Meat Substitutes, Not Meat Look-Alikes (soy, non-gmo, dinner, food)
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What are some alternatives to meat that are not meat look-alikes and not soy based? I now eat spaghetti with a meatless sauce, portable mushrooms, and salad. This is OK but it gets downright boring. Just to mention but not to discuss on this post, I think soy is almost as bad for the body as meat. So no soy suggestions please. Thanks for you help.
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Originally Posted by donsabi
What are some alternatives to meat that are not meat look-alikes and not soy based? I now eat spaghetti with a meatless sauce, portable mushrooms, and salad. This is OK but it gets downright boring. Just to mention but not to discuss on this post, I think soy is almost as bad for the body as meat. So no soy suggestions please. Thanks for you help.
Aren't all mushrooms portable when you really get down to it?
You may want to try Company Rice & Beans; it's a very satisfying, savory vegetarian complete meal.
take a look at the many recipe threads on this board - there are tons of recipes that don't involve fake meat or soy.
on the subject of soy, you might want to look into fermented soy products like tempeh, which don't have the purported health risks of unfermented soy.
my question for you is - what do you mean by meat substitutes? are you looking for hearty, substantial texture, or protein? as far as protein goes, it is actually kind of hard to not get enough, even with a vegan diet. the typical american eats way more protein than they need every day.
I disagree about tofu, I don't think it is especially problematic if it is made from non-GMO soybeans. It is all of the other way soy is processes and show up in our diet that is problematic (longevity isn't an issue in the countries where eating tofu is common).
Your first post sounds like you are looking more for meal ideas than just meat substitutes. Am I right? If you are new to vegetarian or vegan eating/cooking, than I suggest you try to throw out your whole idea of what a meal should look like. So many of my meat-eating friends, neighbors and family, think that a dinner is a meat, a starch, and a side vegetable. In this thinking, you take out the meat and all you have is a starch and a side vegetable. Not very fun, interesting or healthy. I would suggest getting some good cookbooks that have simple recipes, lots of conversation-style information and menus.
However, I am also a believer in easing the transition with meat substitutes and things like that. My non-processed choices are: tofu (soy), tempe (soy), seitan (wheat gluten), beans of all sorts (white beans are the most verstitile, garbanzo beans are used in a lot of Mediterrean and Middle Eastern recipes), nuts and nut butter.
Tofu, tempe, and seitan are the ones that can be directly inputted into meat-recipes without much thought.
Another note on soy: buy organic. And soy is everywhere in our diet--our processed diet. As you move to a more whole-food diet, the amount of soy in your diet will drop considerably, allowing you to keep soy to a minimum, while still eating soy in it's most nutrious form: soybeans, tofu, and tempe.
Portobello Mushroom is a great sub for meat. It has that rustic meaty feeling. Best when baked in the oven with a mixture of peeled tomatoes herbs and spices.
Other alternative is steamed eggs with water , mixture of chopped greens like parlsey, cilantro and green pea. It is a classic Chinese dish.
Legumes are an excellent alternative to the protein of meat: lentils, split peas, pinto beans, black beans, navy beans, great northern beans, etc. All go really well with brown or wild rice & a wide variety of vegetables. Mexican food adapts very well to vegetarian cooking.
Laura's Kitchen is an outstanding cookbook as well as a nutritional primer for the vegetarian cook.
What are some alternatives to meat that are not meat look-alikes and not soy based? I now eat spaghetti with a meatless sauce, portable mushrooms, and salad. This is OK but it gets downright boring. Just to mention but not to discuss on this post, I think soy is almost as bad for the body as meat. So no soy suggestions please. Thanks for you help.
Are you looking to avoid dairy, eggs, and fish as well as "red" meat, or only looking to avoid "red" meat (beef, pork, etc)?
If you're okay with dairy and eggs, then dairy and eggs are pretty awesome alternatives for meat, especially since you can eat them in modest portion sizes, to augment a more vegetable-based meal. Such as - crumbling feta cheese into your baby greens and spinach salad, with roasted sunflower seeds, and tahini dressing (sesame paste, garlic, lemon juice, and water). That right there, with a fresh-baked chunk of homemade whole grain oat bread, would make a protein-rich, high fiber, nutritious and delicious meal.
If you're not okay with dairy and eggs, you'll find that meals consisting of combinations of things, such as beans, peas, seeds, mushrooms of pretty much any kind, and brown rice, will give you the protein you need. Mushrooms have -low- amounts of protein, compared to meat, and are actually not a good substitute IF you are looking to substitute the protein. If you're wanting an alternate for the B12 source, it's great, but you'll still need to find more protein sources. Also, the B12 in mushrooms is probably the result of the fertilizer used to grow them in their natural habitat - which is typically animal feces. If you are strictly ethical vegan, you'd want to check with the ethical vegan websites to see if organically grown mushrooms are even an acceptable alternative.
But for things like mung beans, peas, sesame seeds, shrooms combined with brown rice - stir-fry with red sweet pepper and bamboo shoots and mini corn, minced garlic, sesame oil, and a capful of tamari (sort of a soy sauce on steroids), and you've got a VERY filling, nutritious, really good -looking- and delicious meal.
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