Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are revolting. I find the Morning Star ones to be ok.

What is “they”?

Anonymous wrote:I like both okay but they both give me a bit of a rice aftertaste I don't love. They tend to be higher in sodium so use less salt elsewhere when using them. I'm not sure I've tried Beyond's new formulation which is supposed to be healthier.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have to make these rice meatballs by hand for thevegetarian? Why not just buy gardein meatballs for the vegetarian and separate out their soup? That shouldn't take much extra time.

Are you saying this because you feel like gardein meatballs are healthier than impossible or beyond? I would assume that gardein meatballs have a totally different texture and taste, like an Italian meatball. I could see subbing them in spaghetti meatballs, but not here.

I'm saying it because it saves time using pre-made meatballs which allows you to make a similar meal without spending a lot of time. The gardein meatballs do have a hint of Italian flavor but have worked for me in non Italian recipes. Morningstar meatballs are more plain and work in different recipes. You kind of have to cut corners somewhere if you want everyone to eat the same thing but also be healthy but also not take a ton of time.

So for this particular recipe it’s not that the gardein meatballs have Italian flavors, it’s that they don’t have the Greek flavors.

I guess what I am saying is that if Gardein meatballs are healthy and impossible mince isn’t, then I can see doing that, and the vegetarian would just have to live with a not that delicious dinner. But if they are both bad then I’d rather just keep serving meals that are healthy for everyone, and drop this one, and if they are both good then I’d like to try impossible for everyone.

It’s also not just about this specific meal, it’s about generally having an ingredient I can sub.

PP. I guess it depends on your definition of healthy. They are all processed foods and probably not as healthy as the chickpea patties you said you make. The fake meats designed to mimic real meat, like Impossible and Beyond, tend to be much higher in calories and fat than other meat alternatives (but lower than red meat). I avoid them for that reason but the once or twice I tried them, I found them smelly and gross (as another PP noted) and they gave me a stomachache. I will say they are moister and more likely to hold up with the type of recipe you want to make. I prefer crumbles by MorningStar, Boca, or Quorn, but they don't stick together so they are better for things like bolognese pasta. If I need to make something with a meatball type texture that I can mix flavors into I might use beans or eggplant to make balls. But I'm only cooking for myself so I can be as lazy or as intricate as I feel like being. If I were feeling lazy, I'd use Gardein meatballs and just add as many Greek type flavors to the surrounding meal.

When you mentioned making chickpea patties when everyone else is having homemade chicken tenders, other options would be buying processed vegetarian nuggets, buying plain processed vegetarian nuggets and adding your own breading, or slicing and breading tofu instead of chicken. I would find all of those a fairly easy thing to make for just the vegetarian while everyone else has chicken.

OP here, I am feeding tween and teen athletes so the calorie and fat amounts don’t concern me. Protein concerns me, but impossible and beyond are good there. My concern is really the processing.

I don’t serve processed premade chicken nuggets as a regular thing, so I like that I can make vegetarian ones that are equally unprocessed. I have no qualms about everyone getting processed food when we’re in a rush and convenience is a priority, or when the processed food is particularly delicious, but if I am taking the time to make something healthy with decent ingredients then I want all the kids to have a healthy option, if that makes sense.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they are ultra processed and extremely bad for you.

My nutritionist says it would be healthier to have a simple hamburger than Beyond/Impossible/fake.

But that's OK! Can you substitute lentils for the fake burger? I make a kind of "sloppy joe" with lentils, and I toast the buns to make them extra firm for this; my family loves it. I think it tastes a lot better than fake burgers... If you google, you can find lots of recipes for lentil sloppy joes. I also make patties with chick peas that you can eat on a hamburger bun.

There is also the possibility of making portobello burgers. You can experiment with stuffing giant portobellos with various fillings, like lentils, cheese, etc., and serving on a burger bun. I think Shake Shake does this in their Portobello Burger, actually.

I want to be able to make things that are more complicated. Today the vegetarian wasn’t here and I made yuvarlakia which was so yummy. It would be nice to be able to make that on a regular day for family dinner.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have to make these rice meatballs by hand for thevegetarian? Why not just buy gardein meatballs for the vegetarian and separate out their soup? That shouldn't take much extra time.

Are you saying this because you feel like gardein meatballs are healthier than impossible or beyond? I would assume that gardein meatballs have a totally different texture and taste, like an Italian meatball. I could see subbing them in spaghetti meatballs, but not here.

