8 ms·

Rather than substituting vegan alternatives in traditional meat meals (like mushroom burger instead of hamburger) I'd personally rather be exposed to more great

Rather than substituting vegan alternatives in traditional meat meals (like mushroom burger instead of hamburger) I'd personally rather be exposed to more great vegan/vegetarian recipes that were intended to be vegan/vegetarian by the cultures that have great veggy dishes like in South Asia. One way I've gotten more exposed already is watching Rick Stein shows on Amazon like Far Eastern Odyssey and India. Before watching that I thought things like curries were too hard or annoying to make. On the contrary his simple approaches made it clear some of these spicy veggy dishes are the easiest and tastiest to make with whatever veggies you have laying around.

grenoire 5y ago
This addon indeed seems more like an affiliate link pipeline entry.
- nefitty 5y ago
  It's not bad to make money. It's good to make money providing a service that helps people.
- neetha 5y ago
  Although this does seem like product promotion, we don't provide affiliate links (just takes you to Google). We don't at this point make money off product purchases. Having said that - I also don't like this perception of the product. We will be adding more natural substitutes such as jackfruit or mushroom, so you're not driven away by what may seem too promotional.
  - grenoire 5y ago
    That sounds a lot more promising, best of luck!
Freak_NL 5y ago
> […] by the cultures that have great veggy dishes like in South Asia. Or any country really. A good vegetarian lasagne doesn't mean replacing ground meat with a non-meat substitute; you'd want a different recipe.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- Ansil849 5y ago
  > Or any country really. Ha, really? What are some iconic German or Kazakh vegan dishes? I'd say the opposite is true, most countries have no vegan main dishes.
  - alisonatwork 5y ago
    Can't speak for Kazakhstan, but Germany and surrounding countries have sauerkraut, pretzels, beer, cider, wine, french fries, dumplings, pumpernickel and many other breads and brötchen, apple sauce, veges like asparagus and kohlrabi, desserts with rhubarb, red currants, berries... Certainly most meals are meat- and dairy-forward, but it's not like there is nothing else in the cuisine.
    - Ansil849 5y ago
      You'll note I specifically talked about main dishes. Yes, of course, every country will have some food that just happens to be vegan. But only a few countries and regions of the world have actual cuisines and main meals which are vegan.
      - alisonatwork 5y ago
        I'm not sure what your point is? The issue is if someone can continue eating the food of their own region or culture while also following a more plant-based diet. In all but the most arid and inhospitable parts of the world, there are already a fair amount of local plant-based dishes. It's true that people may need to supplement their diets with some kind of substitute that provides a similar nutritional content to meat and dairy, or add alternative dishes from outside their region, but for the most part it shouldn't be all that difficult for most people from most parts of the world to eat plant-based without fully changing up their entire diet.
Mikeb85 5y ago
Yup. I come from a culture (Ukrainian) that, due to religious reasons (even though no one is particularly religious nowadays), has a bunch of traditional, vegan lenten dishes. When you expand to all the traditional (ie. Orthodox) Christian communities, plus Buddhist communities, there's a massive range of traditional tried and true vegan foods out there.
hughrr 5y ago
Completely agree with this. I find it really annoying when friends switch over and then their diet becomes McPlants, pizzas and ready meals with meat substitutes in them and any mention of something new ends up with a shrivelled up face. Philistines the lot of them. I mean they’re not terrible but there’s so much other good food out there that doesn’t look exactly like what you were eating before.
- alisonatwork 5y ago
  I think becoming a more adventurous eater and becoming a more plant-based eater are orthogonal life choices. Nowadays it's perfectly reasonable for people to eat more plant-based dishes without giving up too many of the flavors and textures and general structures of the meals that they were used to. That's a good thing, not a bad thing, assuming you agree with the philosophy that getting people to eat more plants is better for the environment. Challenging people to eat dishes that are very different from what they grew up with - not just in the ingredients, but in the textures and flavors and preparations - that's a different discussion altogether. In my experience a lot of people are not very interested in trying dishes from unfamiliar cuisines, even if there is a chance they might like them. That's true whether we're talking plant-based or not. I think for a lot of people it's easier to get them to eat more plant-based versions of the dishes they already like than to get them to experiment with dishes they're unfamiliar with.
  - eatonphil 5y ago
