Will it Vegan? From meatloaf to tofu. An odyssey of deliciousness.

[XERTYX]

So you may have seen will it blend? On YouTube 

Will it vegan? That is the question. 

I have in the past lived as a vegetarian,  a vegan, an omnivore, a carnivore, and an instant gratification eater.

I still enjoy vegan days even though I no longer adhere. What vegan friendly recipes do you like? Maybe veggie not vegan? Share below.

This community is unique. We have members from all walks of life at different ages,  national origins, sexual orientations, etc. We are here for each others mutual benefit and the furtherance of living cheaply so that we can obtain the level of freedom we desire.

I have not seen enough threads about vegan friendly cooking methods to satisfy my curiosity that vegans are being represented as abundantly as they occur in society. 

So let's shed the meat goggles. Do you have a recipe that can be made vegetarian with one or two adjustments? Say so. We're a tribe. That's the mentality I signed up for when I joined here. I dont like seafood. I want to but dont. That's a fact about me as an individual. Some choose not to eat animal products as a moral decision. Let's not shun our brethren. Instead bring them further into the circle. For they are us. We share a symbiotic relationship. 



*disclaimer* I have yet to subscribe to the mentality of total abstainment from animal products. I simply dont eat meat or dairy on vegan days.
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I like chili. It can be spicy. Mild. Cheesy. Mixed with cornbread. The possibilities are abundant if not limitless. 

My favorite is Carol shelby brand chili mix (which might not be vegan. I dont know)

I follow the package instructions pretty much to the letter yet dont add the masa flour unless really runny.

The salt and red pepper flakes are optional. 

I heat up ground textured vegetable protein the same way as browning ground beef after sauteing onions and garlic in the same pan and setting aside to add later (I prefer a wok)

Tofu will dry when heated. The steam escaping dries out the "meat" and should be rehydrated during cooking. I use some of my favorite beer for chili. Meat cooking oozes fat. Tofu oozes water and dries so keep it moist. 

Following the same cooking steps otherwise I end up with chili that even meat eaters think tastes great and they cannot tell the difference.

 

[Seminole Wind]

i honestly cant think of a single dish/meal/food i would/could willingly make vegan. heck even my peanut butter and/or falafel are not vegan, one has fish, the other lard or bacon grease.

if one wants to be vegan, i dont see the need to convert "meat" dishes to vegan. if the craving is meat loaf, eat meat loaf. if being vegan is important to a person for what ever reason, embrace it and eat vegetable (or more realistic, "non-animal foods", including fruit, nuts, grains, roots, veges and more) why fake it. there is a reason you dont see "kosher" turkey bacon... lol

 

[XERTYX]

Haha good point. I do have a few vegan friends who miss certain dishes that have say eggs in them and cant have them anymore. But there are substitutes. My chili tastes the same with ground beef as with textured vegetable protein.

I have a friend who has never had pecan pie if you can believe it. So I want to make a vegan pecan pie that tastes just like the real thing minus the butter and eggs.

 

[Dingfelder]

I don't want to tell other people what their tastes should be -- this always comes with a but - BUT I do think the trend toward making veggie stuff look or taste like meat is kind of misguided. Veggies are delicious on their own .. sometimes I think vegetarians or vegans are almost embarrassed to be eating what they're eating or to be who they are. But I would rather just eat some tofu than some fake veggie meat, or some beans, lentils, peas, or quinoa if I'm wanting protein. Or if you allow yourself eggs or dairy, hey I'm all for that stuff, that's great.

I've gone vegetarian for a couple of years at a time and after an initial hard start where I missed stuff, I didn't crave meat at all, and I craved "fake" meat least of all. If I went back, I still wouldn't crave the fake stuff. I would just make due with what nature provided, or the already well-known stuff man has improvised, like tofu, without regret. I've done it before, after all. It wasn't a big deal.

The fake stuff tends to be highly processed food with some additives you wouldn't necessarily care for if you are health-oriented, anyway.

 

[ckelly78z]

I would starve if I went vegan...so many limitations that are self imposed, but they still want it all. It seems more like a way of thinking rather than a way of eating.

 

[XERTYX]

It is really a way of thinking not so much a diet. My best friend when she went vegan gave away all of her leather handbags and shoes etc. She wont wear wool or use anything from an animal. Hey whatever works. I do like tofu but I like textured vegetable protein too if "I" cook it. You find it in lots of canned beef stew nowadays and it has an off flavor. I know how to season it and use it as a meat replacement.