I'm saying it because it saves time using pre-made meatballs which allows you to make a similar meal without spending a lot of time. The gardein meatballs do have a hint of Italian flavor but have worked for me in non Italian recipes. Morningstar meatballs are more plain and work in different recipes. You kind of have to cut corners somewhere if you want everyone to eat the same thing but also be healthy but also not take a ton of time.

So for this particular recipe it’s not that the gardein meatballs have Italian flavors, it’s that they don’t have the Greek flavors.

I guess what I am saying is that if Gardein meatballs are healthy and impossible mince isn’t, then I can see doing that, and the vegetarian would just have to live with a not that delicious dinner. But if they are both bad then I’d rather just keep serving meals that are healthy for everyone, and drop this one, and if they are both good then I’d like to try impossible for everyone.

It’s also not just about this specific meal, it’s about generally having an ingredient I can sub.

PP. I guess it depends on your definition of healthy. They are all processed foods and probably not as healthy as the chickpea patties you said you make. The fake meats designed to mimic real meat, like Impossible and Beyond, tend to be much higher in calories and fat than other meat alternatives (but lower than red meat). I avoid them for that reason but the once or twice I tried them, I found them smelly and gross (as another PP noted) and they gave me a stomachache. I will say they are moister and more likely to hold up with the type of recipe you want to make. I prefer crumbles by MorningStar, Boca, or Quorn, but they don't stick together so they are better for things like bolognese pasta. If I need to make something with a meatball type texture that I can mix flavors into I might use beans or eggplant to make balls. But I'm only cooking for myself so I can be as lazy or as intricate as I feel like being. If I were feeling lazy, I'd use Gardein meatballs and just add as many Greek type flavors to the surrounding meal.

When you mentioned making chickpea patties when everyone else is having homemade chicken tenders, other options would be buying processed vegetarian nuggets, buying plain processed vegetarian nuggets and adding your own breading, or slicing and breading tofu instead of chicken. I would find all of those a fairly easy thing to make for just the vegetarian while everyone else has chicken.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have to make these rice meatballs by hand for thevegetarian? Why not just buy gardein meatballs for the vegetarian and separate out their soup? That shouldn't take much extra time.

Are you saying this because you feel like gardein meatballs are healthier than impossible or beyond? I would assume that gardein meatballs have a totally different texture and taste, like an Italian meatball. I could see subbing them in spaghetti meatballs, but not here.

I'm saying it because it saves time using pre-made meatballs which allows you to make a similar meal without spending a lot of time. The gardein meatballs do have a hint of Italian flavor but have worked for me in non Italian recipes. Morningstar meatballs are more plain and work in different recipes. You kind of have to cut corners somewhere if you want everyone to eat the same thing but also be healthy but also not take a ton of time.

So for this particular recipe it’s not that the gardein meatballs have Italian flavors, it’s that they don’t have the Greek flavors.

I guess what I am saying is that if Gardein meatballs are healthy and impossible mince isn’t, then I can see doing that, and the vegetarian would just have to live with a not that delicious dinner. But if they are both bad then I’d rather just keep serving meals that are healthy for everyone, and drop this one, and if they are both good then I’d like to try impossible for everyone.

It’s also not just about this specific meal, it’s about generally having an ingredient I can sub.

Anonymous wrote:They are revolting. I find the Morning Star ones to be ok.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have to make these rice meatballs by hand for thevegetarian? Why not just buy gardein meatballs for the vegetarian and separate out their soup? That shouldn't take much extra time.

Are you saying this because you feel like gardein meatballs are healthier than impossible or beyond? I would assume that gardein meatballs have a totally different texture and taste, like an Italian meatball. I could see subbing them in spaghetti meatballs, but not here.

I'm saying it because it saves time using pre-made meatballs which allows you to make a similar meal without spending a lot of time. The gardein meatballs do have a hint of Italian flavor but have worked for me in non Italian recipes. Morningstar meatballs are more plain and work in different recipes. You kind of have to cut corners somewhere if you want everyone to eat the same thing but also be healthy but also not take a ton of time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have to make these rice meatballs by hand for thevegetarian? Why not just buy gardein meatballs for the vegetarian and separate out their soup? That shouldn't take much extra time.

Are you saying this because you feel like gardein meatballs are healthier than impossible or beyond? I would assume that gardein meatballs have a totally different texture and taste, like an Italian meatball. I could see subbing them in spaghetti meatballs, but not here.