My wife is Vegan

Good luck with that!  I tried to eat vegan but couldn't give up the cheese.

I'm allergic to eggs and can eat store-bought pasta -- penne & spaghetti usually don't have eggs unless you're getting the fancy stuff.

Check out your local Whole Foods-ish natural foods store, they will have plenty of options for you!
My favorite pasta is a brand called Tinkyada - lots of brown rice pastas that are also dairy/egg free. Wonderful product.

Another easy option you'll find in a regular grocery store is Asian-style RICE NOODLES - the kind with the Chinese writing on the front. Only ingredients are rice and water.

Love tofu as well... I cube it, toss it in a little (gluten free for me) flour and pan fry in olive oil. It crisps up a little and is delish. I spash some Tamari (soy) sauce at the very end and it makes a little glaze. Yum.

Also for variety think about some Mexican-inspired foods... (vegetarian) refried beans, green chilies, chipotle seasoning wrapped in soft corn tortillas is one of my go-to's.

Stir frys are great... sauteed veggies/tofu over rice or quinoa. Simple but satisfying.

Baked sweet potato fries for a snack... peel and cut sweet potatoes into rounds or steak fry shapes. Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Awesome.  Thanks much.  

I have been cooking (I missed my calling...really) Vegan for Mrs Lynch for about 18 months.  Lisa, have you ever had tofu scramble?  So good.  I am not sure if you can eat nutritional yeast or not, but it seems to be in all the recipes I have seen.

Recipe for tofu scramble please!

Tofu Scramble,Western Style

1 lb firm tofu, patted dry

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. turmeric

1/2 cup onions, diced

1/3 cup green bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, and diced

1/3 cup red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, and diced

1 TB. Olive oil

1 TB. nutritional yeast flakes

2 TB. chopped fresh basil, or 2 tsp of dried

2 TB. chopped fresh parsley

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1. Using your fingers, crumble tofu into a small bowl.  Sprinkle onion powder, garlic powder and turmeric over the top.  Toss well to evenly coat tofu, and set aside

2. Place onions, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and olive oil in a large nonstick skillet.  Saute over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until vegetables are soft.  Add reserved tofu and nutritional yeast flakes, and stir well.  Saute an additional 5 minutes, while stirring often, until tofu is dry and slightly browned.  Add basil, parsley, sea salt, and black pepper; stir well to combine.  Serve immediately as a side dish, main dish, or enjoy rolled in a tortilla with salsa as part of a breakfast burrito

I have made this a dozen x's and its very good. 

I am almost done day 4 of being a vegan.

First off, you're awesome. Way to be proactive about it and not skulking. As for the pasta, there are some grocery store pastas that are vegan such as San Giorgio (sp) that is the red and blue box.

Good luck!

Thanks.  I know the exact brand you are speaking of...

Day 15 almost done and I have to say, I am doing really well this.  I think my energy level has a slight improvement as 2:30 or 3:00 rolls around at work I don't want hang myself from being tired/bored.  I also dropped 8 lbs. (this is a good thing) The hardest part so far was the Fourth of July.  I had to pass on some home made PA dutch deer jerky.  This might not be a big deal to some but for me it was.  

My wife actually has let me off the hook but I refuse to back out of it at this point.  I think I am more curious about seeing this through than to quit.

WOW! you ROCK!

Any more recipes to share???
 

Thanks!  I just got done eating a Veggie chili that I would put up against any 'regular' chili.  I'll post the recipe once I get it out of my head and onto paper...

Any more recipes to share???
 

I am enjoying the challenge of it and reaping the benefits of seeming to have more energy.  I don't really see much change in the finances as my wife has been a vegan for about 2 years and shopping at whole paycheck foods is really expensive anyway.  I thinking shopping and eating healthier is generally more expensive.  But I will put it like this, instead of buying a whole turkey breast and cooking it for the week, I just eat more tofu and veggie burgers with the Mrs.  So we really don't see much of a change in the finances.

