Behavior follows what you believe. If you support the reasons behind living a vegan lifestyle, it's just a matter of how much.
Here are some basic veg alternatives that you might want to try:
Steak- portabello mushroom (marinated and grilled) or seitan (vital wheat gluten)- better if you make your own
Chicken- Gardein makes a good alternative. If you have access to an Asian market, they may have a variety of soy meats (chicken, ham, pork, etc.) that mimic texture and flavor, but are often more suited for Asian dishes.
Ground Meat- tvp (textured vegetable protein) granules sold in health food stores, can be rehydrated and added to any dish like spaghetti sauce, chili, etc. or ground up seitan or tempeh works too. Gimme Lean makes a ground "hamburger" and "sausage" that are quite good, but do remind me a bit of school cafeteria/ TV dinner flavors.
Bacon- thinly sliced tempeh, seitan, or even coconut! It's all about the marinade (soy sauce, ketchup, liquid smoke, maple syrup, cider vinegar- or variations thereof)
Eggs- tofu is the obvious choice here, and if you flavor it with nutritional yeast and a little black salt (kala namak Indian salt), it can be a dead ringer.
Eggs for Baking- tofu, corn starch, ground flax seeds, "egg replacer" found in health food stores, good for cakes and cookies. The only thing I haven't figured out yet are cream puffs.
Butter- One name: Earth Balance Margarine, good for cookies, pie crusts, anything that calls for butter. The one sold in tub form is great for toast, stick form better for baking. Tastes and melts great, and is non-hydrogenated.
Chicken/Beef Broth- For soups, you can find or make vegetable broth, or just mix nutritional yeast and water (you'd be surprised).
Cow's Milk- Soy, rice, almond, and hemp milks are readily available in natural food stores.
Cheese- There are a lot of soy cheeses on the market out there, I like Daiya and Follow Your Heart, or you can use ground nuts (I like cashews) seasoned with garlic, lemon, and salt in soups, sauces, and spreads.
Cream Cheese/ Sour Cream- I like Tofutti brand and Trader Joe's, and it's widely available. You can also use silken tofu and nuts as a base to make your own.
Ice Cream- There are a lot of recipes out there to make your own, using arrowroot and other thickeners, or you can buy soy and coconut ice creams in the market. I like Trader Joe's "Soy Creamy," and Turtle Mountain's "So-Delicious" and "Purely Decadent."
Other Proteins- beans are great, quinoa (grain high in protein), nuts, seeds
Happy Eating!
