As someone who generally tries to eat less meat, but isn’t yet vegan, what are some of your staple foods you eat on a weekly or daily basis? This isn’t about nutrition, I just want more meals to add to my rotation that don’t have animal products in them.
Three bean chili, garbanzo fajitas, black bean enchiladas, pinto bean tacos, crunchy airfried peas on veggie wraps, ramen noodles loaded with raw sweet peas, and of course the most important food group:
I really wish I liked beans, but the only tolerable way I’ve found to incorporate them into my diet is specifically black beans, mixed in with things that make it less noticeable - like a black bean and corn salsa added to a salad or a burrito.
The main problem is that most beans have a texture that disgusts me (though I can’t say I enjoy the flavor either). Baked beans, refried beans, stews and soups that have a lot of beans are all no-gos for me.
Those black bean enchiladas sound interesting though, mind sharing a recipe?
I posted about it in this thread, although it’s a black bean and rice recipe instead of just beans! I’ve discovered that air frying beans gives them a better texture (beans are normally kinda mushy imo) and I’m basically doing that for everything I make now lol
I think I’m going to try to make pure bean enchiladas this weekend though now that I think about it. Maybewithroastedcorn…?
I’m also not vegetarian or vegan, but have transitioned to a much more plant based diet. The secret isn’t finding meat replacements, it’s just finding recipes that don’t use meat. I mess around a lot with Indian, Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern, and North African cuisines. Chickpeas and lentils (most beans and legumes, actually) are my best friends. I’ve found that even though it’s a grain, farro helps me feel full. I’m pretty sure you can make a lot of Mexican/Central American stuff without meat (but probably not without cheese/dairy), but I’m not positive because I’m actually not that big on black beans.
Mushrooms, lentils, tempeh, tofu, and rarely, things like impossible burger “meat.” In general, you can straight sub some fungi and tofu for some meats in dishes. But a lot of western dishes do not play nice with these kinds of substitutes, since they’re really dialed in for real meat. To go the distance, you must learn cuisine that makes better use of vegetables. This means learning things like Indian and Southeast asian dishes.
That’s a great point! I think a lot of my pitfalls have been from me trying to recreate my favorite dishes, usually Mexican or Korean food, without meat. While it can be done and does taste great, I should look to more vegetarian cultures for inspiration and learning!
Indian and Indonesian kitchens offer a lot of vegetarian and some vegan options. Dry pressed tofu grilled in an oven van replace chicken in a bunch of dishes too and has all the amino acids.
But yeah becoming vegetarian if you just learn more true vega dishes is pretty easy in 2024 I’ve found
Personally I almost always make stuff I can eat for more than 1/2 days. So it’s soups, stews, curries, etc. Everything pretty much boils down to protein + sauce + veggies anyway.
So it’s lentil soup/curry/chilli with a side of whatever you feel like. (Salad, bread, rice, quinoa, couscous, etc)
Or chickpeas or some beans or whatever. Other times it’s just rice (think paella or risotto) or pasta.
I make a ton of vegan chicken, steak, and jerky nearly every week and use it in all my recipes. You can make a ton at once, and obvi it’s much cheaper than flesh / secretion-based products.
After getting really good at them, and swapping out milk for oat milk, I’ve pretty much had to change nothing about what I want to make / eat.
I didn’t get good at cooking till I cut wayyy back on meat. Now I make tons on Asian and Indian dishes, sooo spicy and tasty. I do eat a lot of chickpeas, but bocca crumbles are pretty good as well. Morningstar makes nice vegan chicken as well.
VChicken (I don’t use jackfruit tho, and just use the same weight of tofu as the base)
For vjerky, I just make a double batch of the steak, but after it’s done cooking, instead of marinating it, I cut them into thin strips, put it in a dehydrator (you can also just use an oven), then put them into plastic bags with some olive oil and different spices, or just pepper. There are good youtube vids that are all pretty close to that.
We eat a lot of extra firm tofu. Freeze it, then thaw it, and then press it. If you’re eating a lot of tofu invest in a press, it makes it so much easier than stacking pans or bricks or whatever on a cookie sheet and hoping is pressed evenly.
Then cook how you like. We toss it with some seasoning and cornstarch and stir fry it crispy and then use it instead of chicken.
My main go to lately has been beans and rice in the instant pot (any pressure cooker is fine). Throw dry rice and black beans in with some sauteed onions and garlic, broth, a can of tomatoes and season with chili pepper, cumin and a few other common spices. That’s been a staple for me for a while. Every batch makes a meal plus a few lunches and its really easy to make. Goes great with some tangy hot sauce. Can also be used to fill a burrito or tacos.
I do black beans in the instant pot with basically those same ingredients, then I make rice, then I end up combining them in a bowl to eat. I don’t know why I never considered just putting the rice in there with the beans at the same time…
I started doing it this way because I like easy and I love the way the rice soaks up all the flavor when I do it all together. I found a basic recipe online and have been just playing around with variations on that.
Recently I used kidney beans instead of black beans and they were really good. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy because I had to pre-cook the kidney beans to work in the recipe, but it came out really tasty. That took an extra pressure cook (5 min) and natural release.
As someone who generally tries to eat less meat, but isn’t yet vegan, what are some of your staple foods you eat on a weekly or daily basis? This isn’t about nutrition, I just want more meals to add to my rotation that don’t have animal products in them.
Three bean chili, garbanzo fajitas, black bean enchiladas, pinto bean tacos, crunchy airfried peas on veggie wraps, ramen noodles loaded with raw sweet peas, and of course the most important food group:
Oreos
I’ll never forget my shock upon learning oreos are vegan, haha.
