6 vegan foods you’re already eating

I’m often told by omnivores (or even ovo-lacto vegetarians) that it’s almost impossible to find vegan foods to incorporate into their diets. What a lot of people don’t know is that almost everyone already eats lots of vegan foods on a regular basis, and I don’t mean salad...

Bread. What a lot of people don’t know is that most bread is vegan. Why? Because animal fats aren’t as good for bread-making, and usually cost more than vegetable oils. And why on earth are bread manufacturers going to put in milk when it costs more than water? Always check the label, of course, but rest assured that most bread (including wraps) will be fair game for your average herbivore.

Hummus. Standard ingredients in hummus: chickpeas, tahini (ground up sesame seeds), lemon juice, garlic and salt. That’s it. You might get a little fancier and put in roasted red pepper or extra vegetables, and baba ghanoush has eggplant, but guess what? Those are vegan, too!

Pasta. Unless we’re talking egg noodles, you’d be surprised how few pastas have anything but semolina (a wheat flour), water and salt in them.

Salsa & chips. Have you ever seen a creamy salsa? Didn’t think so. (Watch out for the chips—from time to time your tortilla chips will have milk ingredients in them.)

Guacamole. One of the best friends a vegan can have for both taste and nutrition, guacamole is essentially chopped up vegetables with lime juice and positively delicious. As my friend Julia says, “If there’s guacamole left, I’m not finished.”

Dill pickles. Never thought of it, did you? Pickles are essentially cucumbers, vinegar, dill and garlic. Where on earth could something animal-based pop in here? Home free!

If nothing else, I hope this helps to calm the minds of omnivores who have a vegan stopping by for dinner this weekend, or who are overwhelmed at the idea of eating lighter. Feel free to post any questions, clarifications or disputes in the comments!