Five foods that make it easy to be vegan

June 25, 12:06 PMSeattle Vegan ExaminerVirginia Messina, MPH, RD

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Spaghetti sauce adds quick flavor to dishes

 Business lunch meetings, dinner at grandma’s house, or that egg’y birthday cake that a loving friend bakes; they all bring their challenges to new vegans—and sometimes to more experienced ones as well.

Thank goodness vegan eating at home can be relaxed and uncomplicated. Keep these five foods on hand to make menu-planning simple and angst-free. 

Hummus: Whether you make your own or buy it at the store, hummus always comes in handy. In traditional mideastern cooking, hummus is a dip, scooped up with wedges of pita. Among vegetarians, it’s become a popular sandwich spread, but hummus can do so much more. Spoon it over a baked potato or use as a topping for brown rice and steamed vegetables. Thin it with a little water or sesame oil and use as a protein- and calcium-rich salad dressing.

Soup in a box: These aseptic cartons of soup are life savers when there is no time to cook. Several varieties—like Trader Joe’s Butternut Squash Soup—are vegan. Stretch them with the addition of cooked beans, corn and other vegetables.

Veggie burgers and other meat analogs: Some vegans turn their noses up at them; they say they’re too much like the “real thing.” But meat analogs are a more ethical and healthful version of the real thing, and for newbies, they can make or break efforts to stay vegan. Look for hot dogs, sausages, sandwich slices, burgers, and chickenless nuggets.

Spaghetti sauce: Pasta and sauce is the busy vegan’s friend. A good marina sauce, however, comes in handy for so much more. Give chickpeas a slow bake in garlic-infused sauce for a taste of southern Italy that requires almost no effort. With bread and salad, it’s a meal. Or use a little bit of the sauce to perk up bean or vegetable soup.

Trail mix (without chocolate): There’s nothing wrong with a little chocolate in your trail mix, but the kind that has just nuts and dried fruit is more versatile. Toss it with brown rice for instant fancy pilaf or sprinkle on top of greens for a main dish salad. And of course, trail mix is a great grab-and-go snack.