Meat alternatives

[emmabee69]

Just wanted a heads up. hmm is that the phrase...anyway.

Is there anyone who doesnt eat quorn, tofu, seitan etc?

I just bought a vegan cook book and it was all fake tuna sandwich/ fake burger and so on.

I was like where's the fresh food ideas for meals.

I just thought it was a bit weird. Maybe its just me, no offense to anyone who does eat these foods.

[fredrikw]

fyi, quorn isn't vegan, a good thing to know.

I'm not sure why it would be a problem with a vegan cook book with fake meat recipes. I mean it's not like there are none that doesn't include these, and variation is always a good thing. One cook book really can't meet all expectations and opinions, that's why there are so many of them

[Starling in a cage]

Quorn definitely a no-no as it contains egg.

I'm experimenting with Tofu which, according to a question I raised recently, comes in different tastes according to manufacturers. There are some responses in

General Discussion/Anyone for Tofu?

Seitan isn't available where I live so it's not an option for me.

Many years ago, I loved TVP mince and used it quite a lot even though I was still an omni then. I would use it again, but there are so many recipes out there that I don't particularly want to make my food resemble meat. I google 'vegan food' and there are loads of sites with recipes so I haven't bought a book.

As a by-note, I went to lunch today which was organised by members of my local community. I knew that Cottage Pie was going to be served and thought about making an alternative version with either soya, TVP or lentils. In the end, I make the farfelle in pesto that is in the recipe section on this site. Several people looked at it in awe and asked if they could have some instead of their meal. There wasn't much left for me, but if I'd turned up with a Cottage Pie look alike, no one would have been interested in my food. I have been asked for the recipe, so it may make a few converts yet.

[lobsteriffic]

I do eat tofu on occasion (probably 1-2x week) and I make my own seitan once in awhile. The odd time I will have tempeh. Other than that I cook things with lentils, chickpeas, beans, etc.

Which cookbook was it? Some of them seem very reliant on processed "fake meat" foods, whereas others use more whole ingredients.

[xbojanx]

Well, fake meat recipes are good for people who kick off with veganism...

What you could do is take any national cuisine recipe and replace meat with some other ingredient - minced meat could be replaced with TVP bits, but also with combination of several vegs, like carrot + walnut + whatever

[fredrikw]

Well, fake meat recipes are good for people who kick off with veganism...

... and for some of us old-timers who like the texture and flavour of these dishes.

[Clem Snide]

Well, fake meat recipes are good for people who kick off with veganism...

... and for some of us old-timers who like the texture and flavour of these dishes.

+1, unless we have angered the vegan police by not moving on to a diet based solely on quinoa by now.

Tofu is all about the way you cook it, in my view. I love it. Seitan is of variable quality if you buy it pre-made.

Quorn is frickin disgusting, as well as eggy.

[emm7]

unless we have angered the vegan police by not moving on to a diet based solely on quinoa by now.

Clem don't tell the vegan police where I live! I am a marked woman on their list for major felony. Here is the Charge Sheet:
fondness for Fry's vegan sausages and even *gasp* Grassington's fake steak, and those fake turkey sandwich slices.
insistence on chocolate covered sesame snaps, white toast, crumpets with marmite, hobnob biscuits, veggie-bear sweets that are 100% Sugar, and real coffee so strong it takes the roof off your mouth
uses a microwave oven

[Pro Radii]

What the heck is quorn? I rarely eat tofu and even more rarely seitan, but I do like to serve it to omnivores (and even made it frequently for someone to help the transition into veganism). There are some really good seitan-meat alternatives out there, but I never really liked meat when I was raised as an omnivore, so I definitely don't crave it now.

[xbojanx]

Tofu is ultimate stuff - it could be used to make chocolate creams to make fake meat products...and all in between is super fantastic...

[Clem Snide]

What the heck is quorn? .

Processed fungus based meat replacement, with egg powder in it. Pretty grim in my view, but some people like it I suppose.

[Johnboy74]

I love mock meats, grassingtons is a dream, some vegans think it's weird to eat mock meats because it looks like meat but it's not meat that's the thing. Tofu and such things are great too, trick is to have variety in your diet as it can become a bit boring sometimes eating the same things. I love my sunday roast with mock beef

[spike]

I am more into "fake meats" now than when I went vegan about 8 years ago. Perhaps this is because I had already been a veggie for about 10 years before going vegan and was used to having eggs and cheese instead of meat.
I didn't miss meat cos thinking about where it comes from kinda put me off!

Burger and sausage shaped food is quite convenient for cooking and eating IMHO, as are those vegideli "chicken" pieces. It grosses me out a bit when make meats insist on emulating that stringiness you get in meat though, bleurgh!

[KaliBaby]

Quorn definitely a no-no as it contains egg.

I've never even heard of that.

[spike]

Quorn definitely a no-no as it contains egg.

I've never even heard of that.

Never heard of Quorn? Or not heard of it containing egg?
Perhaps it's a British or European food, revolting!. (urgh, feel sick at the thought that I inadvertantly ate some a couple of years back - a pescetarian colleague convinced me he'd made vegan pasties )