How do you replace Meat

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  • Redbird99ky
    Redbird99ky Posts: 305 Member
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    TOPIC: How do you replace Meat

    Buy more!

    Boca burgers aren't too awful, as long as you dress them properly.

    I also understand that "textured soy protein" is available. And you can probably use Tofu for your ground "meats"
  • CrazyGraciegirl
    CrazyGraciegirl Posts: 227
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    I love these vegan burgers called Boca burgers. :smile: I am not vegetarian/vegan but I like them because they're about 100 calories for a large patty and taste about the same!
  • rudegyal_b
    rudegyal_b Posts: 593 Member
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    texturized vegetable protein!!!
  • soontobeskinnysara
    soontobeskinnysara Posts: 177 Member
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    There are so many meat substitutes you can find at the grocery store. I LOVE Gardein products. The chick'n cutlets are delicious! Other good products to look for: Tofurkey, Yves Veggie, Boca, Morningstar, LightLife, Helen's, West Soy
  • sweetnessandlighter
    sweetnessandlighter Posts: 24 Member
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    I've been hearing about a product called "Quorn". Apparently its a soy based product. Read about it here http://www.quorn.com.au/Home/

    Quorn is actually made from mushroom/fungi protein! It is delicious but expensive.

    Just look in your grocer's frozen section-- there are many brands of frozen meat substitutes in crumbles or balls or patties. I love artichoke burgers!
  • sweetnessandlighter
    sweetnessandlighter Posts: 24 Member
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    Yes, hit up a Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Earth Fare, or whatever is around. In the beginning, I say eat whatever substitutes you want. As you get used to it, some people begin to worry about eating too much processed soy and wheat gluten products. There is time for that later--do what works for now, see if you like the lifestyle. :)

    Well said!
  • Dethea
    Dethea Posts: 247 Member
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    I really like lentils. Last week I made tacos with lentils instead of beef. Tofu is really good, you can get different textures to make different dishes.

    I follow a few blogs that I really like that are vegan. chocolatecoveredkatie.com is one of them! She has great recipes, and you can sub out a few things in the recipes if you aren't vegan yourself.
  • annastasia76
    annastasia76 Posts: 123 Member
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    does anybody know of any meat replacements that do not involve soy (as I can't eat it)
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Don't try to replace them with the "fake meat" producgts that you see in the supermarket - so many these are just highly processed starchy soy with lots of additives.

    I think it is better to look for vegetarian recipes using tofu, beans, lentils, grains, eggs, dairy etc. You can find lots of fantastic recipes if you look at Indian, Middle Eastern, Asian recipes.

    I was (mostly) vegetarian for about 5 years and I cooked a lot of Indian dishes, lots of pasta and rice based dishes, beans/lentil based sauces, loaves and burgers, egg based stuff like fritatta, zucchini slice, fritters, savoury muffins etc.

    If you are just starting out to eat vegetarian, make sure you do some reading and learn about the important nutrient groups that you can miss out on when you don't eat animal products. You can certainly be a healthy vegetarian but it does take a bit of work. I thought I was doing everything right and still ended up with a severe Vit B12 deficiency. Having to have injections every week for 3 months was not fun!


    B12 deficiency will not happen if the individual is a lacto-ovo lacto or ovo-vegetarian. This deficiency really only happens with vegans or flexivegans. You would really have to eat very little cheese, milk, yogurt, etc to end up as a b12 deficiency case as a lacto-ovo ovo or lacto veg.

    I was still eating dairy and eggs.... but I mustn't have had the balance right.

    And it's a good comment that the substitutes are often fortified - I just didn't like most of them though, so that didn't help me. I found they tasted nasty.

    My point about not trying to "relace meat" is thatt I think some people eat those substitutes and say "i could never be vegetarian because fake meat isn't good"..... which is missing the point really, there are so many fantastic meals that taste great but don't happen to have meat in them.
  • sweetnessandlighter
    sweetnessandlighter Posts: 24 Member
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    Actually, Rubybelle, that's one of the good things about the replacements, especially for newbies - they're often fortified with that stuff, so you don't get all overwhelmed when you're first starting out.

