From non-vegan to vegan.

July 28, 2008 6:10 AM

What's your favorite tasty, filling vegan snack?

When it comes to dinner, I'm strictly small-portion and low-cal. Some lettuce, a handful of nuts, and a few pieces of dried fruit do the trick. But I tend to supplement this with a hot snack, generally a few slices of non-vegan cheese melted on toast. I'm anxious to convert this last dish into a vegan snack.

What filling, satisfying vegan snacks can you recommend as a substitute for the the toast-and-cheese? A hot snack cooked in the toaster or oven would suit my fancy best, but cold snacks are okay.

Also, if it's a vegan-cheese based snack, what vegan cheese would give me the best, most flavorful results when melted?

posted by Gordion Knott to Health & Fitness (20 answers total)

The roasted chick peas in this post are scrumptious.
posted by cider at 6:19 AM on July 28, 2008 [4 favorites]

I love all sorts of pickles, which tend to be very low calorie so you can eat a fair amount; this pickled okra is one of my staples as it is widely available where I live, but whenever I am at a craft show or farmers market I try to find other offerings. Green beans and asparagus almost never let me down, among others.
posted by TedW at 6:26 AM on July 28, 2008

I suggest you look into getting some seitan. It's a delicious meat substitute that comes in many natural (though totally vegetable based) flavors like duck, beef, fish, etc. It's great on the barbecue.
posted by parmanparman at 6:27 AM on July 28, 2008

Polenta is very filling and delicious with cheese (vegan of course).
posted by MaryDellamorte at 6:32 AM on July 28, 2008

I've been spreading hummus on a big, thin, flatbread, then sprinkling sun dried tomatoes on that, and then adding about 2 cups of raw spinach. Drizzle some olive oil and balsamic vinegar over it, roll it up into a big burrito, and eat. It's incredibly filling (2 cups of spinach) and comes in around 225 calories. It's lasted me from lunch to dinner without cravings.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 7:01 AM on July 28, 2008 [4 favorites]

Tempeh -- slice it thin, marinate, sauté.
posted by omnidrew at 7:11 AM on July 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

Cook up some quinoa, drain and leave to cool. Add finely chopped tomato, cucumber, red onion, whatever else you fancy. Season to taste. Add home-made vinaigrette. Eat. Yum yum.
posted by Lleyam at 7:15 AM on July 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'm very picky about cheese and lactose intolerant, and feared that I would never find a properly textured vegan cheese until I discovered Soya Kaas. The mozzarella is the best (it's kind of stringy like real mozz and melts just as well). Get the brick, not the slices while the slices melt well, they taste weird). Avoid the low fat version - it tastes like Pay-Doh!
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 7:29 AM on July 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

frozen breaded mushrooms, baked in the toaster over. Would take longer than toast, though.
posted by amtho at 7:29 AM on July 28, 2008

It's a cold snack, but these spicy tempeh rolls from the Post-Punk Kitchen are quite delectable.
posted by King Bee at 7:58 AM on July 28, 2008

Broiled Marinated Tofu is quite tasty on bread, make it a sammich for a meal. I just marinate it in Hoisin or Barbeque sauce and then broil it until it's crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.
posted by piedmont at 8:09 AM on July 28, 2008

the best vegan cheese out there is Vegan Gourmet by Follow Your Heart. It comes in many flavors and is made by the people who make Vegenaise (an amazing mayo substitute).

Soya Kaas is NOT vegan. it contains casein, probably the worst part of milk. google it for all kinds of nasty info on casein.

Other snack suggestions:
-- mix olive tapenade with pasta sauce and toast on bread
--toast (esp. sun dried tomato toast) with vegenaise (or margarine) and nutritional yeast
--deli slices with vegenaise
--artichoke hearts, vegan parmesan, garlic, veganaise and chopped spinach (if you want). this makes a great dip or spread hot OR cold
--walnuts, red peppers & a bit of miso in the blender -- a nice raw dip/spread
--toast a vegan chicken patty. part way through put in a piece of bread/roll. when both are crispy, cover with tomato sauce. toast more. top with vegan cheese if you want to make "chicken parm"
--blue corn meal and cold water (roughly equal parts). turn on heat. cook until smooth (like farina). top with nuts and fruit. blackstrap molasses sweetens it nicely.
--mash up tofu (or chickpeas). add chopped celery and onion. add vegenaise. if you can get black salt (a sulfurous salt available at Indian markets) add that for an "eggy" taste. you can serve hot or cold. nice on a pita.
--mix vegan bouillon and soy yogurt for a cold veggie dip. add dill if you like.
--keep falafel mix handy and throw a patty in the toaster oven. pop in a pita. add cucumber & tomatoes. drizzle thinned tahini over it all.
--destemmed portabella mushrooms (marinaded or not) make nice burgers. perfect size for the toaster oven.
--for a dessert, mori nu makes an easy pudding mix that you just blend with a package of tofu

thats all i have off the top of my head. if you want more ideas for snacks, meals, shakes, desserts, etc. lemme know
posted by laminarial at 8:36 AM on July 28, 2008 [3 favorites]

one last thing about cheese.

any cheese product that melts and is stringy like "regular" cheese is NOT vegan.
stringy=casein
posted by laminarial at 8:38 AM on July 28, 2008

Couscous made with veggie broth. Takes 5-7 min to make. Add veggies to it, and top with vegan cheese. Yum. I like to make stuffed bell peppers with couscous too.
posted by All.star at 9:02 AM on July 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

Red pepper bruschetta: Slice some French or sourdough bread, toast with a little olive oil in the oven. Caramelize some onions. Top the toast with the onions, some chopped roasted red peppers, and thin slices of basil.

Lazy Trader Joe's Meal (if you have one in the area): Their frozen fried rice, plus a can of water chestnuts and a brick of baked tofu, chopped into cubes. Add a little soy sauce and chili oil for extra flavor. This is more than a snack, but you could save the leftovers.

Also, Starlite faux chicken and faux beef taquitos are really good. (Whole Foods carries them; sometimes Ralph's does too.) If you have an avocado on hand, that's even better. But salsa would be a fine dipping sauce too.
posted by faunafrailty at 9:34 AM on July 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

Spring rolls! They make a kind of wrapper that you fix by soaking it in warm water for 15 seconds. Then you can fill it with whatever you want and dip it in a variety of sauces. Yesterday I filled mine with cucumber, Asian greens, carrots, and quinoa. Then I dipped it in a mixture of soy sauce and rice vinegar.
posted by melissam at 10:13 AM on July 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

Peanut butter on a banana, or peanut butter on anything. High in protein, fat and fiber, so it's very filling.
posted by Tren at 11:09 AM on July 28, 2008

Lumen Soy Food's jerquee was my favorite vegan treat. I find vegan cheese awful.
posted by chairface at 11:24 AM on July 28, 2008

Whoops. I didn't know about the casein aspect to Soya Kaas. Sorry about that (poor assumption on my part - has the word "soy" and doesn't trigger my lactose intolerance = improper vegan attribution)
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 1:32 PM on July 28, 2008

I've been nibbling on vegan potato salad-- potatoes, your favorite fresh herb (nice choices-- mint, or rosemary, or basil, or oregano, but really no limits), fresh parsley, very thinly sliced onions, slivered almonds for texture, and a very light balsamic vinegar & olive oil dressing. Really you could make this with any ingredients you like. Plus, it keeps forever (if it last, it's so yummy).
posted by nax at 3:18 PM on July 28, 2008