Meat substitutes for newbie veggie?

Tam_Lin

I've tried various Quorn products and they don't seem to agree with me (had Quorn 2 days running and had stomach ache). What other options are there out there? I'd be quite happy not to use any meat substitutes but DH is keen to.

meher

mm I think you could look for recipes for veggie burgers and veggie sausages? Any preparations with chick peas/tofu too could be a good substitute I'm sure. Sorry I'm not good enough a cook to be advising recipe ideas - just thought I'd mention some substitutes. Someone should come along soon either to link you to similar threads or give you recipes hopefully

AMIE399

Tesco meat free hot dog type sausages are yummy.. they are in the frozen section... nice as just or hot dog, or i slice up and put with cheesy pasta for my dd

Penelope_Penguin

Hi, Tam Lin. Quorn is well known for disagreeing with people. I have a friend who came out in a terrible rash, and can't touch it now.

Are you eating fish? That's a great substitute.

Take a look at Gingham's thread - plenty of delicious recipes there. My children love the meals and they're so tasty that they don't miss the meat.

HTH, Penny. x

Tam_Lin

No, no fish - I'm veggie. I've been reading Gingham's threads (and great they are too with some inspirational ideas), but I was really after a snapshot of the options out there.

Dobie

If you want a substitute for mince try lentils or a soya mince. There's a frozen one called Realeat that's good. With plenty of flavouring it makes a great spag bol/chilli/shepherds pie etc. Many meat eaters can't tell the difference.

Gingham_Ribbon

Hiya!

I occasionally buy Cauldron things like sausages and falafel. The sausages are made of tofu and the texture and taste is sublime. I've stopped buying mince, preferring lentils, but the Linda McCartney one is quite good, and vegan I think, as is the Morrisons one.

However, I think the best 'substitutes' are things that add different texture to a veggie meal. For example, using cashew nuts in stir fries, adding roughly chopped closed cup mushrooms to pasta dishes or large field mushrooms which have quite a 'meaty' texture.

Take the stalk out of a large field mushroom, turn it upside down, drizzle with olive oil, then chop some olives and feta and crumble over the top or red onion or courgette with mozzarella and bake it till all the juices are running out. Serve with coucous, quinoa or pasta, or potato wedges.

I don't use quorn. There are lots of alternatives. Lentils are a staple that can give the different texture that your OH might be looking for. The green and puy ones are good as they retain their shape. And you can't underestimate the power of the bean! Chickpeas, kidney beans etc get added to most things in here!