Reddit mentions of 1,000 Vegan Recipes (1,000 Recipes)

For starters: If husband's goal is getting the kids to become vegan, then forcing them to becoming vegan is the absolute wrong way to do it. I didn't like being forced to eat meat as a kid, so I can't imagine your kids are too pleased with this forced diet either. It's one thing to raise your children to eat what you eat--but if you radically change that mid-stream, that's pretty unfair to them. Also, vegan diets can be perfectly healthy for kids, but only if kids will actually eat the right variety of food. Kids who aren't, probably won't be getting the nutrition they need. Again, I'm a reverse case of this--had an iron deficiency as a kid, but I don't as an adult, and I think it's mostly because I eat a better diet as a vegetarian than as a kid who avoided meat in a meat-centric diet. Your kids may run into issues if they're avoiding key parts of a good vegan diet.

Anyway, on to the actual food advice:

Here's the book I recommended as the vegan starter cookbook: https://www.amazon.com/000-Vegan-Recipes/dp/0470085029 is the first vegan cookbook that my husband started out with. I'd absolutely recommend it as a place to start! Aside from the three main proteins that most Americans aren't too familiar eating (tofu, tempeh, and seitan) there aren't many unfamiliar ingredients. And there are TONS of recipes in the book without any of those three--it's got 1000, after all. There are tons of rice and noodle based recipes that non-vegan wouldn't bat an eye at.

This blog (http://ohsheglows.com) has some pretty great stuff, and she also has a cookbook out that we use pretty often. Our favorite cookbook at the moment is https://www.amazon.com/Isa-Does-Amazingly-Delicious-Recipes/dp/0316221902 Both of these will get you into some more off-beat ingredients, though nothing too crazy. (The latter, for example, uses cashew creme--basically, cashews and water in a blender--in a number of recipes.)

Some foods are really easy to switch to vegan; some are not. Butter and milk are two relatively easy ones, unless you're a butter or milk lover. If you're just someone who bakes/cooks with butter (and not someone who relishes butter on bread), then it's easy to swap for vegan versions. Similarly, if milk is mostly for cereal or for eating with cookies (and not something you enjoy in and of itself), it's easy to switch to soy/almond/rice/etc. I'd suggest having both in the house for a while, and cutting down to just the vegan one as people adjust. And experiment with different milks--I prefer almond to soy, but maybe your kids would prefer soy to almond.

I'm not big on vegan yogurt yet, but others may not really mind the switch. What I'm going to recommend is that you stay FAR away from vegan cheese. There is no faster way, in my mind, to turn someone off to veganism than to give them vegan cheese. It is absolutely impossible to substitute cheese the way you can butter, milk, even ice cream. (And I used to LOVE dairy ice cream. Like, I was majorly snobby about ice cream. But I am perfectly happy with cashew-nut or coconut-based alternatives. Definitely recommend those over the soy based ones--the higher fat content makes a difference.)

Anyway, back to cheese--if your husband wants to get the fake cheese, that's fine, but it will send your kids screaming from the dinner table. The worst way to go vegan is to try to replicate standard favorites with non-animal products (i.e. pizza, mac n cheese, cheeseburgers). Meat and cheese replacements are okay for someone who's been vegan, but they are terrible tools for conversion. ;)

It sounds like you're into stir-fries--have you experimented with curries at all? They don't have to be spicy if that's a concern for you or for the kiddos. Chilis can also be a good meal that appeals to the (formerly)-omnivorous, and you can change up the ingredients so they don't get too boring. Sweet potato and black bean one week, tempeh and kidney beans the next. Frozen veggie burgers are "for emergencies only" vegan food, but homemade ones can be fantastic. (They don't stay together super well without eggs, but the look doesn't affect the taste. If the kids don't like food that "breaks," stick the patties in wraps instead of buns.) Lately, I'm really into using soaked walnuts in taco bowls (not the tortilla kind, more like rice and beans and salsa and guac)--basically you soak roughly chopped walnuts for a while, drain them, and toss with chili powder and cumin. No one's crazy enough to think it tastes like chicken, but it tastes good.

In the summer, I'd barely eat real meals if I wasn't living with my husband, who for some reason thinks that it's appropriate to have an actual dinner even when it's 90 degrees. What a weirdo ;) If your kids eat tofu and mixed veggies, it sounds like they're good eaters, so pump them full of fresh fruits and veggies while you can! A big salad along with corn on the cob can be a great summer meal. Pasta salads work well in summer also--just check the dressing's ingredients if using store-bought. (And, usually they're not vegan, so you're better off just using oil and vinegar + seasoning).

Where I can see having a harder time is when school starts. We bring leftovers to work, which isn't really possible for your kids unless they like their leftovers cold. I've noticed that bento-box style lunches seem all the rage (or is that so 2016?)...if you pack them some carrot sticks or pepper slices orbroccoli crowns, maybe with some hummus dip, a fruit or two, some nuts, some Triscuits--that seems like a perfectly fine lunch to me. Vegan sandwiches--at least, the kind you'd pack in a lunchbox--are harder to do, aside from peanut butter, but a hummus-lettuce-tomato slice-sprouts sandwich would work.

It’s been years since I owned this book, but there’s a good one in here

They use a combo of tofu, miso, and nutritional yeast to make the “cheese” sauce. Nut cheese sauces are very good too, particularly cashew.

1000 Vegan Recipes

Something like this?

Also, depending on where you live there might be a health food store or co-op. They might have books you can buy there or the employees might know of a local shop where you can find them.