Lifelong carnivore, trying to reduce meat consumption

[Anonymous]

I learned a meat-forward style of cooking, and I'm having a hard time further reducing the amount of meat in our diet. We're skilled and confident cooks; we cook for fun and we make a huge variety of foods from around the world. But we've already done everything I can think of to cut back on meat. (Smaller meat portions and larger veg portions, a single half chicken breast in a stir fry for four people, bean burgers instead of beef or turkey, lots of Indian inspired dishes, etc.)

Did you make the transition, and do you have any tips? Part of it is psychological, but a few practical places I'm getting stuck are:
--I've only found a few vegetarian dishes that are really filling without being tedious to eat. A whole roasted cauliflower is a great side dish but it doesn't feel like a full meal.
--My partner and I are both always trying to minimize empty carbs. So pasta is a "sometimes food"
--I don't like sweet + savory. No fruits/ honey/ sugar in/ on my cooked food, please; sweet potatoes will always be baby food to me.
--I'm the only one in the house who actually likes tofu.
--We all like fish but I struggle to find quality, sustainable fish for decent prices.
--Everyone in the house has one thing they loathe-- one kid hates tomatoes, one kid hates peppers, DH hates celery, etc.

A few places I feel there's room to grow:
We like beans
We like eggs
We like almost every vegetable
We like almost every whole grain (I'm meh on quinoa but everyone else likes it)

Anyway, that's a lot but thank you in advance for helping a reluctant carnivore shake it up!

[Anonymous]

Can you make lentil soup with sourdough bread as a dinner? Chicken fried rice (with eggs)? '

I'd keep exploring tofu since it tastes different depending on how you flavor it - can you do a veggie stir fry with marinated tofu and rice?

[Anonymous]

Rice Bowls are our most common veggie meal, and they allow for the sort of customization of some people not liking tomatoes, etc.

Mexican rice bowls: Mexican rice, corn, black beans, tomatoes, avocado, sour cream, cheese, etc.

Asian Rice Bowls: Sushi Rice, cucumbers, ginger, avocado, fish, seaweed, carrots, etc.

[Anonymous]

Think of meat as a seasoning. A little bacon added to a soup or used to roast veggies, for example. And lean into legumes. I use them in soups, pastas, etc. Also, learn to add umani/savoriness to vegetarian dishes with nutritional yeast, cheese, mushrooms, soy sauce, etc.

[Anonymous]

I’m a heavy meat eater, but have a few vegetarian or low-meat options that I really like:

Chili can be made with any combination of meat & beans. Try a fully veg version, or a white chili with mostly white beans and some ground chicken.

Lentil sloppy joes.

Ratatouille - serve on its own as a stew with a loaf of sourdough (or in bread bowls!), or as a topping on farro or other whole grain.

Tacos / taco bowls / taco salad - can be bean based, or a taco filling with a combination of beans and ground meat.

Grilled cheese and tomato soup - it’s a classic for a reason. If it feels too childish, use mozzarella and pesto on sliced sourdough for the sandwiches, maybe serve them open-faced.

[Anonymous]

Good stuff so quickly, thank you!

We already do grain/ rice/ noodle bowls. Lots of chopping, but good for a night with a little extra time. Thanks for the reminder about Mexican flair! I always think of Mexican vegetarian as mostly mushy beans and cooked peppers (vegetarian enchiladas make me sad,) but I can definitely do better.

Yes, nutritional yeast! How could I forget; I have a huge jar taking up space and I never remember to use it. I also have good luck popping up flavors with MSG. I know a lot of people think it's bad (thanks 1980s pseudoscience,) but it works for us

The kids say the texture of tofu is the problem, not the flavor. I've pressed, I've marinated, I've coated, I've pan-fried, I've air-fried, I've given up.

[Anonymous]

I am watching this thread too. I have tried to cut back, but I keep feeling weak because I can't seem to eat enough of the non-meat ideas. I think part of it is that to make non-meat dishes flavorful, it takes a lot of herbs and/or spices. And i don't like a lot of either of those. Same with sauces.

[Anonymous]

How about making meat-based dishes but with less meat and more veg? Asian and Mexican dishes are good for this. I do a lot of stir-fried noodles and rice dishes, including fried rice.

