Meat Substitutes

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  • ashleyconleche
    ashleyconleche Posts: 78 Member
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    My end goal is to not have to eat anything processed or "fake". I am only looking for meat substitutes as I adjust to new protein sources (I have always been a meat eater). I'm struggling a little bit to meet my protein needs, but I'm getting there.
  • JRSINAZ
    JRSINAZ Posts: 158 Member
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    ashleyconleche wrote: »
    I saw Gardein "meat" the other day and wondering if it was any good. Do you only use the crumbles?
    Gardein is soy based. I love all their stuff. Winco ifoods s the cheapest.

  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
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    ashleyconleche wrote: »
    Any idea what the Quorn products use instead of soy?

    It's a protein derived from fungi. So it's similar to mushrooms, but it's not actually mushroom.

    http://www.mycoprotein.org/index.php/faq/index.html
  • ashleyconleche
    ashleyconleche Posts: 78 Member
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    @HeidiMightyRawr Super helpful! Thank you! :)
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
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    ashleyconleche wrote: »
    My end goal is to not have to eat anything processed or "fake". I am only looking for meat substitutes as I adjust to new protein sources (I have always been a meat eater). I'm struggling a little bit to meet my protein needs, but I'm getting there.

    I haven't eaten a meat sub in a while. I've been primarily getting my protein from cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, eggs, egg whites (I mix the two), and the combination of beans and whole grains (to make a complete protein). Another food I eat is bean pasta.

    It's mostly been laziness on my part. I have to go to a different grocery store than I usually shop in to get the Beyond Meat products, and I haven't bothered. My daughter, who's also a vegetarian, hasn't particularly minded either.
  • orangegato
    orangegato Posts: 6,570 Member
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    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    ashleyconleche wrote: »
    My end goal is to not have to eat anything processed or "fake". I am only looking for meat substitutes as I adjust to new protein sources (I have always been a meat eater). I'm struggling a little bit to meet my protein needs, but I'm getting there.

    I haven't eaten a meat sub in a while. I've been primarily getting my protein from cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, eggs, egg whites (I mix the two), and the combination of beans and whole grains (to make a complete protein). Another food I eat is bean pasta.

    It's mostly been laziness on my part. I have to go to a different grocery store than I usually shop in to get the Beyond Meat products, and I haven't bothered. My daughter, who's also a vegetarian, hasn't particularly minded either.

    Yes, I wish Beyond Meat was distributed to more local stores. Pain in the *kitten* to go out of my way for it, but I do.
  • ashleyconleche
    ashleyconleche Posts: 78 Member
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    There is only one store in my town that sells them!
  • deekayg
    deekayg Posts: 9 Member
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    I make these amazing "meatballs" that even carnivores like and have tricked people into thinking they're meat. Walnut based with eggs, onion, shredded cheese, italian bread crumbs and spices. We call them ballnuts, lol.
  • AudreyJDuke
    AudreyJDuke Posts: 1,092 Member
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    What great suggestions! I love frozen veggie burgers!
  • cjsacto
    cjsacto Posts: 1,421 Member
    edited September 2017
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    There's a lot you can do with black beans or lentils, including making your own veggie patties. The store bought ones are typically high in sodium and it's cheaper to make them.

    I've recently started making seitan (wheat meat) every week and using it in my sandwiches for lunch. You won't want seitan if you're gluten free but it is VERY easy to make (high gluten flour + water + spices) and high in protein. You can buy seitan, too, but it's pricey and again high in sodium. Maybe try it once before making it to see if you like it. It's got a chewy, meat-like texture.

    ETA: seitan is not a high carb food even though it's made from flour. One cup of the flour gives me six servings that each have 81 cal, 15g protein, 3g carbs, less than 1g fat.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    ashleyconleche wrote: »
    I am currently switching to a vegetarian diet, and am looking for some suggestions for meat substitutes. I am more than willing to try new foods, but am so scared of meat substitutes! :D

    What are your favorites?