    What you're saying does make sense. But personally I cannot stand the taste of most substitutes I've used and I imagine many other cheese- and meat-heads would probably be as picky. My wife went vegan for a few years so I tried a number of cheeses and soy and egg things and I find them revolting, personally. (That said, I'm becoming addicted to warm soy milk especially in the winter. It's just hard to find vendors that make homemade soy milk around here...) BUT getting exposed to curries (I prefer Thai style rather than Indian) or paneer masala or the spicy paneer burgers in Indian McDonalds makes me feel I could easily give up meat if I was eating food this yummy. And those spicy paneer burgers at Indian McDonalds, man they're good. I can't believe they haven't introduced them in the US. I think they'd be a massive hit. It tastes similar to spicy Chick-fil-a chicken but it's a type of cheese instead of meat.
neetha 5y ago
Thank you for the feedback! What would be great for us to do is to create a feed of recipes (both vegan and non-vegan recipes) that need minimal (may be just cream or milk) to no replacements. This way people could discover a variety of recipes from across the globe than to be confined to a few recipe blogs.
giantg2 5y ago
I'm not a vegan. I love lions mane "crab" cakes and king oyster "scallops". I hear you can also smoke king oyster to make pulled "pork". Not exact replacements, but definitely some interesting and delicious recipes out there for mushrooms.
- alisonatwork 5y ago
  I've had some excellent "pulled pork" made out of jackfruit. The consistency is similarly chewy/stringy, and if you are looking for American-style BBQ flavor then a lot of that flavor comes from the sauce anyway, so it's pretty easy to sub out the meat. When I lived in a country where it was trivial to buy fresh jackfruit, I just sliced it and threw it into a stir fry and it worked pretty good as a meaty consistency in those too. One thing I still haven't found is a good plant-based version of carnitas, which is a sort of pulled pork from Mexico where they crisp up the top of it as well as have it swimming in lard. I think you could probably get somewhere close to it by using toasted pepitas (pumpkin seed) or something to get the crispy aspect, but to nail all the textures and flavors you'd be getting into a big time-consuming exercise for home cooking. Although, to be fair, I'd never cook meat carnitas at home either due to the time requirement.
  - edlucas 5y ago
    There's a tasty jackfruit carnitas recipe in the cookbook, "La Vida Verde". You may need to work on an improved method to make them crispy...perhaps adding a final step of putting the skillet under a broiler.
- neetha 5y ago
  You can also use jackfruit to substitute pulled pork
rackjack 5y ago
Agreed. Not sure if the vegan replacements have the same properties (fattiness, moisture, etc.) that the recipe expects, and many vegan dishes from South/Southeast Asia and so on are delicious.
- neetha 5y ago
  Vegan replacements work slightly differently. I think tips on how to substitute from brands and chefs are what's important to build trust in using these alternatives in recipes. We are working on introducing chef tips, will also try including tips from brands themselves.
uhtred 5y ago
As a vegan who used to enjoy eating meat, sometimes I just want some meaty food without the dead animal, and fake meat like an impossible burger solves this for me. But also so does tofu and tempeh.
- neetha 5y ago
  You would also like jackfruit then!
  - uhtred 5y ago
    I do like jackfruit! I make bbq jackfruit tacos, jerk jackfruit etc :)
Ansil849 5y ago
Strongly agree with this. I do not understand vegans who eat "imitation" meats. If you are ethically opposed to the slaughter of animals, why are you OK with pretending that you are still slaughtering them by actively buying things called "chik'n" and the like? That seems extremely perverse to me: 'I don't want to actually eat animals, but I want to pretend like I do'. Seriously, what?
- autarch 5y ago
  > I do not understand vegans who eat "imitation" meats. If you are ethically opposed to the slaughter of animals, why are you OK with pretending that you are still slaughtering them by actively buying things called "chik'n" and the like? That is perverse. I'm a (25+ years) vegan who eats "imitation" meats. Here's why ... I like how they taste.
  - Ansil849 5y ago
    And you genuinely see nothing ethically questionable with supporting products which pretend that they are made from animals?
    - oh_sigh 5y ago
      They don't pretend they're made from animals. The labelling is quite clear that they are plant-based. What they do is mimic the form factor of animal-based foods. And generally that is just a sausage shape, or ground up stuff. There's no imitation T-bone steak AFAIK. If we all transformed into vegans tomorrow, I don't see why we wouldn't be allowed to eat items in a hotdog or hamburger form factor.
      - Ansil849 5y ago
        > They don't pretend they're made from animals. Food and brand names like "chick'n" "mock duck" by their very titles literally pretend they're made from animals. > don't see why we wouldn't be allowed to eat items in a hotdog or hamburger form factor. The problem isn't the shape, whether it is a burger or sausage, the problem is the attempted replication. We should be moving away from the concept that it is OK to eat, or to pretend to eat, animals, not reinforcing this perverse belief. Vegan foods should, and do, stand on their own.