Here's an enchilada dish I like which doesn't use a lot of meat per person.

https://www.recipetineats.com/beef-enchiladas/

Also a pad thai dish.

https://www.recipetineats.com/chicken-pad-thai/#wprm-recipe-container-29386

[Anonymous]

Search for cookbooks that have the word "flexitarian" in the title. They will give you a lot of recipe ideas for a family with various degrees of meat-eating and many likes/dislikes.

You don't have to jump right into food that is usually associated with vegetarians/vegans like tofu and nutritional yeast. Just reduce the amount of meat in each meal. I'm a lifelong vegetarian who cooks for my meat-eating family. My approach to the issue is to still give them meat, but less of it. For example, I make a lot of stir-fry dishes with a high proportion of vegetables to meat. Each person only ends up eating about 3-4 oz. of meat since they are eating so many vegetables and some rice. Another thing I do is when I make a dish that requires ground beef, I use half a pound of ground beef and half a pound of vegan "beef-like" crumbles. They don't notice the difference and they still get plenty of protein. I also make fresh vegetable dishes and/or salads with interesting combos of spices to accompany every dinner so that takes up a lot of the space on the plate and allows me to serve smaller portions of meat.

[Anonymous]

Lentils and chickpeas are very filling. Right now I’m making a paneer tikka masala, but I almost went with chana masala with chickpeas.

Many non European and non north/South American foods are mostly vegetarian/fish based. Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Sri Lankan, Indian, Pakistani, etc. I am Korean and although people usually think of the beef dishes bulgogi and kalbi when they think of Korean food, in my home, those are eaten in small portions and the majority of the meal is made of vegetables, rice, soups, tofu stews, etc.

Since you like tofu, experiment and see if you can get your family to enjoy it in a new preparation. Tofu is so versatile that it would make your life a lot easier if you could win everyone over. We eat a lot of tofu, but I haven’t tried any of the newer recipes that have been developed especially for people new to tofu, so perhaps someone here can suggest some.

You can also try types of “pancakes” that are made from flour or lentils that exist in many cuisines. In Japanese, one version is okonomiyaki, in Korean it’s pajun and bindaeduk(mung bean pancake), in South Indian it’s dosa, in Chinese it’s Jianbing, in Nepal it’s a type of lentil pancake, in North Indian it’s chilla. Usually you put veggies and maybe egg inside. Bindaeduk is made from ground mung bean and then you can really put whatever you want inside and saute them.

https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/bindaetteok

[Anonymous]

I like the person who suggested making meat a flavoring, or you could also just shrink your meat serving size first.

Look to other traditional vegetarian societies for what constitutes a complete vegetarian meal. Blah blah blah yes I know you don’t have to have complementary proteins at the same meal because your body can make complete proteins from the amino acids if they’re consumed within a few days, but why not just have them both at the same meal for ease and satiety? Corn and beans is a classic for a reason. Roast cauliflower is delicious but it’s not a meal.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Home-style chinese food features meat as a seasoning, is easy to make, and generally very plant heavy. Every Grain of Rice by Fuchsia Dunlop is a good place to start.

Much of Indian cuisine is vegetarian by design. I like 660 Curries by Raghaban Iyer. My kids love paneer, and there are a lot of legume-based dishes of course.

I don't like tofu as a meat substitute in western dishes, but I find it satisfying in more traditional Asian cuisine settings. Korean-style soy-braised tofu is easy and delicious. We also love the homestyle tofu dish in Every Grain of Rice.

We eat these foods with white rice, but you could probably do brown rice if you feel it's necessary.

[Anonymous]

Since you like beans, you could look into a Rancho Gordo bean box subscription. You get several pounds of heirloom beans once a quarter, and it comes with a "newsletter" with recipes for all the beans. This is something that motivates us to eat beans, and the recipes are usually good!

We also love the Eric Kim gochujang beans and potato soup in NYT cooking.

[Anonymous]

Start by slowly increasing the number of meatless meals you prepare each week. 1 during week 1, 2 during week 2 and so on. You can start with simple changes that allow you to eat a modified version of old standbys. Have your spaghetti and meatballs without meatballs. Make a cheese or veggie lasagna. Substitute the beef with beans in chili or tacos. DH was 100% a meat and potatoes guy but he has learned to enjoy meatless meals several nights a week. He still prefers meat but eats a lot less now.

[Anonymous]

Substitute paneer or Dominican cheese for tofu. It soaks up sauces and marinades just as well as tofu, but can be crisped up in the pan for a better texture.