Lifelong carnivore, trying to reduce meat consumption

[Anonymous]

Use "Super Firm" tofu, in stir fry or chili or soups

[Anonymous]

Chickpeas in salads.

[Anonymous]

Lentil tacos or spaghetti sauce or anywhere you use loose ground beef

[Anonymous]

Make your own seitan recipes. It's the easiest thing in the world to make, simply mix the seitan flour with water, salt, and seasonings, boil or bake until firm, and then use it as you would meat. You spice it differently depending on what you're going to make with it, so there's plenty of room for experimentation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Oh, just saw that you have tried tofu every which way. Ok, then I would suggest putting tiny tiny cubes in some of your dishes where it’s hard to identify, like curries and let them get used to the texture in a nonthreatening way.

It’s not likely, but would they be into fresh tofu? Some restaurants make fresh tofu daily, and it’s so delicious with a sweetened soy sauce like wari joyu. If not, I would send them out to a meal with kids who enjoy tofu and let them be introduced at a restaurant rather than at home. New foods are so much more appealing when mom and dad aren’t making them. I can think of so many foods that my kids tried and enjoyed at restaurants that they had rejected at home - Brussels sprouts, fennel, radicchio, pea shoots, arugula, monkfish, uni, kofta, etc. Nothing to do with my cooking skills, I’m sure! Ha

[Anonymous]

Get a Lebanese cookbook. There are so many dishes that are vegan, vegetarian, or stews with little meat.

[Anonymous]

We don’t like beans in my family but are all about the falafel. Put it in a wrap, put it in a bowl with other stuf. You can also make a similar fritter with different seasonings and put it in an Indian style curry.

[Anonymous]

I’m on the same journey OP and have found some amazing chickpea dishes on NYT cooking. Also cooked with paneer for the first time ever and it wasn’t easy to work with but the dish turned out delicious! Cutting back beef is the most important thing for me, so I’m ok with a roast chicken and salad etc, just make sure to make large servings of the veggies. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

The Weekday Vegetarians cookbook by Jenny Rosenstrach has been helpful for us in making this same transition.

We, too, are trying to avoid just carb-fests for vegetarian dinners. She has lots of good ideas, and a chapter in the book is devoted to the art of small plates mix n match meals which work with varying food prefs/dislikes.

I find the mexican food inspired dishes work best for my growing teens who need a lot of calories and protein. An example of one we like is stuffed peppers, which are stuffed with a quinoa/black bean/cheese mixture. They are high protein and filling and yummy. I also will often make the teens avocado toast as a “side” to help fill them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Oh, just saw that you have tried tofu every which way. Ok, then I would suggest putting tiny tiny cubes in some of your dishes where it’s hard to identify, like curries and let them get used to the texture in a nonthreatening way.

It’s not likely, but would they be into fresh tofu? Some restaurants make fresh tofu daily, and it’s so delicious with a sweetened soy sauce like wari joyu. If not, I would send them out to a meal with kids who enjoy tofu and let them be introduced at a restaurant rather than at home. New foods are so much more appealing when mom and dad aren’t making them. I can think of so many foods that my kids tried and enjoyed at restaurants that they had rejected at home - Brussels sprouts, fennel, radicchio, pea shoots, arugula, monkfish, uni, kofta, etc. Nothing to do with my cooking skills, I’m sure! Ha

OP here... you've just given me an idea. The kids like to do food-as-crafts, so we make our own dumplings sometimes (and pasta/ ravioli, and summer rolls, etc-- my daughter especially likes to host friends for a dumpling-making party.) We usually use ground turkey or pork as the main filler. But why not fill with crumbled tofu? What else would be good in there? Shredded cabbage for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don’t like beans in my family but are all about the falafel. Put it in a wrap, put it in a bowl with other stuf. You can also make a similar fritter with different seasonings and put it in an Indian style curry.

Love falafel. I made it from scratch once and that was a wild waste of time! Box mixes are every bit as good and 10x easier. Also, I cook it in the oven to save the hassle of deep-fat frying. It's not quite as flavorful, but you're going to smother it with yogurt-cucumber and all the other goodies, so it all comes out in the end!

[Anonymous]

I like to do really nice and different salads for variety. You didn't mention nuts in your OP. Can you eat them? I find adding toasted nuts (different kinds) as a topping to various vegetable dishes or in a salad, makes a real difference and adds a ton of variety.

Also, I have started having a nut course at the end of many dinners before dessert or in place of. Put out a small bowl of nuts with a fun nutcracker and adults and kids can snack on a few nuts if we are still a little hungry after a meatless meal.