grenoire 5y ago

This addon indeed seems more like an affiliate link pipeline entry.

nefitty 5y ago
It's not bad to make money. It's good to make money providing a service that helps people.
neetha 5y ago
Although this does seem like product promotion, we don't provide affiliate links (just takes you to Google). We don't at this point make money off product purchases. Having said that - I also don't like this perception of the product. We will be adding more natural substitutes such as jackfruit or mushroom, so you're not driven away by what may seem too promotional.
- grenoire 5y ago
  That sounds a lot more promising, best of luck!

Freak_NL 5y ago

> […] by the cultures that have great veggy dishes like in South Asia. Or any country really. A good vegetarian lasagne doesn't mean replacing ground meat with a non-meat substitute; you'd want a different recipe.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
Ansil849 5y ago
> Or any country really. Ha, really? What are some iconic German or Kazakh vegan dishes? I'd say the opposite is true, most countries have no vegan main dishes.
- alisonatwork 5y ago
  Can't speak for Kazakhstan, but Germany and surrounding countries have sauerkraut, pretzels, beer, cider, wine, french fries, dumplings, pumpernickel and many other breads and brötchen, apple sauce, veges like asparagus and kohlrabi, desserts with rhubarb, red currants, berries... Certainly most meals are meat- and dairy-forward, but it's not like there is nothing else in the cuisine.
  - Ansil849 5y ago
    You'll note I specifically talked about main dishes. Yes, of course, every country will have some food that just happens to be vegan. But only a few countries and regions of the world have actual cuisines and main meals which are vegan.
    - alisonatwork 5y ago
      I'm not sure what your point is? The issue is if someone can continue eating the food of their own region or culture while also following a more plant-based diet. In all but the most arid and inhospitable parts of the world, there are already a fair amount of local plant-based dishes. It's true that people may need to supplement their diets with some kind of substitute that provides a similar nutritional content to meat and dairy, or add alternative dishes from outside their region, but for the most part it shouldn't be all that difficult for most people from most parts of the world to eat plant-based without fully changing up their entire diet.

Mikeb85 5y ago

Yup. I come from a culture (Ukrainian) that, due to religious reasons (even though no one is particularly religious nowadays), has a bunch of traditional, vegan lenten dishes. When you expand to all the traditional (ie. Orthodox) Christian communities, plus Buddhist communities, there's a massive range of traditional tried and true vegan foods out there.

hughrr 5y ago

Completely agree with this. I find it really annoying when friends switch over and then their diet becomes McPlants, pizzas and ready meals with meat substitutes in them and any mention of something new ends up with a shrivelled up face. Philistines the lot of them. I mean they’re not terrible but there’s so much other good food out there that doesn’t look exactly like what you were eating before.

alisonatwork 5y ago
I think becoming a more adventurous eater and becoming a more plant-based eater are orthogonal life choices. Nowadays it's perfectly reasonable for people to eat more plant-based dishes without giving up too many of the flavors and textures and general structures of the meals that they were used to. That's a good thing, not a bad thing, assuming you agree with the philosophy that getting people to eat more plants is better for the environment. Challenging people to eat dishes that are very different from what they grew up with - not just in the ingredients, but in the textures and flavors and preparations - that's a different discussion altogether. In my experience a lot of people are not very interested in trying dishes from unfamiliar cuisines, even if there is a chance they might like them. That's true whether we're talking plant-based or not. I think for a lot of people it's easier to get them to eat more plant-based versions of the dishes they already like than to get them to experiment with dishes they're unfamiliar with.
- eatonphil 5y ago
  What you're saying does make sense. But personally I cannot stand the taste of most substitutes I've used and I imagine many other cheese- and meat-heads would probably be as picky. My wife went vegan for a few years so I tried a number of cheeses and soy and egg things and I find them revolting, personally. (That said, I'm becoming addicted to warm soy milk especially in the winter. It's just hard to find vendors that make homemade soy milk around here...) BUT getting exposed to curries (I prefer Thai style rather than Indian) or paneer masala or the spicy paneer burgers in Indian McDonalds makes me feel I could easily give up meat if I was eating food this yummy. And those spicy paneer burgers at Indian McDonalds, man they're good. I can't believe they haven't introduced them in the US. I think they'd be a massive hit. It tastes similar to spicy Chick-fil-a chicken but it's a type of cheese instead of meat.

