Help me, vegans!

[thefourthvine]

Because of my baby's suspected dairy allergy, I have joined the ranks of the more-or-less vegan. (I can actually still eat eggs, but they aren't a huge part of my diet anyway.) And, see, I've been a vegetarian since I was ten. I know how to be a vegetarian! It doesn't require thought or effort! Whereas this veganism thing is very new and very, very hard.

Normally I'd just hit Google and research the shit out of this. But, well, I have a four-month-old baby. I don't have time to make out with Google the way I used to. So I am hoping to use the friends list shortcut - that there are vegans on my friends list who might have advice for me. Or, I guess, people on my friends list who aren't vegan but just love to Google.

Basically, here's what I need to know:

1. What are the basics of a vegan pantry? What are the special things that vegans keep around all the time, that make cooking or meals easier?
   
   
2. What are really good vegan products?
   
   
3. What are some good vegan recipes? Right now I'm relying much too heavily on fake meat, and that is not how I like to cook or eat. At least, not this much. I might as well be a carnivore! So - recipes? I especially need ones for balanced meals that are super-fast or that I can make in a crockpot. Suggestions of cookbooks featuring these things would also be very welcome.

Help? Please? Anyone? I will take links or comments or just supportive pats. I am experiencing involuntary dietary change and it's very scary!

Comments

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

My baby had the same thing, and I'm a vegetarian too! When she was first diagnosed, I was warned that soy and dairy allergies often go together, so I had to cut out soy too. Some whining here, with many suggestions in comments: http://rivkat.livejournal.com/162965.html?format=light

I ate a lot of hummus. Also hard-boiled eggs and homemade egg salad (recently it's become a lot easier to get soy-free mayonnaise, at least in my local supermarket), but if you don't like eggs that won't be much help. Once I could do soy, there was a lot more sushi, but even without soy veggie sushi is pretty good. Pasta with grilled vegetables in olive oil. Canned chickpeas, to make all kinds of chickpea salads. Black bean salad with cubed avocado, red pepper, corn, grilled onions, etc.

And side note: after a few months, I tried goat's milk, and she tolerated that fine--a fair number of kids with cow's milk intolerance can have goat's milk, though not the majority. I ate a lot of goat yogurt and goat cheese; they even make goat cheddar and mozzarella these days.