My favorite nutcracker is here:
https://www.amazon.com/EFO-COMINHKPR148320-Wooden-Nutcracker-Mushroom/dp/B014T2VD9G/ref=sr_1_1_pp?crid=42AWQOVFVHS7&keywords=EFO+Wooden+Nutcracker+Mushroom&qid=1704324485&s=home-garden&sprefix=efo+wooden+nutcracker+mushroom+%2Cgarden%2C79&sr=1-1

[Anonymous]

Once upon a chef has a really good homemade flalafal recipe.

Other ideas I like:

Lentil and carrot soup with barley or farro and some Cajun seasoning

Mini quiche

Fried rice with lots of veggies, scallions, ginger, garlic, sliced omelette, sriracha and the Trader Joe’s chili spiced peanuts

Sautéed mushroom empanadas baked (I use the Goya disks)

Enchiladas with black lentils instead of beef

Three sisters quesadillas — smash t black beans on one tortilla, spread the other with roasted butternut squash, sprinkle grilled corn and shredded cheese, then put together and lightly fry in olive oil till crisp. Serve with guac and tomato.

Smitten kitchen winter squash pancakes

Runner’s pancakes for dinner — cup cottage cheese, 4 eggs, teaspoon baking powder, sub rolled oats, sprinkle cinnamon, blend in blender. Serve with fruit cooked with a little sugar until saucy.

Stuffed red peppers—we use a little ground meat in this but it’s mostly brown rice, beans, cheese and seasoning. Similar to a rice bowl concept but the pepper is the bowl.

I’ve been trying to sell ny kids on the chickpea flour pancakes from Italy, but no luck yet.

Will your kids eat polenta? Mine won’t but that’s delicious topped with sautéed mushrooms and some cheese. One of mine will eat farro that way though.

I also want to get my kids eating daal. Chana masala is the other obvious one. And I feel like cannellini beans have untapped potential—I like them with tuna tomatos and vinaigrette but I doubt my kids would.

And this is a hard sell for my kids but I love home style Russian borscht — basically cabbage, carrot, onion, beets shredded and cooked until it’s all soft with broth, a spoonful of sugar and a heavy splash of vinegar. Topped with sour cream and fresh dill if you have it and served warm (not cold like at delis!). If your kids like veggies, this is a truly beautiful soup — bright magenta.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Oh, just saw that you have tried tofu every which way. Ok, then I would suggest putting tiny tiny cubes in some of your dishes where it’s hard to identify, like curries and let them get used to the texture in a nonthreatening way.

It’s not likely, but would they be into fresh tofu? Some restaurants make fresh tofu daily, and it’s so delicious with a sweetened soy sauce like wari joyu. If not, I would send them out to a meal with kids who enjoy tofu and let them be introduced at a restaurant rather than at home. New foods are so much more appealing when mom and dad aren’t making them. I can think of so many foods that my kids tried and enjoyed at restaurants that they had rejected at home - Brussels sprouts, fennel, radicchio, pea shoots, arugula, monkfish, uni, kofta, etc. Nothing to do with my cooking skills, I’m sure! Ha

OP here... you've just given me an idea. The kids like to do food-as-crafts, so we make our own dumplings sometimes (and pasta/ ravioli, and summer rolls, etc-- my daughter especially likes to host friends for a dumpling-making party.) We usually use ground turkey or pork as the main filler. But why not fill with crumbled tofu? What else would be good in there? Shredded cabbage for sure.

PP. That’s a fun idea! Crumbled tofu, shredded cabbage, shredded zucchini (squeeze excess water out), shredded carrots, soybean or mung bean sprouts in dumplings would be great. Korean dumplings often contain sweet potato (japchae) noodles. I like mint and Thai basil along in summer rolls. And cashews or peanuts. I don’t usually see bean sprouts at the regular grocery, but you can buy them at an Asian grocery. Buy the cleaned trimmed ones to save time. They go bad quickly so you have to use them up!

Here is a recipe that has a pork and tofu option

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

[Anonymous]

Why are you reducing meat?

I find it interesting that many posters above note that they have less energy when reducing meat consumption. Maybe that is a sign that it’s not great for humans to go all plant based.

Lots of suggestions for beans and legumes, watch out as they are high in oxalate and can cause inflammation and other mayhem in your body, especially if you are not biologically/ancestrally adapted to eat a lot of these foods.

OP, if you feel better plant based, keep an eye on it. Is your energy the same, do you have more or fewer aches and pains, how is your mental focus? All of these are affected any your gut.