Meat Substitutes? Get the REAL info.

By now you know that I'm a vegetarian from a family of meat-eaters and I'm married to a carnivore, right? Well you do now :). Of course, I hear a lot of negative opinions about vegetarian diets, but there are actually some people who say they would try if they had more options. Hello! Check out THIS blog, for instance! Sometimes all it takes is a little research, but with this blog post I'm not giving you any recipes; I'm rolling up my sleeves and getting into the "meat substitute" thing.

I was talking to my cousin, Min, last night, and although she loves vegetables, she wouldn't consider a vegetarian diet. Reasons? The same as many others who are reluctant to try going veggie. There aren't many options available for vegetarians, the meat substitutes don't taste the same, they miss the meat, the vegetarian options are tasteless, etc.

I won't pretend to have solutions to all those problems; I know I don't. After all, my husband still eats every animal he possibly can (it seems) despite the faces I make. As for the topic of meat substitutes, I can offer a bit of help there.

There is a vegetarian version of practically EVERYTHING. There are vegetarian hot dogs, shrimps, lamb, chicken breasts, chicken nuggets, fried shrimp, tuna rolls, sliced fish, smoke herring, chicken ham, and lots more that I'm forgetting to mention here and haven't heard of yet. This list excludes soya chunks and actual vegetable products like soya patties or peas loaves and so on. Soy milk is much healthier than any other type of milk I know and it tastes great! My husband and I are addicted to one type which is not only lactose-free, but very rich in iron, as in the highest level of iron I've ever seen in a soy product.

On a completely different note, women, you need to make sure that you're taking iron every single day. If you don't include iron in your diet, ask your doctor about supplements or multi-vitamins with iron in them (yes I know I said multi-vitamins but not all have adequate amounts of iron if they do have iron in them at all). Hmmm.....sounds like another blog topic! *hint hint, nudge nudge*

Back to meat substitutes. The most important thing I can say on that is although such products are advertised as "meat substitutes" don't go in with the frame of mind that it will actually substitute the taste and flavor of the meat. It won't. I personally think the products I've tried tastes better. As someone who has eaten some types of meat before, I know what I'm talking about. Sure everyone has different opinions, but this is mine.

VEGETARIAN FISH

I could not stand fish. I didn't care how it was made or what fancy or simple name it had. I didn't like it. Eel and salmon sushi? Surprisingly: YUM! Cooked fish, as in on my plate as food? Eeeewwwwwww. Then I tried vegetarian fish when I was staying with my uncle and taking care of his family some years ago.

"Um...what am I supposed to do with this?" I asked nervously.

"What do you do with food?" he laughed.

"Cook it?"

"Well go cook it then!"

"I really, really, really, really, don't like fish though," I said doubtfully.

"Just try it." He said as he waved me off and ended the conversation.

And so I did. The first thing I made with veggie fish was curried fish and peas. Ohmigod. Ohmigod. Ohmigod. YUM! I was in love with it! And I mean this was my first time as in I hadn't made curried fish before and I had never even seen veggie fish before. Even after my family forced me to return to seafood and then poultry, I still insisted on eating only veggie fish instead of real fish.

Advantages? First and foremost, no fishy smell! You can make this thing and not walk out of your house smelling like fish, not walk into your kitchen smelling like fish, and not have your niece run to hug you and pull away saying "Aunty, how come you smell like fish?" AND it tastes really, really, really good. Hubby the carnivore loves it, and if he loves it, you should definitely try it!

It's easy to prepare, no scaling the fish, no bleeding fish, no evil fish eye staring at you and following your every move, no tail reminding you of how much alive the fish once was, ohhh and the best part for me and all people who have ever swallowed those fine, little fish bones? NO BONE. YAY!!!

All you have to do is take it out of the packaging. If you want to slice it or cut it a certain way, do it. Season to your liking, cook to your liking, done. You will no longer have to hold your breath when you get your fish out to clean, because you don't have to clean veggie fish. YAY!!!

And veggie fish does not smell like the part of Chinatown with all the fish and seafood out there on ice. You know the part where all the little kids hold their noses and all the adults hold their breaths? That's right, don't pretend I was the only one.

VEGETARIAN LAMB

I've always been against eating four-legged animals since I was about 4-5 years old. Maybe it was because I had two pet goats when I was really little. When it comes to lamb, NO. I don't want it, and I don't want to look at you eating the killed, cooked BABY animal! Unfortunately, I did taste it once. I was somewhere around 12-14 and I was a vegetarian at the time. My aunt and uncle had invited us to a church Christmas dinner. My family was very accepting of other people's views and religions, so we said "sure!".

