TLDR: I am looking for more diverse non-meat options than your average restaurant or supermarket provides. Because they don’t quite work for me as well as I’d like.
I am not a picky eater, I enjoy vegan food and non-vegan food alike. I’ve noticed most “vegan” advertised products are just meat imitations that taste like seasoned cardboard.
Too darn often do I see cooks and stores trying to replace the visuals of meat, rather than finding something that tastes satisfying in it’s own way. I’d be eating more vegan food if the options available had a similar convenience and filled me up properly.
Which may sound stupid, but I’ve tried going vegan and I did not feel great. I guess beans and tofu are not for me. Now I realise I may sound like an uninformed dingus who doesn’t know how to find decent ingredients and recipes… That’s because I am.
But I would really like to find some options that work for me. And I’m fine with trying 20 things over the course of a month and deciding only a few work for me.
Does anyone here have any advice?
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seitan is great if you arent gluten intolerant.
mushrooms are probably the meatiest whole food.
I get your vibe and i would have said the same before visiting large parts of asia. There is lots of shitty tofu around in western supermarkets that taste like sour carton and it is borderline impossible to get it prepared in a way that is enjoyable. Don’t give up on tofu yet tho, there are so many different style of tofus, ways to prepare it and brands that saying “i don’t like the taste of tofu” now sounds as radical to me like someone saying “i don’t like the taste of meat”, you might not have found a good tofu, the right tofu for your meal, the right seasoning or it wasn’t prepared in a way that you enjoyed.
Hmm, I did not know that. Any recommendations for a particular brand? I’ll also swing by a local specialty shop, sometime this month probably
I would look at textures first:
silken tofu has the consistency of flan and can be blended and added as a thickener to sauces or drained and sautéed to resemble scrambled eggs (kala namak or black salt will help with the egg taste)
Soft tofu is good as a base for puddings or for battering and deep frying, but it’s delicate and will spatter if you sauté it. Before frying, you should drain and pat the tofu dry.
All the firmer tofus should be drained and pressed first. I wrap mine in a clean dish towel or two, then put it between two cutting boards and push down gently, then flip it and do it on the other side. You’re supposed to put a weight on it and leave it for 30-180 minutes, but that’s too much planning for me, tbh. Instead, I’ll wrap it up in the towel again after cutting it (spaced out), and just pay all the surfaces dry.
If you have a freezer, letting the unopened block of tofu freeze solid and then thaw makes it much easier to get more water out.
Firm tofu works fried, sautéed, or baked.
Extra firm is good sautéed or baked.
Smoked tofu is the one I eat most often, because it’s even firmer than extra firm. Baking and sautéing are good for it, but I also slice it thin and put it uncooked in sandwiches.
Well, you were right. It was a bit more pricey, and odd looking sometimes, but can be really good. My grandma experimented with different options, and some of them were great! Issue is, I can’t cook like she can :/
But: we have a better airfryer and stove now. I can try and see if I can do better
Indian food. I’m not a veg-head, but I’ll inhale any Indian food within seven or more miles
Quite the opposite of indian food, sorry. But it did give me the idea to ask some colleagues from abroad for tips. And we ended up really liking recipes from Surinam. Bonus: those recipes were pretty easy once I got the hang of it.
I ended up having a lot of chips like things as snacks. I forgot the name of them. Also I just realised, we have a new colleague from India! I might just try your suggestion after all, soon ish
I would like to recommend the recipes by Christina Souteriou. I’ve been following her online for a while and she just published her first book called “Big Veg Energy”. I cooked probably 10-15 of her recipes so far and they were all great. I think it might be exactly what you’re looking for.
I’ll have a look! Thank you!
Stumbled on this comment again and now I’m curious: did you check it out and did you like it?
It’s been quite a while! Tho not this suggestions specifically, I did try some of the recipes here. I don’t quite remember which exact suggestions, but I’ve given my own spin on working with potatoes and lentils.
Souteriou’s recipes specifically I did not try. However, looking back on her website now, it somehow looks a lot more delicious than I felt it did last previously. I will have to have a closer look!
Back when I made the original post, I did not think beans were great for me! But it turns out that lentils work great in a dish with the right sauce and salad. Same for tofu, albeit not with salad but cooked veggies.
My gf has also shown me a variety of different veggies I didn’t know. And she’s been experimenting with variations on recipes here and there. It was great, tho we sometimes cheated and did add an egg here and there. Overall, our meat consumption has decreased, even if not zero. I’m not going to tell my mom, grandma or friends no when they cook for us.
Sounds great! If you ask me, the gradual approach is perfectly valid, I’m in the same boat. It’s not as black and white as some people paint it to be.
I highly recommend her one pot lentil mushroom lasagne. If you want, I can dm you the recipe :)
Yo you’re making me hungry. My gf is not the biggest fan of mushrooms but I’d like to try it out. Please do dm me
Sent you a message with a photo of the recipe. I hope it worked.
Soy, and fermented soy like Tempeh… But if you dont like tofu it might not work for you even fermented
Spirulina a algae that is usually available as a powder can be added to other foods/smoothies
Nutritional yeast is a classic as well
Pea protein powder seems to be popular with people hitting protein targets… popular in my gym community
This did not end up working well for me. A friend who’s got family in Thailand told me he likes fermented foods. It’s just not my thing, I think.
As for protein powder, whey is a common option here. I could not find pea .There’s options with more additions to make a full-ish meal as well. Those turned out to be surprisingly good for weight loss and building some muscle. Thank you!
Also, I don’t quite know what whey is. But the store has vegan, and milk based options. My gf told me that in the us those options contain ground up meal worms sometimes.
(sorry for the slow response)