Converting a Carnivore

mto

My OH is a dedicated carnivore and insists he's not had a proper meal unless it contains meat (and plenty of it). Personally I'm not fussed about meat and if cooking for myself or eating out will usually have vegetarian.

Does anyone have any recipes that they've found can tempt even the most hardened carnivore?. I'm not really looking to convert him, just wish we could have a vege meal together occasionally.

moonrakerz

I'm glad you're not trying to "convert" him.

I like meat AND veg.

Try this for him - quantities of ingredients to suit

Boil and mash spuds and place in bottom of casserole dish. Slice hard bolied eggs in half and place on spuds. Cover spuds/eggs with cooked runner beans. Then cover beans in a nice (strong cheddar) cheese sauce. Put in hot oven to brown top of sauce.

Very tasty !

Sharra

I'm actually a hardened veggie whilst my partner loves meat. I won't cook meat so if he wants it, he has to cook it himself - so he often eats veggie
Quorn stuff is great - if you use the mince in a bolognaise or lasagne you cant tell the difference. Chucking marmite/soy sauce in gives it a 'meaty' taste.
The Crank's recipe book has some gorgeous recipes in it - vegetable crumble, homity pies and cheese n lentil wedges to name a few. (I don't have the book with me at the mo so I can't post the recipes now). It was this book that converted my ex into becoming a proper veggie

Plum_Pie

I like the cured pork with pulses combination (e.g. puy with pancetta, yellow lentils with bacon, canellini beans with chorizo. Recipes can be provided on request.) Make as stew in cold weather, make as salad in hot weather, gradually reduce amount of meat and up amount of pulses.

When he says he likes meat, it may mean he has a high protein requirement, which you don't have and tofu/quorn/dairy/pulses just aren't as efficient at delivering it. Also lots of herbs and spices for flavour!

pudding06

Ok not very o/s but I find that the linds mc cartney deep county pies do the trick. I serve them up and dont tell anyone theyre vegan and everyone likes them. I work on the principle that what the eye doesnt see.......

One of my kids prefers these to ordinary meat pies and always asks for them!! He also prefers my vegan spaghetti sauce made with realeat veggie mince. Shame that my coeliac son cant have it or I'd not do a meat one at all.

hth

pudds

marybishop

DD went totally veggie and we've sort of trailed along behind her - even OH (well, he hasn't really complained, just the odd comment every now and again!) Other DD and me still like to eat fish very occasionally so this may not suit you if you're totally veggie but I have been doing stir fry with prawns. Mr T is doing a bag of tiger prawns at the mo for £2.50 which I find feeds 3 of us really well with lots of veg plus noodles.

Queenie

I am so glad you are not trying to convert him - he's as much right to choose to be a carni as you have to be a veggie

But, I can relate to wanting to share the same meals!!!

I enjoy most foods and am quite happy to eat veggie meals. My dh has been a confirmed carni all his life and wouldn't even contemplate a meal without meat, spuds and two veg (and even those veg had to be tinned peas and carrots *yuk*!) His whims had been so well catered for that I was in a very difficult position - his eating was causing health issues.

The way I *weaned* him - and yes, I do mean "weaning" - was to initially make say a bolognaise sauce/shepards pie with half mince and half soya mince. Soya mince does have a different texture from the real thing, so even if you dress it up with seasonings, the texture is a dead give away. Over time, the ratio switched until eventually, he was eating soya mince and convinced he was eating meat :laugh:

Quorn mince made up into the usual chilli's, lasagne's, spag bol, shepards pie is a reasonable substitute.

Lentil meals can be very tasty, but no way are they meat-like so that wasn't an option.

If he likes pasta meals, there are a lot that do not have a necessity for meat and some (see above) can easily be adapted for a meatless meal. Roasted mediterrainnean veggies with pasta in a tomato sauce is lovely! Cut your veggies into chunky pieces for roasting so he still gets that chunky, crispy with soft texture.

Pizza doesn't have to have meat and, again, is a reasonable meal with a side salad.

If you are not vegan, then you have egg, cheese and fish options you can explore too. We enjoy poached salmon (5 fillets for £5 @ Tesco's in the freezer section) with new potatoes and either steamed veggies or salads or oven roasted veggies. Quiche is another option; frittata's; veggie/quorn sausages in a toad in the hole - veggie/quorn sausages in a tomato or bbq sauce.

If you make one night a "meat substitute" night, who knows, eventually you could have him weaned onto 3, 4, even 5 veggie meals per week

Dobie

I have a similar situation, I'm a vegan but my DH loves meat & fish. There are a couple of veggie things we share eg veggie curry with chickpeas for protein, wraps & rice, HM pizza - I put cheese on his half with HM garlic ciabatta & salad.
Mostly I bulk cook either a meat meal or a veggie meal & freeze in portions. Each evening I only have to cook one meal & the other has a frozen HM convenience meal. It takes a bit of organisation but it's easy once you're into the swing of it.
The other option I use a lot is to make my meal eg a stir fry with cashews & serve it to him as a side dish with some meat or fish. It's no extra work really to pop a chop or a salmon steak under the grill.
Planning ahead is definitely the key.

Miss_Cinnabon

I used to be vegan and loved quorn much to the disgust of my dh, made veggie chilli with soy mince think it was and he loved it, was only after he ate it all i told him what i put in it!

Even to this day he requests it, saying it was the best chilli i ever made:D

Kyle

vixtress

pudding06 wrote: »

Ok not very o/s but I find that the linds mc cartney deep county pies do the trick. I serve them up and dont tell anyone theyre vegan and everyone likes them. I work on the principle that what the eye doesnt see.......

One of my kids prefers these to ordinary meat pies and always asks for them!! He also prefers my vegan spaghetti sauce made with realeat veggie mince. Shame that my coeliac son cant have it or I'd not do a meat one at all.

hth

pudds

wow, i havent had those deep country pies for years, they really are gorgeous (and im not veggie)
wish you hadnt mentioned them, im going to have to buy some now!!

lynzpower

pudding06 wrote: »

Ok not very o/s but I find that the linds mc cartney deep county pies do the trick. I serve them up and dont tell anyone theyre vegan and everyone likes them. I work on the principle that what the eye doesnt see.......

One of my kids prefers these to ordinary meat pies and always asks for them!! He also prefers my vegan spaghetti sauce made with realeat veggie mince. Shame that my coeliac son cant have it or I'd not do a meat one at all.

hth

pudds

My Oh was the same - linda mccartny sausage rolls done the trick there

we now try for one veggie meal a week, and have lazy meals such as beanburgers in the freezer. He doesnt exaclty beg me to make them I have to say, but we are well past the stage of him pulling his face if I suggest non meat now and then