You know though, going vegan is not as bad as you think.  I like meat but I went vegan for about a year.  It is quite interesting the total lack of cravings I never did get.  I didn't crave anything that I thought I would miss.  I was able to eat really good meals as well (eating out sucks though).  Then I went vegatarian and I started to get cravings.  Not necessarily for meat, but for food that were not so good.  Now I just eat whatever...  But IMO if your toying with going vegatarian I would actually go vegan instead. 

I felt the same way for 8 months waiting for this bet to start.  But its really not THAT bad.  Take it from me, I am/was a meatetarian.  To the point where when making pulled pork, I would brine a Boston butt in molasses and salt overnight, then dry rub it overnight, then smoke it on the Weber for 12 hours while mopping it in a vinegar/mustard sauce...I love meat.  And I didn't really have any physical cravings.  But you can still feel sorry for me.  I am curious what will happen after the first of August.  

I'm from Texas.  Life without brisket is no life at all. 

I actually commend y'all for this.  Not something I want to do, but kudos to you.

my wife is vegetarian and i give up all meat every year during lent.  it all started with me losing a bet also!  i actually kind of enjoy the challenge too.  and i will credit it for expanding my taste buds.  there is all kinds of cool and tasty food out there that i'd never even think to try until i did the vegetarian thing. 

so....what was the bet?

Falafel and hummus?  A perfect example of really delicious that I probably wouldn't have tried with out the bet.

So, her sisters planned our wedding and told her that they found a perfect wedding topper and it was so "us".  I naturally thought it must be ball and chain themed.  I may have had a beer or two in me when I made the bet.  Turns out the wedding topper were characters shaped like a piece of bacon and tofu.

So fitting.  

I know you've finished but here are some resources.

I'm not vegan, but mostly eat that way, vegetarian with some dairy occasionally.

There are many many good otions for you out there from straight veggies to meat substitutes, if you have no food allergies like soy or wheat, I would totally go for some bbq wheat roast.

Tofu scrambles, I usually just throw in whatever is in my fridge, peppers, mushrooms, onions, salsa, etc.

I like tofu fries too with a chili sauce.

To replace butter use something like Earth Balance, I prefer the whipped kind.

Gardein is a brand that has a lot of substitute stuff that is vegan and pretty good. 

http://www.gardein.com/index.php

My favorite are the beefless tips, I use this in a Mexican style mix up.

Mushroom, onions, red peppers, garlic, poblano peppers, green chilis, and a chipotle salsa topped with avocado.

I eat this with Amy's Green chili refried beans.

Good places to eat out include:

Field of Greens http://www.fieldofgreenscuisine.com/ 

Lovin... Hut  http://lovinghut.us/houston/

Quan Yin http://www.quanyinvegetarian.com/

 andvarious other places around town, most places these days have at least one thing that is vegan.

I use a product call Vega for my Protein needs, vegan whole foods.

http://myvega.com/

also cliff builders

http://www.clifbar.com/food/did_you_know/C245

Good luck

Thanks for this.  I have been meaning to write back but I have been jammed at work.  

Yes I completed the month successful and honored my bet.  I went way off the reservation last week and tried to embrace meat again.  But by Sunday night I was ill.  I have decided to be vegan most of the time.  However, if I am in New Bern North Carolina and see, "5 time state winning champions for pulled pork", I will try it.

I am looking forward to trying bbq wheat roast.  I googled it the other day when I first read this and it looks interesting.

Thanks again.

Funny, I've been to New Bern a few times (my company recently opened a new facility in Kinston) and it is such a different food culture! Fried meat and sweet tea are about all I could find - even when we catered in a "nice" local meal for distinguished guests for our grand opening... it was Carolina BBQ. With sweet tea of course. 

/hijack

Ha!  That's awesome.  So what did you eat??  Are hush puppies gluten free??  I was driving through there a few years ago and stopped at Moore's BBQ on JFK blvd.  I think the address is 3711.  I had a pulled pork with slaw and forever altered my sense of the word "good".  I think I truly had a foodgasm and small tears formed in my eyes.

Any way, I haven't had meat since Tuesday and that was an accident because I didn't tell the street vendor that i wanted "vegetarian" when I ordered my falafal platter.  Either way, I am back to feeling Normal?  

/unhijak