4 ms·

Noodles and fried tofu takes no longer to cook than a steak, and is just as good. A big pot of curried lentils can be set up in ten minutes, let simmer for abo

Noodles and fried tofu takes no longer to cook than a steak, and is just as good. A big pot of curried lentils can be set up in ten minutes, let simmer for about an hour, and lasts all week. Tacos with refried beans instead of hamburger is a straightforward substitute. The list goes on. (Nor am I sure that any of those are significantly less caloric than the equivalent meat dishes.) I suspect that most people who think they can’t manage a vegetarianism, by experience or otherwise, are making the mistake of thinking that a “vegetarian diet” consists of just the vegetarian side-dishes familiar from a meat-eating diet. That is not true, and if you try to do it that way, of course it’s not going to work. A proper diet finds foods that fill the role of meat, one way or another.

jamiegreen 8y ago
May I respectfully disagree that fried tofu is as good as a steak.
- maxander 8y ago
  Certainly, I concur- the tofu is definitely better. :) Sadly, we live in a world where everyone knows how to skillfully prepare beef, but no one knows how to do the same thing with tofu. I think that accounts for the difference. (Useful experiment: try a piece of raw beef, and then a piece of raw tofu. They’re both equally bad!)
wortelefant 8y ago
After switching to a plant-based diet for health reasons at first, I started looking for alternatives to meat/dairy and found a wealth of tasty recipes - the vegan community is quite inventive, maybe due to the constraints. One of my new favorites is homemade seitan, it is easy to prepare in a food processor and can be stored for a long time. Getting the texture right took some try and error, now I prefer this method (sparkling water) for a nice texture: https://www.elephantasticvegan.com/vegan-seitan-steak/#wprm-recipe-container-12424 https://www.elephantasticvegan.com/vegan-seitan-steak/#wprm-... Other vegan "hacks" I found impressive were DIY vegan cultured camenbert (camenbert mould growing on cashew puree), aquafaba mousse au chocolat, asian stir fry with TVP or mock duck, jackfruit... A lot of reverse engineering traditional recipes and reinventing them, perhaps the most innovative culinary movement at the momemt.

jamiegreen 8y ago

May I respectfully disagree that fried tofu is as good as a steak.

maxander 8y ago
Certainly, I concur- the tofu is definitely better. :) Sadly, we live in a world where everyone knows how to skillfully prepare beef, but no one knows how to do the same thing with tofu. I think that accounts for the difference. (Useful experiment: try a piece of raw beef, and then a piece of raw tofu. They’re both equally bad!)

wortelefant 8y ago

After switching to a plant-based diet for health reasons at first, I started looking for alternatives to meat/dairy and found a wealth of tasty recipes - the vegan community is quite inventive, maybe due to the constraints. One of my new favorites is homemade seitan, it is easy to prepare in a food processor and can be stored for a long time. Getting the texture right took some try and error, now I prefer this method (sparkling water) for a nice texture: https://www.elephantasticvegan.com/vegan-seitan-steak/#wprm-recipe-container-12424 https://www.elephantasticvegan.com/vegan-seitan-steak/#wprm-... Other vegan "hacks" I found impressive were DIY vegan cultured camenbert (camenbert mould growing on cashew puree), aquafaba mousse au chocolat, asian stir fry with TVP or mock duck, jackfruit... A lot of reverse engineering traditional recipes and reinventing them, perhaps the most innovative culinary movement at the momemt.