Want to go half veggie

marmiterulesok

Lotus-eater wrote: »

I already use organic milk btw.


I think one of my problems, is that I grow alot of our veg in the garden, so our meals are usually very simple fare. Just steamed veg with potatoes and some meat of some kind, with gravy if you want it.
So that's why it's difficult to just stop eating meat and replace it with something else. I could do it with quorn products, but I don't want to eat that every night.

We had quorn sausages tonight though, which everyone liked. I have to find a way to incorperate all the lovely fresh veg I have, into good tasting and nutritionally decent, varied food.

A veggie stew with some beans or lentils?Mixed salads with sunflower seeds/feta cheese/mozarella?Sprouting seeds added to salads add protein.

Lotus-eater

marmiterulesok wrote: »

A veggie stew with some beans or lentils?Mixed salads with sunflower seeds/feta cheese/mozarella?Sprouting seeds added to salads add protein.

Yes, veggie stew is a good idea, but I do like my perfectly cooked fresh veg, so I wouldn't eat the stew that often tbh.
The salads we already do, but we eat meat with it as it never seems enough on it's own. Also we have alot of problems getting the kids to eat salads. We may have to have another go, put some seeds in as you suggest.
Thanks

lostinrates

Lotus eater:

If I read correctly its more about injected ''je ne sais quoi'' into a less meat filled diet?

think middle eastern food...having harvested an excess of courgette to day I'm looking forward to our favourite middle eastern courgette dish, and I'm willing our aubergines by going out and chanting ''The Iman fainted'' at them so they can aspire to fulfil that destiny. Curries....whether Indian or thai or whereever eastern: you rarely notice the lack of meat but you can sometimes notice the zingy healthful tasting freshness of a veg curry. Chinese food, there are a plethora of italian meals that are meat free and unnoticably.


For me the only dairy milk replacement I can stand is sometimes almond milk. I avoid too many soya products for health reasons, and choose not to include quaorn in our diet, but will occasionally have soy sauce and tofu and stuff like that.

Some of the ideas might not be completely veg...e.g. oyster sauce/fish sauce/bits of anchovy essence etc, but they will still cut down reliance on meat and overall meat content in diet.

lostinrates

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Yes, veggie stew is a good idea, but I do like my perfectly cooked fresh veg, so I wouldn't eat the stew that often tbh.
The salads we already do, but we eat meat with it as it never seems enough on it's own. Also we have alot of problems getting the kids to eat salads. We may have to have another go, put some seeds in as you suggest.
Thanks

I have to admit, salad can sometimes daunt me. On days like that I make wahat we call Little tiny cut up salad. In effect its almost a relish, and MUCH tastier than the same ingrediants not cut very small. Serve next to a courgette and onion fritatta or a spanish omlette, for example. Some thing warm but veg can feel less ''salady'' or ''vegetarian despite no meat.

edit: eg tonight we are having stuffed veg (vegetarian ''stuffing''). A delicious but simple supper.

EDIT: FOR THE SALAD aim for pieces about a cm big. On your fork you get small amounts of each flavour. I think sensitive child palates really can be offended by big chunks of things like a piquant onion. But a tiny bit of onion tempered by some beetroot and lettuce and a bit of tomato...its less punchy on the tongue.

Also consider fruit in salads. I often chuck apple in a mixed salad, or nectarine or peach. It adds a note of sweetness. One of my favourite salad dressings is simply a squeeze of orange. Simple ''gourmet'' salads are also worth considering;. I try and try to love fennel and I'm not there yet, but I now do enjoy fennel and orange as a salad. The fennel adds oomph to the orange and the orange tempers the aniseedy taste.

Blackpool_Saver

Alpro soya light from the aisle not the fridges, the one in the red carton which says perfect in tea and coffee is lovely, I can recommend it, quorn range is great too, I would never go back to meat and milk.
Be sure you get the one that says perfect in tea and coffee, cos the other alpro soya separates in hot drinks and curdles.

JIL

You asked for some guidance on nutrition, i think this explains it quiet well, there are also some good recipes on the site. http://www.vegsoc.org/page.aspx?pid=779
hope it helps

misskool

lots of meals can be adapted to go meat-less.

tonight was a veggie couscous, i served it with tuna chunks but it didn't need it. pan fry diced onion, carrot and mushrooms, throw couscous and water in and fry until dry. serve with a pickle/relish of diced cucumber, tomato and sweetcorn. pickle with rice vinegar mixed with a dash of fish sauce (or soy) and a dollop of honey.

When you have a stir fry add nuts (cashew and almonds) and tofu (you can get many different sorts, go to a chinese supermarket, I prefer the slightly dry pieces for stir fries and the soft ones for eating)

When making a bolognaise, use puy lentils instead of meat.

If having a salad, I would have maybe a potato gratin and a mixed bean mix, that would be filling and not super processed.

I prefer soy milk to normal milk but I don't like the alpro/supermarket stuff, I would get mine from the chinese supermarket, the taste is different. It probably won't go in hot tea or coffee though. Chinese food also has mock meat which is made from wheat gluten and is tasty (but do watch the salt content!)

Lotus-eater

lostinrates wrote: »

Lotus eater:

If I read correctly its more about injected ''je ne sais quoi'' into a less meat filled diet?

I suppose that is some of it, if you take out the meat (or meat replacements) from our diet now, you are left with mostly steamed veg and that's about it. Tasty, but not much jnsq, as you say and not enough I think to give everyone the nutrients they need (we have a 8 and 2 year old as well to complicate matters).

lostinrates wrote: »

I avoid too many soya products for health reasons,

Is that your health reasons, or are too many soya products bad for everyone?

misskool

Just had another thought, I eat a lot of tapas-style meals so don't feel the need for a main "meat" dish. So sometimes, there will be a veg and dips and then some chips with salsa and then maybe some spring rolls. (it's also a bit of a mix of what i have in the fridge )

Maybe it's the thought of having the meat and two veg that makes it seem a bit daunting?

Lotus-eater

JIL wrote: »

You asked for some guidance on nutrition, i think this explains it quiet well, there are also some good recipes on the site. http://www.vegsoc.org/page.aspx?pid=779
hope it helps

misskool wrote: »

lots of meals can be adapted to go meat-less.

tonight was a veggie couscous, i served it with tuna chunks but it didn't need it. pan fry diced onion, carrot and mushrooms, throw couscous and water in and fry until dry. serve with a pickle/relish of diced cucumber, tomato and sweetcorn. pickle with rice vinegar mixed with a dash of fish sauce (or soy) and a dollop of honey.

When you have a stir fry add nuts (cashew and almonds) and tofu (you can get many different sorts, go to a chinese supermarket, I prefer the slightly dry pieces for stir fries and the soft ones for eating)

When making a bolognaise, use puy lentils instead of meat.

If having a salad, I would have maybe a potato gratin and a mixed bean mix, that would be filling and not super processed.

Thankyou both, some interesting stuff coming out.