Want more information about veganism & why you should go vegan? Try Vegan Outreach. They have information online & offer a free vegan starter kit.
If you want to know even more about animal agriculture, Action for Animals is an amazing organization. They have a plethora of literature online, & also offer a free vegan starter kit.
HappyCow.net - A search site for finding vegan & vegan friendly restaurants & stores near you. They also have a animal ingredients pocket guide that you can download & print.
Live in or near New York City? Planning to visit NYC? SuperVegan.com is the place to go when you're looking for vegan/vegan friendly shops & eateries in The Big Apple.
The Post Punk Kitchen: Recipes - The site belongs to Isa Chandra Moskowitz, the author of the only cookbooks you'll ever need (kidding... sort of). To the left of this page is a baking guide. She has posted some really great recipes, too. Isa has written the two main vegan cooking bibles (IMO) so if you're even thinking of eating a vegan diet, "Veganomicon" (also written with Terry Hope Romero) & "Vegan with a Vengeance" are the ones that will really get you rolling. I also LOVE "Vegan Brunch" & "Appetite for Reduction." I don't yet have the cookies or cupcakes cookbooks by Isa & Terry (stop gasping), but they're best sellers & everyone I know who owns them would rather die than give them up so if your priorities are sweets, check 'em out. (And if sweets are a priority, you'd get along famously with my wife.)
Speaking of recipes (& helpful info), the blogs that I have listed on the right of every page are an amazing resource. All are written by thoughtful, knowledgeable & talented vegans.
While on the subject of recipes, when I get a craving for something that I want to veganize, I've had good luck with VegWeb.com.
Be sure to read the reviews of each recipe. Some recipes will be made better as people make them, make changes, & then share the results.
Want to know if your favorite alcoholic beverages are vegan friendly? (Shocking as it may be, your booze might not be vegan.) Barnivore is the site to visit.
*CosmosVeganShoppe.com - My favorite site for vegan friendly products that might be hard to find. I shopped with them a lot when we first went vegan (sign up for the newsletter, too. They offer a discount code once a month. They also have wonderful customer service). I've since been able to locally locate nearly everything, but I still place the occasional order. One thing that I'm fond of for "egg" dishes is black salt, & though I can find it locally, it's MUCH cheaper through Cosmo's, and much finer, which matters. Use big grains and you could end up with gritty scrambles, omelets, fritatas.... Mind you, it isn't required when making these dishes, but I enjoy it. It makes them much more egg-like. Black salt aside, it's also fun to just look through Cosmo's site to see a lot of what is out there & learn about new products.
*UPDATE: They are closed & I am heartbroken. That is all :( However, I found a great, affordable black salt, on Amazon: The Spice Lab's Himalayan Black Crystal Salt (fine ground) It will last you a LONG time!
FoodFightGrocery.com - Another vegan shop that I've recently used for vegan friendly razors. (Don't let the idea of replacing things & finding replacements overwhelm you, if you're still on the fence. It's OK to commit to changing without donating everything & throwing things away. Use the products you already have & replace them as you need new things. Everyone changes at their own pace. Making the commitment to live cruelty free is all that matters.)
VegNew.com is the website for the magazine VegNews. It's completely vegan! Explore, learn & subscribe. They even offer a green, online subscription.
Social networks, like Post Punk Kitchen's forum & Twitter.com - Get ideas, ask questions, & learn. It helps to build a wider community for yourself. My wife & I mostly use twitter, which has been amazing. We've met so many wonderful people (including in person), and it's helped us in so many ways, from finding recipes & places to eat, to learning about products & related news stories. We can also discuss concerns, or just vent. I highly recommend twitter, but urge you to create an account that you can keep separate from your current family & friends (those who aren't vegan), unlike Facebook. If you go through with trying veganism, as sad as it may sound, I can almost guarantee ignorant comments, frustrating interactions, and even some well meaning (and some malicious) sabotage. Having a separate place for support is extremely beneficial.
And use Google! I was constantly googling, even from the grocery store, but beware the source. Extreme groups (both for & against) can give you erroneous information. Remember, like big tobacco, the meat, dairy & egg industries are BIG, powerful, have billions to spend, and they have a very vested interest in keeping the truth from people. They have even paid for "scientific" studies, which have produced very skewed & outright false data about their own products, as well as soy, which is their biggest threat. They've gone so far as to lobby the FDA to keep plant based milks from being able to use the word "milk," by trying to make milk solely defined, by the FDA, as "the secretions of a lactating mammal." Sounds delicious, doesn't it? I won't get started down that road. Just beware of the source. Always double check when searching for facts & answers.
Lastly, I recommend Mercy For Animals' "Farm to Fridge" video, & the movie "Earthlings" (both can be viewed online) if you're interested in seeing what really happens to animals on farms (Warning: graphic & disturbing images).