    I use the Morningstar Farms veggie crumbles in place of ground beef. Be aware though that many of the meat substituents like veggie burgers and veggie crumbles are high in sodium.
  • ashleyconleche
    ashleyconleche Posts: 78 Member
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    @cjsacto Thank you!
  • orangegato
    orangegato Posts: 6,570 Member
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    cjsacto wrote: »

    I've recently started making seitan (wheat meat) every week and using it in my sandwiches for lunch. You won't want seitan if you're gluten free but it is VERY easy to make (high gluten flour + water + spices) and high in protein. You can buy seitan, too, but it's pricey and again high in sodium. Maybe try it once before making it to see if you like it. It's got a chewy, meat-like texture.

    ETA: seitan is not a high carb food even though it's made from flour. One cup of the flour gives me six servings that each have 81 cal, 15g protein, 3g carbs, less than 1g fat.

    I would like to try making Seitan. Is there a favorite recipe you can point me towards?
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    ashleyconleche wrote: »
    My end goal is to not have to eat anything processed or "fake". I am only looking for meat substitutes as I adjust to new protein sources (I have always been a meat eater). I'm struggling a little bit to meet my protein needs, but I'm getting there.

    Some processed foods can be a great addition to a vegetarian/vegan diet though, I don't know if an end goal of eliminating them from your life will really add much healthwise. I love to eat canned tomatoes (especially in the winter, when fresh aren't very good), canned beans are so fast and easy, pasta is a great way to tie different ingredients together, things like hot sauce and mustard add fantastic flavor to meals, etc.

    Do you *need* to eat any of these things? No. But I don't know what benefits one gets from eliminating a food simply because it has undergone some processing. And it can make meal planning and meeting nutritional needs much harder, especially when you're already eliminating meat.
  • cjsacto
    cjsacto Posts: 1,421 Member
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    orangegato wrote: »
    cjsacto wrote: »

    I've recently started making seitan (wheat meat) every week and using it in my sandwiches for lunch. You won't want seitan if you're gluten free but it is VERY easy to make (high gluten flour + water + spices) and high in protein. You can buy seitan, too, but it's pricey and again high in sodium. Maybe try it once before making it to see if you like it. It's got a chewy, meat-like texture.

    ETA: seitan is not a high carb food even though it's made from flour. One cup of the flour gives me six servings that each have 81 cal, 15g protein, 3g carbs, less than 1g fat.

    I would like to try making Seitan. Is there a favorite recipe you can point me towards?

    @orangegato I was surprised how easy it is! It cooks for quite a while but prep is just a few minutes. I actually use the one on the back of the package for Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten and experiment with different spices and baking vs. boiling. (I use a little less water than it calls for.) I realized after I posted my comment that someone else had posted a recipe for seitan on this same thread they highly recommended. Check out post from @HeidiMightyRawr earlier in this thread.
  • orangegato
    orangegato Posts: 6,570 Member
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    oh missed that. Thanks
  • rainingribbons
    rainingribbons Posts: 1,051 Member
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    I second using lentils, mushrooms, or beans as substitutes for meat. Lentils are super easy to work with, you can use them whole or smash them and mix them with other food items to create something new! I've made "meatballs" before, and on the holidays I make a vegetarian lentil-loaf so that I have a main dish for dinner as well. Beans you pretty much use the same way, you can eat them whole or smash them up to make other goodies (veggie-burgers are my personal favorite to make!).
  • ashleyconleche
    ashleyconleche Posts: 78 Member
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    I'm finding myself using mushrooms a lot! I'm going to start experimenting with beans and lentils as well :)
  • Fitnessgirl0913
    Fitnessgirl0913 Posts: 481 Member
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    I like the gardein meatless meatballs. I pair it with edamame pasta and marinara. I have not tried any other meatless meats yet but I am looking into exploring more from gardein.

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