Vegetarians - do you use meat substitutes?

Fat_Fairy

Buddingblonde wrote: »

I am a veggie who loves Quorn/Soya etc. I always loved meat and the only reason I dont eat meat is that it is made from animals.
I am happy to eat food that looks like meat and tastes like meat - why wouldnt I be? If anything quorn and soya has allowed people to eat traditional style meals - this is often easier for non meat eaters to accept and even opens the door to more people giving up meat. The traditional view that all veggies eat is seeds and lentils is out of date and is one of the reasons people often ridicule those who chose to go veggie.
Anything that makes vegetarianism accessable to the masses must be a good thing even if you dont chose to eat quorn/soya yourself.

:j totally agree - i LIKE that kind of 'typical British' meal with potaoes, veg and a protein, so i often use meat subs (me and my son are vegans so can't use Quorn but there are many other 'meat subs' out there now).

I think if your daughter enjoys the traditional veggie foods like lentils, beans, nuts, etc, then so much the better as they are cheap and super good for us, but maybe the veggie sausages, etc could be useful for quick meals/when friends come round, etc?.

BTW, sorry for any offence but it really annoys me when people say they are vegetarian/vegan but 'will eat fish' :mad:

Teria

I'm not a vegan because I don't like the taste of meat, but because of the cruelty and the environmental issues of eating meat, so I've always used meat substitutes. I don't use Quorn, as it isn't vegan, but Redwoods foods are delicious. They're more expensive than Quorn, but Holland and Barrets often have them reduced at the end of the day / week.

kunekune

Fat Fairy,

I would agree that if you eat fish, you're not vegetarian. But I am being very careful with a seven year old who is wrestling with some quite big ethical issues. It has to be her choice what she eats or doesn't eat, and I don't want to get hung up on labels (the note to school said that she had decided she didn't want to eat meat any more). If she changes her mind, we would like that to be easy too, the last thing I want is a very young girl feeling guilty about not being able to do this. We explained that fish MIGHT be different from meat (and mentioned the difference between sustainable fish and other kinds of fish) and said it was up to her. I had fish fingers on the menu for Friday and when she looked, she said she'd decided she wouldn't eat fish either.

clutterydrawer

Fat_Fairy wrote: »

BTW, sorry for any offence but it really annoys me when people say they are vegetarian/vegan but 'will eat fish' :mad:

Me too, in general - but this lass is only seven so i think it's impressive that she's thought about things enoughto give up any kind of meat.

Kirri

I'm veggie and although I eat pulses, tofu etc, I do use Quorn products a lot because it's easy and quick and a good protein, I can cook all the meals I used to eat which makes things easy, ie bolognaise, lasagne, fajitas, stir fry, full English breakfast with bacon and sausages etc, Quorn Roast for Christmas dinner which makes it easy for non meat eaters to fit in with meat eaters when cooking and I get a variety in taste - I don't care if it looks like meat, the only thing I am concerned about is that it doesn't have a dead animal in it!

Doom_and_Gloom

kunekune wrote: »

Fat Fairy,

I would agree that if you eat fish, you're not vegetarian. But I am being very careful with a seven year old who is wrestling with some quite big ethical issues. It has to be her choice what she eats or doesn't eat, and I don't want to get hung up on labels (the note to school said that she had decided she didn't want to eat meat any more). If she changes her mind, we would like that to be easy too, the last thing I want is a very young girl feeling guilty about not being able to do this. We explained that fish MIGHT be different from meat (and mentioned the difference between sustainable fish and other kinds of fish) and said it was up to her. I had fish fingers on the menu for Friday and when she looked, she said she'd decided she wouldn't eat fish either.

My sister is now a pesceterian which is a type of vegetarian that eats fish. She was a propper vegetarian for 9 years and then out of nowhere decided that she wanted to eat fish . I have been a veggie and now have been a vegan for a number of years.

If she is going full veggie remind the school that it does not just mean all meats but also other meat products such as gelatin, animal rennet etc. Some people forget some of these things come from animals and therefore don't put it together that veggies will refuse to eat it due to it being from an animal.

kianicky

i've been vegertarian for 17 and half years. i use quorn and other meat substitutes from time to time, but not all the time. i really like redwoods range.

And yes i agree with the whole i'm a vegetarian but i eat fish. there is no such thing as a vegetarian who eats fish. vegetarians do not eat fish. people who eat fish are pesceterians or non meat eaters.

i really do wish people would stop referring to themselves as a vegetarian when they eat fish. for one it confuses people and many think all vegetarians eat fish. it's a hassle to us real vegetarians being offered fish when eating out and seeing fish dishes marked as vegetarian. sorry for the rant but it does get on my nerves.

WillowCat

Hubby is a lifelong vegetarian, and I have been, on and off over the years. Have never even tried the meat substitutes - nor have been tempted to. We have a very varied diet and as another poster mentioned, often cook and eat from the cuisines of other countries where meat is not so plentiful.

kunekune

The school has a number of students who are vegetarian for religious reasons, given the ethnic make up of the local population, and they are careful with puddings, and so forth.

VeganClaire

I don't eat much meat substitute but occassionally i do indulge in them, maybe once a month. Think it is lovely you are so supportive of your daughter at such a young age.
I eat a lot of homemade bean burgers/balls. Here is the recepie

1 tin of well drained soft beans e.g. kidney beans, cannelini beans
Small tin of tomato puree (or similar amount of left over mashed root veg e.g. butternut squash)
Soy sauce or hendersons relish (about a tablespoon)
Lemon juice (about a tablespoon)
Oats
Seasoning e.g. sage, black pepper, mint etc

Mash soft beans well
Add puree, seasoning, soy sauce, and lemon juice. Mix well.
Add oats grandually until you can form the mixture into balls or burger shapes.

Can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days or frozen. Is nice if you don't want a meat substitute but do want something to take that place in a meal.

:T