neetha 5y ago

Thank you for the feedback! What would be great for us to do is to create a feed of recipes (both vegan and non-vegan recipes) that need minimal (may be just cream or milk) to no replacements. This way people could discover a variety of recipes from across the globe than to be confined to a few recipe blogs.

giantg2 5y ago

I'm not a vegan. I love lions mane "crab" cakes and king oyster "scallops". I hear you can also smoke king oyster to make pulled "pork". Not exact replacements, but definitely some interesting and delicious recipes out there for mushrooms.

alisonatwork 5y ago
I've had some excellent "pulled pork" made out of jackfruit. The consistency is similarly chewy/stringy, and if you are looking for American-style BBQ flavor then a lot of that flavor comes from the sauce anyway, so it's pretty easy to sub out the meat. When I lived in a country where it was trivial to buy fresh jackfruit, I just sliced it and threw it into a stir fry and it worked pretty good as a meaty consistency in those too. One thing I still haven't found is a good plant-based version of carnitas, which is a sort of pulled pork from Mexico where they crisp up the top of it as well as have it swimming in lard. I think you could probably get somewhere close to it by using toasted pepitas (pumpkin seed) or something to get the crispy aspect, but to nail all the textures and flavors you'd be getting into a big time-consuming exercise for home cooking. Although, to be fair, I'd never cook meat carnitas at home either due to the time requirement.
- edlucas 5y ago
  There's a tasty jackfruit carnitas recipe in the cookbook, "La Vida Verde". You may need to work on an improved method to make them crispy...perhaps adding a final step of putting the skillet under a broiler.
neetha 5y ago
You can also use jackfruit to substitute pulled pork

rackjack 5y ago

Agreed. Not sure if the vegan replacements have the same properties (fattiness, moisture, etc.) that the recipe expects, and many vegan dishes from South/Southeast Asia and so on are delicious.

neetha 5y ago
Vegan replacements work slightly differently. I think tips on how to substitute from brands and chefs are what's important to build trust in using these alternatives in recipes. We are working on introducing chef tips, will also try including tips from brands themselves.

uhtred 5y ago

As a vegan who used to enjoy eating meat, sometimes I just want some meaty food without the dead animal, and fake meat like an impossible burger solves this for me. But also so does tofu and tempeh.

neetha 5y ago
You would also like jackfruit then!
- uhtred 5y ago
  I do like jackfruit! I make bbq jackfruit tacos, jerk jackfruit etc :)

Ansil849 5y ago

Strongly agree with this. I do not understand vegans who eat "imitation" meats. If you are ethically opposed to the slaughter of animals, why are you OK with pretending that you are still slaughtering them by actively buying things called "chik'n" and the like? That seems extremely perverse to me: 'I don't want to actually eat animals, but I want to pretend like I do'. Seriously, what?

autarch 5y ago
> I do not understand vegans who eat "imitation" meats. If you are ethically opposed to the slaughter of animals, why are you OK with pretending that you are still slaughtering them by actively buying things called "chik'n" and the like? That is perverse. I'm a (25+ years) vegan who eats "imitation" meats. Here's why ... I like how they taste.
- Ansil849 5y ago
  And you genuinely see nothing ethically questionable with supporting products which pretend that they are made from animals?
  - oh_sigh 5y ago
    They don't pretend they're made from animals. The labelling is quite clear that they are plant-based. What they do is mimic the form factor of animal-based foods. And generally that is just a sausage shape, or ground up stuff. There's no imitation T-bone steak AFAIK. If we all transformed into vegans tomorrow, I don't see why we wouldn't be allowed to eat items in a hotdog or hamburger form factor.
    - Ansil849 5y ago
      > They don't pretend they're made from animals. Food and brand names like "chick'n" "mock duck" by their very titles literally pretend they're made from animals. > don't see why we wouldn't be allowed to eat items in a hotdog or hamburger form factor. The problem isn't the shape, whether it is a burger or sausage, the problem is the attempted replication. We should be moving away from the concept that it is OK to eat, or to pretend to eat, animals, not reinforcing this perverse belief. Vegan foods should, and do, stand on their own.