When John and I first went vegetarian years ago, we started by replacing real meat with mock meat in our favorite recipes. Tofurky, Yves, MorningStar, Gardein… we’ve tried almost all the options available at the average grocery store. It quickly become less about meat replacements and more about finding new foods that we enjoy even more than real meat. I think that being vegetarian or even just vegetable focused forces you to become more creative in the kitchen. The veggies are the star of the show, not a supporting act.
I’ll happily eat an entire plate of fresh veggies for dinner, but on occasion, we’ll cook something with veggie meat as a treat. We recently made somen noodles with minced “pork” and steamed baby bok choy. For the “pork”, we used Yves meatless grounds sauteed with soy sauce, garlic, and scallions. I added a generous squirt of sriracha sauce as the final touch!
4 Comments
Mitzie Mee
atMinced veggie pork is actually one of the only kinds of veggie meat I like It tastes just as good as the real stuff:) I always order bok choy when out dining at Chinese restaurants as it’s so tasty. Have to learn to cook it myself someday. The dish look fabulous:)
wazwu
atMinced veggie pork is also one of the most versatile for cooking! And bok choy is really good for you too! :)
Delicious Peace of Mind
atIt seems to me that ‘veggie meats’ are somewhat of transitional food for vegans and vegetarians alike. When we first started embarking on macrobiotic path, we used to buy different kinds of ‘veggie meats’ and patties. But, just like you said, with time, I believe our bodies recognize the true nutritional values, so we start eating more and more less processed foods, veggies and fruits. But, some ‘cheat meal’ from time to time is always nice! :)
wazwu
atVery true! The occasional “cheat meal” with veggie meats is always nice. They tend to be too salty, but if it’s just an occasional thing, it’s not too bad.