by Shelly Mcrae

Created on: September 29, 2007   Last Updated: November 17, 2011

If you need to feed a vegan and your fridge is filled with eggs and milk and cheese and meat, and your vegetable crisper is lean on greens and fruits, it's time to go to the store.

Vegans do not eat meat, animal by-products such as cheese, eggs, milk or butter, or pasta with eggs. That leaves plants. Vegans eat fruits,  vegetables, beans, and grains. So first you're going to spend quite a bit of time in the produce section. Fortunately, there is an abundance of fruits and vegetables that make for delicious dishes.Purchase a variety of greens, vegetables and fruits, keeping in mind some will be served raw while others are cooked. Most fruits and vegetables are easily made into appetizers and side dishes.

But fruits and veggies are the easy part. What about an entree for the meal? Pasta is an easy to make, versatile grain for the entree; there are many types of pasta available that aren't made from eggs. Cook these pastas in the same way, serving them with roasted tomato sauce, quick-fried veggies such as eggplant or zucchini, with a crusty flat bread on the side -make without butter- and you have a vegan meal. Other egg-free grains include couscous and quinoa, both of which work well with vegetables.

Another possibility is a bean dish, such as lentil soup made with vegetable broth. Bean casserole, vegetable chili with beans and bean soup with a thick tomato sauce all serve as hardy main dishes in a vegan meal.

Tofu is a versatile ingredient, as it really doesn't have a taste to it until you add it to something, such as marinara sauce, or add something to it, such as ginger and lemon for a delightful stir-fry. Tofu picks up the flavors from the other ingredients, so this protein rich food provides texture and density to meals without the use of animal flesh or animal by-product.

Tofu can take the place of cheese in stuffed pasta shells with red sauce, or chicken in a stir-fry, and can even be scrambled for a breakfast dish. There are two kinds of tofu, soft and firm. Use soft for cheese substitutions and firm for when you're going to rough it up a bit.

The vegan diet does require a few specialty items, such as diary-free butter spreads and egg-free pasta and grains, but these items are usually available at supermarkets. You needn't shop at a specialty store. You do, however, need to read labels on canned and packaged foods. Look for fats derived from animals listed in the ingredients, as well as egg emulsions or cheese derivatives. Keep your focus on fresh, whole foods and use fresh fruits for desserts. Avoid milk chocolate, opting instead for carob if chocolate is needed for a recipe.

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