Any vegans or vegetarians out there?

[Frozenoem]

Okay life time meat eater, slowly coming around 

to idea of veggies only and soy protein vs meat.

Admit it may be due to costs rocketing, and recalls of chickens to be culled, etc. And my overall health, like to stick around and annoy friends & relations for awhile more.

So who’s taken the plunge, has the taste and texture improved since the ‘80’s, the last time I tried pseudo meat in bulk.

I’ve tried the better than beef alternative and it’s close to a point, still cheaper to buy Angus or Bison where I live, they just don’t ship anywhere for local pickup only. (Thought I best cover that now).

Anybody try alternatives and can suggest brands?

Or make their own recipe meat like substitute versions, still attempting to function on 3600 calories per day or dinner/supper.

Still need to function stomach filled as I cut split and stack tree length firewood. And that dastardly word “work” until Summer and fishing season, which means chicken /fish maybe diet with more veggies.

Does anyone make a close to steak type texture protein that can go in a steak pie, finally mastered puff pastry vs store bought, long COVID, Delta,Omicron and now, BA.2 period and lockdowns.And honestly expect we may be  approaching them 🎲🎲 again.

Froze

[Rhymesometimes]

@Frozenoem I have been mostly vegetarian for two years. My milk and yogurt are 100% grass fed, and I eat some cheese and soy-free eggs.  Remember that veggies contain a portion of protein, and when combined with beans, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, you are probably getting more protein then you realize. Also quinoa is a complete protein.  I heard hemp seed is too, but need to do more research.

[nm68067]

Soy is good for you, but there are also other proteins.

If you are looking for meat like texture, seitan, a wheat based high protein food (gluten warning), is very good. It requires only a couple minutes to heat through and easily takes on the flavor of any sauce or seasoning. I like to add a little canola olive oil to a pan, stir fry some vegetables quickly, add the seitan, then a dash or two of flavoring like tamari or teriyaki sauce. Heat another two minutes. Put it over brown rice, quinoa, or couscous if you want to make it more filling. I'm not sure about a steak pie because of the long cooking time for the pie, versus the very short time for the seitan, but worth a try. A mushroom steak sauce on seitan would work, maybe in a blind baked, open top, pie crust?

I have also discovered jackfruit which takes less than 15 minutes to cook and provides lots of protein and texture. So far I have only found it breaded and it is very similar to chicken nuggets. Haven't tried a chicken wing dipping sauce because I'm not a wing fan, but I think it would handle it well.

I'd say seitan has a texture similar to tender beef and jackfruit is more like chicken nuggets.

Don't forget that beans and lentils are protein too. If you are not strict vegan, cooking lentils with a beef bullion cube will give them a meaty flavor. Black beans are spicy and kidney beans add a little sweetness. I use red kidney beans as meat substitute in homemade spaghetti sauce, which sounds more weird than it is.

[Kruppy]

I am plant based after being vegan for some time. I don’t try to replicate meat as I never cared for it anyway.  LiteLife brand was one I liked though.  I tried TVP and it is good for chili but not much else imo.  Tempeh and Tofu, beans, lentils, quinoa all great protein and plant based.  Forks Over Knives and Engine2Diet are great sites to check out if you are interested and have recipes that may be of interest.