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Post by carlweathers on Jan 23, 2015 9:23:05 GMT -5
i've been a lifelong serious meat eater, but i've recently decided to try and give it up. i know most of the good vegetarian restaurants around, but does anybody have any tips for easy recipes and stuff like that?
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Post by passedout on Jan 23, 2015 9:44:17 GMT -5
It took me 3 months to stop eating meat fully. Most of this was due to the fact that my mental conditioning of how a 'meal' should look (some sort of protein main dish, with 2 side dishes). Once I abandoned the traditional meal format it was a lot easier to cook.
the stir-fry format is a good gateway. rice/vegetables in a huge fucking bowl. try some different sauces (thai peanut, hoison, curry, etc).
burritos and tacos are also one of those things for me where i didn't really care not having meat. double ply some corn tortillas, fill em up with some beans, rice, avocado and salsa for starters.
if you're still doing boxed mac and cheese...cook up some chick pea and broccoli in a pan and add it to the mac and cheese..instantly turns that into a full meal.
i still haven't found a way to enjoy a salad on it's own. it's a little easier in the summer, but when it's cold like this i just want to get down on some soup.
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Post by bleedingedges on Jan 24, 2015 0:34:41 GMT -5
As far as fake meats go, try Gardein, I've found their chicken to be the best
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Post by carlweathers on Jan 26, 2015 9:15:24 GMT -5
i got the gardein ground beef this weekend and made tacos and they came out great
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Post by george costanza on Jan 27, 2015 1:31:03 GMT -5
awesome Sean! i tried doing it 3 1/2 years ago for only one month to see how it went. its now been... well, 3 1/2 years. Not only was i a lifelong meat eater, i thought not eating meat was fucking stupid and i was fat as hell. not eating meat has changed my life.
i pretty much started heavy on the fake meats, but over time have pretty much phased them out. now just do a heavy fresh vegetable and grains diet for the most part.
for fake meat, yeah gardein stuff is good for the most part. their fake teriyaki chicken or quorn (not vegan, has eggs) do fake chicken the best, I think. I personally think boca and morningstar are just basically fake fried crap, only tastes like breading to me. beyond meat does great fake ground meat (this is vegan, soy, and gluten free. straight pea/veg protein). also gardein has started selling a fake fried fish fillet that i think is pretty damn good, made fish
tacos with it about a month ago
field roast does awesome fake sausage, the apple sage one is great, chorizo too. italian one is medicore
soy curls are awesome to use in stir fries. its basically like a dried tofu product that you rehydrate in hot water for a few mins, then kinda dry with a paper towel and saute. if you do it in a decent amount of oil they get a good crispness on the outside and soft on the inside, kinda like chicken they use in chinese food. ill do that with some stir fried peppers and onions and generals tso sauce and hot sauce, some steamed broccoli, and rice noodles once a week
just pretty much for the beginning i guess take meals you like and add in the fake meat substitute. i guess the usual, meat, grain/starch, veggie side approach is good so its not a total shock to what youre used to. over time ive come to cook a lot more with veggies as the main course and less fake meat dependence
a homemade veggie burger (kinda) recipe i came up with that i use a lot and i think is pretty good:
Ingredients:
chickpeas
sweet potato (or regular russet if you prefer)
onion, pepper, zucchini, any vegetable you like diced and sauteed works, mushrooms, carrots, whatever
kale or leafy green you prefer (spinach, whatever)
brown rice or quinoa
flax seed
dijon mustard
in a pot boil diced potatoes and some chickpeas till semi and mashable.
while thats boiling saute all the diced veggies and rest of chickpeas in a pan. ill change seasoning depending on how i wanna do em really (sometimes bbq seasoning, sometimes regular salt pepper garlic rosemary, sometimes greek, however you want works) for just a few mins till semi soft, still like a little crunch
ill usually wait til i have some leftover brown rice or quinoa from a diff meal to throw in to this one.
after potatoes and chickpeas are soft and mashed, ill mix in some flax seed and some of the dijon mustard to use as a binder. mix in the sauteed veggies, a couple spoonfuls of rice/quinoa,, tear up some of the kale and throw it all in. season again. make patties with your hands, works best to form em then throw em in the fridge first so they hold together better while cooking. they usually dont hold together super well to be honest, some eggs would prob help it hold together better. saute each in a well oiled pan for about 5 mins per side, everythings cooked you just want to get a good brown sear on it. ill usually serve with roasted brussel sprouts and maybe top with some sliced tomato. pretty easy, super filling, tons of veggies and some good grain/protein
veggie chili with beyond meat 'fiesty' flavored ground beef is awesome, ill usually do that with some baked jalapeno polenta or cornbread (baked polenta is real easy, boil 3 cups of water, when it boils turn heat to low and slowly whisk in 1 cup of corn meal/polenta and stir occasionally for 10 mins on low. during that time ill add in some fresh corn, diced jalapeno, scallion, garlic. cheese would be good in there too, or some cream. after 10 mins you can eiter leave it creamy like grits and serve but i like it better baked in a foil cake pan at 375 for like 40 minutes, gets kinda cornbread like on the outside but still creamy inside
we do tacos every thursday. ill do fajita style veggies with onion, pepper, and zucchini or squash - julienne them, marinate in a little oil, salt pepper garlic cumin chili powder paprika, saute super high until slightly crisp. sauteed corn with some canned chipotle, cilantro, paprika. black beans, yellow rice (mahatma brand is vegetarian, vigo has chicken fat), some sauteed garlic spinach, homemade pico. maybe once a month ill add some fake meat in but usually just keep it all veg and do corn/rice/beans on the side.