    Maybe I was just a natural, but I didn't find being a vegetarian to be any work at all. Now that I don't eat any animal products I do take some supplements, though. It is always a good idea to do your research.



    (edited for grammar, sheesh)

    Yes! And take a supplement. So easy and totally worth it.
  • iKapuniai
    iKapuniai Posts: 594 Member
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    Mmmm... meat.
  • diana776
    diana776 Posts: 54
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    Thanks for posting this question.. so interested in replacing meat.. i started this week and im consuming soy based products.
  • tabulator32
    tabulator32 Posts: 701 Member
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    I am looking for replacements for the following:

    Chicken Breast
    Sausage
    Turkey Grounded
    Beef Grounded

    I know you can't completely replace these things but am looking for alternatives so I can make the same meals but with something that isn't meat. Trying to switch over to vegetarianism but I will not eat salads and rice all the time. (Of course, I'm new to this.)

    Check out Field Roast brand sausages.

    Their Celebration Roast is a pretty good turkey substitute as well.
  • gypsybree
    gypsybree Posts: 218
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    Morningstar Farms crumbles for ground beef. Their "sausage" patties are really good too.

    That's what I was gonna say!
  • yourenotmine
    yourenotmine Posts: 645 Member
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    does anybody know of any meat replacements that do not involve soy (as I can't eat it)


    Quorn, for sure, is not made with soy. As for the others... Um... Sophie's Kitchen makes some passable fish substitutes with konjac. Kinda just have to read ingredients on the rest. Soy is sometimes listed as an allergen, now, so that makes it easier to find in the list.
  • yourenotmine
    yourenotmine Posts: 645 Member
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    My point about not trying to "relace meat" is thatt I think some people eat those substitutes and say "i could never be vegetarian because fake meat isn't good"..... which is missing the point really, there are so many fantastic meals that taste great but don't happen to have meat in them.

    Yes, good point.
  • Ocarina
    Ocarina Posts: 1,550 Member
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    Thanks guys for the info!!

    I recognize that vegetarians/vegans don't just eat salads and rice but that is my personal knowledge base. I was vegetarian at one point for a year but did it very badly.

    I would love to jump back into the same lifestyle but want to integrate meat substitutes into meals I already eat.

    I use a meal planning tool to come up with good ideas for meals and want to just simply take the meat out and put the subsitute in.

    I shop at a grocery store that is local here. I sadly do not have a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's here. Which is weird as its a very green city. I do have a local CoOp here but it's rather expensive.

    Thanks for the input everyone!! Excellent ideas. I'll probably go peruse the grocery store I shop at for fun and see what they've got.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    Any meat substitutes on the shelf are processed food-like products, and probably no better for you than the meat. But there is no need to just eat rice and salads. Beans make a good meat substitute, and some dishes are good just made with no meat, and no substitute. And everybody loves fruit!!! Fruit can even be a meat substitute in some dishes. Try fajitas with mangoes cut into strips instead of meat for some awesome deliciousness.
  • redcat17
    redcat17 Posts: 267 Member
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    does anybody know of any meat replacements that do not involve soy (as I can't eat it)

    That depends on whether you are able and willing to cook. Lentils are always good, as are most beans. If you aren't allergic or opposed to wheat gluten, there is seitan, which is expensive to buy but oh-so-easy to make. For instance, these recipes:

    http://www.theppk.com/2012/01/vegan_sausage/

    http://www.theppk.com/2010/11/doublebatch-chickpea-cutlets/

    You'll of course want to sub something for the soy sauce, but that is easily done.
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
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    I am looking for replacements for the following:

    Chicken Breast
    Sausage
    Turkey Grounded
    Beef Grounded

    I know you can't completely replace these things but am looking for alternatives so I can make the same meals but with something that isn't meat. Trying to switch over to vegetarianism but I will not eat salads and rice all the time. (Of course, I'm new to this.)

    For chicken breast I eat gardein scallopini, sausage I use tofurky sausage, ground meats I use yves ground or TVP (textured vegetable protein)

    There are plenty of substitutes out there, crumbled chopped or sliced tofu can "mimic" many different meats.

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