There were church members dishing out each person's meal after the service. I specifically told the woman carrying my plate that I was a vegetarian, so she bypassed the barbecued and roasted meats and whatnot. As I rejoined my family to eat. I bit into something soft and salty and asked my dad, the expert on meat stuff, what it was.

He laughed so hard his plate nearly fell of his lap. "Lamb" he answered.

"What?" I shrieked (and actually dropped my drink).

"Lamb, child, you didn't hear them talking about Jesus, the lamb of God? You're eating lamb."

I almost fainted.

We left early and I cried my heart out when I got home for the poor lamb (abortion is bad but eating baby animals is cool? WTH???) and for myself, breaking my vegetarianism. So from that heartbreaking experience I can tell you that vegetarian lamb tastes nothing like real lamb, but it tastes great!

You can either make it using it in the large chunks they're packaged in or chop them to your own preference. I almost always chop them to a size I prefer for each meal. Even hubby likes it, and that's a huge compliment! My favorite way to eat this is curried with coconut milk, but I've also tried them in empanadas and stir-fry and it's amazing!

Advantages? Same as the fish, no fresh animal blood or mess to clean up after, no reading about farm animals to kids and thinking about the lamb that went "baa" before it was killed, easy to prepare (take it out of the package, chop if you want, season how you want, cook how you want, and voila!), no bad smell, and great taste!

VEGETARIAN CHICKEN NUGGETS

I'll admit I used to like the chicken nuggets from either McDonald's of Burger King when I was younger (I was too young to remember). I wasn't a regular though and when I found out MacDonald's uses beef fat to fry their fries in (like that signature taste?) I boycotted them. But I also have to admit there was a certain taste about the chicken nuggets I had from a few different places, as if it changed taste the longer they kept in on their heating trays or something.

Surprisingly, hubby was the one who recommended I try vegetarian chicken nuggets. I fried them, microwaved them, and made my own version of "buffalo" nuggets. And I loved them!

I remembered eating chicken nuggets as a child; it was never fulling, and my brothers and I always needed more to feel full and would resort to another meal after to feel as though we had an actual meal all together. After two veggie nuggets, I felt as if I was in the middle of a meal! When I needed a light meal, two nuggets were all I needed!

I mixed and mingled many things with these veggie nuggets and both hubby and i loved it! Just take it out of the package and pop it on the microwave, of deep fry it, or steam them and slice them for a veggie caeser salad, the options are endless!

As an added bonus, if hubby the carnivore recommends it, you know it tastes good! It's incomparable to any other nugget or quick fix meal, it's just perfect!

VEGETARIAN SHRIMP

I used to like shrimps cooked certain ways when I was younger, but was turned off when I learned that shrimps are extremely high in cholesterol.

Hubby and I decided to try vegetarian shrimps recently and have since declared it another definite keeper! Everything you've made with real shrimps, try it with vegetarian shrimps; the biggest bonus is not having to clean them out of their shells and worry about de-veining them.

As with the other products, convenience is still a benefit, just take it out of the package, season depending on your meal, and cook. I've made these veggie shrimps deep fried, stir fried, in steamed rice, with pasta, as cocktail shrimp, and will curry them soon. Easy to prepare, easy to store, easy to keep (not if you're eating them!), and easy to choose! Oh, and no Chinatown fish place smell with this one either :)

CHICKEN HAM

I never liked processed meats as a kid. I would pull the stringy enclosure of my bologna and go "ewwwww" and trade it for a pack of wafers or something at lunch. I even gave away my lunches because I didn't like the smell many processed meats have when they're packed away all day (ewwwwww). Many times, the taste/smell would make me so nauseous I would feel dizzy and upset and would need to lie down or put my head on my knees. But that's just me.

Vegetarian chicken ham? YAY!!! It tastes so good. I made myself famous for my sandwiches in school when I made veggie chicken ham sandwiches for my friends. A big winner with everyone I know who has tried it! My absolute favorite way to make this is to toast some slices until golden brown on both sides, and put some gouda cheese over the toasted slices until it melts. Pop into two slices of bread and YUM!!!


Don't knock it 'til you try it

Bottom line: give it a try. Your taste may differ from mine and many others, so don't just take for granted when someone says they don't like it. You won't know if you like it or not until you try it. Give it a try! You may surprise yourself and your friends and family.

Also bear in mind that the way something is cooked plays a large part in how it will taste. One person may cook something a way you don't like, but someone else might make it your new favorite food. Stay open-minded, and don't knock it 'til you try it!