also if youre trying to avoid doing a carb-heavy diet, which is very very easy to do not eating meat, cauliflower rice or mash, or spiralized veggie pastas are awesome. for cauliflower rice, basically put chopped cauliflower in a food processer and pulse until its about the shape/consistancy of rise. sautee in a pan for a few mins until softens, then put in a little water and cover for it to steam for just a little bit. comes out similar to rice, ill use it as fake fried rice a lot. or boil it and mash like mashed potatoes, add some butter or cream or what have you and some roasted garlic.
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Post by perfectlines on Jan 27, 2015 16:05:53 GMT -5
Everything Geoff just posted is top-notch. There's literally SO many really nice and interesting meals you can make that don't involve meat. I do a lot of grilled vegetables, a lot of rice or quinoa based dishes. Similar to Geoff, for a while I was heavy into the various fake meat stuff and I still do it somewhat regularly, but less so lately. Of those I like the Field Roast products the best, especially the chorizo-type one. Look around in the internet and experiment. I discovered early on that I really liked brussel sprouts so that's now one of my go-to meals, for example.
I didn't think about it a lot at the time but at one point in my life I realized I had accidentally gone almost 3 weeks without eating meat without noticing. I decided to keep going with it, and that was just over 4 years ago at this point. I feel better physically, I have more energy, I'm tempted to eat less crap (fast food places don't have many decent veg options), and combined with exercise it's been great all-around. I can't imagine ever going back, if anything I'll go vegan in the future.
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Post by george costanza on Jan 27, 2015 18:12:28 GMT -5
www.thekitchn.com/eating-vegetarian-5-cooking-blogs-to-check-out-now-188840Everything Geoff just posted is top-notch. There's literally SO many really nice and interesting meals you can make that don't involve meat. I do a lot of grilled vegetables, a lot of rice or quinoa based dishes. Similar to Geoff, for a while I was heavy into the various fake meat stuff and I still do it somewhat regularly, but less so lately. Of those I like the Field Roast products the best, especially the chorizo-type one. Look around in the internet and experiment. I discovered early on that I really liked brussel sprouts so that's now one of my go-to meals, for example. I didn't think about it a lot at the time but at one point in my life I realized I had accidentally gone almost 3 weeks without eating meat without noticing. I decided to keep going with it, and that was just over 4 years ago at this point. I feel better physically, I have more energy, I'm tempted to eat less crap (fast food places don't have many decent veg options), and combined with exercise it's been great all-around. I can't imagine ever going back, if anything I'll go vegan in the future. i didnt like brussel sprouts until we lived together. now i try to make them as often as possible. caramelized until almost burnt, its like candy
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Post by carlweathers on Jan 28, 2015 9:28:26 GMT -5
yeah i like roasted brussel sprouts a lot. i was at a point where i'd eat at wendy's at least once if not twice a week, but now it's easier to avoid and i havent been since, although i did go to burger king once and got the veggie burger there.
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Post by MC on Jan 29, 2015 14:46:49 GMT -5
I do a lot of what you guys say about 3 days a week I just give meat a break, never understood the substitutes and would imagine eating a mix of complex carbohydrates and some veggies would be more healthy since i assume more fake meats are mostly soy based and texturally a nightmare for me
Roasting any veg brings out a natural sweetness and typically is the most simple way to prepare (set it and forget it)
There is going to be a newly relaunched. "dirt candy" in NYC (bigger location) opening the end of the month, I as a human garbage disposal enjoyed my vegitarian meal there and it made me want to cook more meals generally vegetable based, kindof curious if anyone makes it there before me (since I'll be away) to give their opinion
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Post by george costanza on Jan 30, 2015 10:10:54 GMT -5
also some good veg sides/snacks
roasted kale with lemon juice and tahini
heavy roasted chickpeas are awesome. can do them sweet or savory. greek flavors work well, garlic, oil, lemon, thyme. also cinnamon and brown sugar
cauliflower corn fritters
buffalo cauliflower
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Post by george costanza on Feb 4, 2015 14:12:17 GMT -5
so hows it going so far Sean?
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Post by carlweathers on Feb 4, 2015 16:10:56 GMT -5
well i made it through superbowl and my dad and brothers finding out that i stopped eating meat haha. i made a pretty good chili with beyond meat ground beef the other day. today i missed turkey subs but for the most part it hasnt been too difficult
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Post by AsRealAsItGets on Feb 5, 2015 21:20:00 GMT -5
Who gives a shit?
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Post by bleedingedges on Feb 5, 2015 23:08:26 GMT -5
well i made it through superbowl and my dad and brothers finding out that i stopped eating meat haha. i made a pretty good chili with beyond meat ground beef the other day. today i missed turkey subs but for the most part it hasnt been too difficult sandwiches in general just aren't the same. Veg sandwich meat is terrible, so unless you just like cheese and condiments, you are out of luck |
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Post by george costanza on Feb 6, 2015 14:08:28 GMT -5
You, however many years ago |
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