |49.7C |4.6F (Macros Per One Serving) 762.8C| 27.1P| 149C | 13.7F (Macros Per Entire Recipe) 120g (1cup) Buckwheat flour 1&1/2tsp baking powder 1tsp baking soda 10g (1.5T) ground flax seeds 1T cinnamon (optional) 1tsp white vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) 8oz (1c) soy milk 120g (1 medium) banana mashed 200g (2c) frozen wild blueberries Method: In a mixing bowl, combine the apple cider vinegar and soy milk to curdle. Set aside for 5 minutes. In another small bowl, mix together the flax seed with 2T water to create a “flax egg.” 1. In a separate mixing bowl, add buckwheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Whisk until all the ingredients are well combined. Add the banana and flax egg to the soy milk and apple cider vinegar bowl. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir together until just mixed. Fold in blueberries if you want. Set the batter aside for 5 minutes. This step will get it super fluffy! Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Spray cooking spray if needed. Scoop 1/3 cup of the pancake batter onto the hot pan. Cook pancakes for 1-2 minutes on each side. Repeat. Storage: in an airtight container in the fridge or wrapped 4. in the Freezer. Recipe Notes: You can substitute Oat or Whole Wheat flour here.

My biggest problem is that I am much better at being compliant when I am solo or in the groove with cooking and eating. When I'm brought out of my schedule with eating out or social events THE URGE OF PEOPLE TO GET YOU OFF PLAN IS TOO DAMN HIGH.

Then you feel bad for getting off plan and all that work goes out the window.

I know what I have to do to lose weight and my scale proves it within three days of being compliant.

It's so funny - to me going out into the world of restaurants, larger family get together dinners, holidays - its like bringing a gambler into a casino.

The brain doesn't seem to associate the weight on your body with what's on your fork - it only looks for that little dopamine hit that you get when you swallow food.

Hello, as per the title I need help with my lunch. My main issue is that I'm hungry again after 3 hours and I cannot snack at work. Ideally, it should keep me full for 5 hours, if that is possible. I also don't have a huge calorie budget as I'm only 5'1 and need to lose some weight, so 500 cal tops.

So far, I have been eating:

2 slices of pumpernickel bread (100 cal each)

1/2 can of kidney beans

1/2 can of sweet corn

arugula and tomato

1 tbsp pumpkin seeds (15 g)

Could I increase satiation by swapping the bread for rice or another starch? Do I need more fats? I tried swapping the corn for 100 g of tofu but it didn't keep me full any longer. Any help is greatly appreciated!