Those sound good though, especially the tacos and fajitas, thanks!
np 😎
also check out /c/[email protected] some time!
Nice, will do!
I really wish I liked beans, but the only tolerable way I’ve found to incorporate them into my diet is specifically black beans, mixed in with things that make it less noticeable - like a black bean and corn salsa added to a salad or a burrito. The main problem is that most beans have a texture that disgusts me (though I can’t say I enjoy the flavor either). Baked beans, refried beans, stews and soups that have a lot of beans are all no-gos for me. Those black bean enchiladas sound interesting though, mind sharing a recipe?
I posted about it in this thread, although it’s a black bean and rice recipe instead of just beans! I’ve discovered that air frying beans gives them a better texture (beans are normally kinda mushy imo) and I’m basically doing that for everything I make now lol
I think I’m going to try to make pure bean enchiladas this weekend though now that I think about it. Maybe with roasted corn…?
I’m also not vegetarian or vegan, but have transitioned to a much more plant based diet. The secret isn’t finding meat replacements, it’s just finding recipes that don’t use meat. I mess around a lot with Indian, Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern, and North African cuisines. Chickpeas and lentils (most beans and legumes, actually) are my best friends. I’ve found that even though it’s a grain, farro helps me feel full. I’m pretty sure you can make a lot of Mexican/Central American stuff without meat (but probably not without cheese/dairy), but I’m not positive because I’m actually not that big on black beans.
Mushrooms, lentils, tempeh, tofu, and rarely, things like impossible burger “meat.” In general, you can straight sub some fungi and tofu for some meats in dishes. But a lot of western dishes do not play nice with these kinds of substitutes, since they’re really dialed in for real meat. To go the distance, you must learn cuisine that makes better use of vegetables. This means learning things like Indian and Southeast asian dishes.
That’s a great point! I think a lot of my pitfalls have been from me trying to recreate my favorite dishes, usually Mexican or Korean food, without meat. While it can be done and does taste great, I should look to more vegetarian cultures for inspiration and learning!
Mexican and Korean food are really good, even without meat. Lentil or mushroom tacos are great. Korean food has a lot of fermented food and soy.
Indian and Indonesian kitchens offer a lot of vegetarian and some vegan options. Dry pressed tofu grilled in an oven van replace chicken in a bunch of dishes too and has all the amino acids.
But yeah becoming vegetarian if you just learn more true vega dishes is pretty easy in 2024 I’ve found
Personally I almost always make stuff I can eat for more than 1/2 days. So it’s soups, stews, curries, etc. Everything pretty much boils down to protein + sauce + veggies anyway.
So it’s lentil soup/curry/chilli with a side of whatever you feel like. (Salad, bread, rice, quinoa, couscous, etc) Or chickpeas or some beans or whatever. Other times it’s just rice (think paella or risotto) or pasta.
Lemme know if you want specific recipes
Meal prep is a staple for me, and I love curry!
I make a ton of vegan chicken, steak, and jerky nearly every week and use it in all my recipes. You can make a ton at once, and obvi it’s much cheaper than flesh / secretion-based products.
After getting really good at them, and swapping out milk for oat milk, I’ve pretty much had to change nothing about what I want to make / eat.
I didn’t get good at cooking till I cut wayyy back on meat. Now I make tons on Asian and Indian dishes, sooo spicy and tasty. I do eat a lot of chickpeas, but bocca crumbles are pretty good as well. Morningstar makes nice vegan chicken as well.
Thanks! Got any recipes or tips for making vegan chicken, steak, and jerky?
Sure!
For vjerky, I just make a double batch of the steak, but after it’s done cooking, instead of marinating it, I cut them into thin strips, put it in a dehydrator (you can also just use an oven), then put them into plastic bags with some olive oil and different spices, or just pepper. There are good youtube vids that are all pretty close to that.
Thanks! I’ll have to try em out, those look good!
How can you have vegan Chicken, it’s literally a bird. Steak and Jerky sure but chicken,
I don’t follow. But vegan chefs are wizards that can recreate any taste / texture.
We eat a lot of extra firm tofu. Freeze it, then thaw it, and then press it. If you’re eating a lot of tofu invest in a press, it makes it so much easier than stacking pans or bricks or whatever on a cookie sheet and hoping is pressed evenly.
Then cook how you like. We toss it with some seasoning and cornstarch and stir fry it crispy and then use it instead of chicken.
Is that where your name comes from?
I dare say I do make some killer tofu, but it’s a reference to a song from an old Nickelodeon cartoon, Doug.
The Beets - Killer Tofu
I’d check out [email protected] from time to time for some inspiration. I have a few posts there and I’m always happy to share recipes!
My main go to lately has been beans and rice in the instant pot (any pressure cooker is fine). Throw dry rice and black beans in with some sauteed onions and garlic, broth, a can of tomatoes and season with chili pepper, cumin and a few other common spices. That’s been a staple for me for a while. Every batch makes a meal plus a few lunches and its really easy to make. Goes great with some tangy hot sauce. Can also be used to fill a burrito or tacos.
I do black beans in the instant pot with basically those same ingredients, then I make rice, then I end up combining them in a bowl to eat. I don’t know why I never considered just putting the rice in there with the beans at the same time…
I started doing it this way because I like easy and I love the way the rice soaks up all the flavor when I do it all together. I found a basic recipe online and have been just playing around with variations on that.
Recently I used kidney beans instead of black beans and they were really good. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy because I had to pre-cook the kidney beans to work in the recipe, but it came out really tasty. That took an extra pressure cook (5 min) and natural release.
I like the one pot method, easy prep and easy cleanup, thanks!
Yup, I love easy and one pot recipes are great for that. Happy to share!