 

[XERTYX]

I couldn't help but think of this just now. Haha

 

[WILD@HEART]

Just me personally.. I enjoy many foods & dishes & am open to new culinary experiences ....plus I'm very tight with the Dairy Fairy.  
I also have an appreciation & respect for hunting, fishing, gathering, gardening and farming of any kind. 
I'd never limit my opportunities to enjoy the bounty of available foods.  And the beauty is, there's something for everyone 

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I was thinking it is pointless to respond to this thread. Vegan threads are like gun threads, one side of the argument is about the collective good, the other is afraid of loosing something. I have been a vegetarian/vegan for thirty years, I wear leather shoes. I eat this diet simply because it is scientifically
(like the world is round and global warming) proven to increase your life span by up to 15 years. More important it increases your healthspan, the time you live without a bunch of medication or disabled by disease. Meat and dairy are simply, carcinogens. Cancer, diabetes, heart disease, mental health, are all preventable or can be improved by a vegan diet. Not only is veganism great for your health it is also great for the planet as it takes a lot less land and energy to grow vegetables, nuts, fruit and beans. I am an advocate for fake meats, if you don’t like the processed ones, much like if you don;t like to eat hot dogs or cold meats, you can mix up your own nuts, veggies and beans to make your own form of patties. Fake meats are convenient and make it easier for people transitioning. At the end of the day everyone will become vegetarian on the planet earth except for the very rich as meat will get more and more expensive because we simply don;t have enough land to continue to feed the population growth we are experiencing, fake meats are here to stay and are getting amazing both in taste and nutrition. I am not making this stuff up, the information is out there, and here is the clincher for all those wanting to save money, it is a lot cheaper to be a vegetarian. Now I expect all the same attacks, I am sure I am going to go to hell on judgement day and I don’t believe in Jesus so you have some more reasons to judge me and tell me I am a greenie, hairy women leg lover, kumbaya singing, hippy, skinny dipping, unpatriotic, flag burning, freak. It is what I eat which affects what I think, veganism is the way of the futur, jump on the wave, it is not hard, you won’t have to count your protein or calories simply eat a plant based diet not hard at all, all the same recipes you have now, improve your health, get rid of your medications, organic is better, get back to that body you had when you were twenty.

 

[B and C]

Soylent Green is the next wave.

 

[XERTYX]

I didn't want too cause a debacle. I Have vegan friends. Can your dishes be made vegan? No judgement.

 

[Ticklebellly]

I eat this diet simply because it is scientifically (like the world is round and global warming) proven to increase your life span by up to 15 years.

I notice a lot of former strict Vegans are now only being strict, say, 5 days a week.   Anaemia seems to be the main issue.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I notice a lot of former strict Vegans are now only being strict, say, 5 days a week.   Anaemia seems to be the main issue.

I am not a strict vegan I have an egg once in while if I am at a party I eat cheese and crackers and I like chocolate and cakes even if I try not to have them in my cupboards some days I can;t resist the temptation.  I have stayed at the same weight for 30 years, I move up and down a pound or two either way.  The point is the closer you can come to an all plant based diet the better off you will be. I know how hard it is to change habits, I still love the smell of bacon and the glands in my mouth salivate when I see a Carl Junior add on tv  which I find fascinating, those guys know how to suck people in.

 

[Seminole Wind]

while you may feel  "plant based" is "right" or "better" there is no empirical evidence to support that. it just so happens the vegans and the vegetarians just preach more. a vegan or plant based diet is much more difficult to get all your vitamins and amino acids. there are a few that just are not available from plants that the human body is not very good at synthesizing. many others are fat soluble and not plentiful in plant fats. the omega 3/6 ratio of plant based foods is horrible. only a handful of veggie "foods" have more omega 3's then 6's. and i use the term "food" loosely, who now or historically made/makes a lunch of flax seeds? but a can of sardines, with some cheese, now there is a nutritional power house.

just because you "can" concoct a complicated mix of plants, many of which were not even considered food a few hundred years ago, that on paper can provide most of a balenced diet with the hopes if you do it just right your body will synthesize the rest. does not make that approach best.

historically the only major cultures that were vegan/vegetarian choose that path for spiritual reasons. i am sure they were happy with that and as such that was best FOR THEM. just because they survived does not make it the healthiest diet.

the biggest nutritional problem facing the world today is the reduced nutritional content of foods, across the board, meat/veg alike. primarily due to industrial mass production of "food" and the excessive processing. then throw in the chemicals used as fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides. so in todays age of nutritionally deficient people facing and onslaught of chemicals and poisons right in our food source, not to mention the general poisoning of planet it is no wonder people are facing such an increase in cancer and other diseases. and in such dire times many people turn away from the status quo and latch on to something new that is presented to save them. kinda sounds like...


so the point is, do or eat what ever you feel is best for you.

 

[mamapat]

When running my duck farm and bnb I feed vegetarians meat all the time. They were usually vegetarians of conscience and when they saw the scene they ordered that duck bacon 80% plus of the time. The vegans not so much. But I emptied their trash and lets just say this that diet is hard to adhere to and a lot don't. I have ducks and geese at this time and look to wintering on the road in the near future. I don't think I can stop growing things. I also know that with my gut a lot what folks eat on the road won't do for me. So the food thing its a deal for a lot us. We going fishing today and will get into some hot water. (got to love NM) If you are in the Belen NM area get in touch and share a meal with us.

 

[XERTYX]

Amino acids are a problem I know. Rice beans AND lentils in one day in large quantities can address aminos I'm told. As I say I dont adhere to it but even though I tried once I still enjoy vegan days. Sometimes as often as a meat free day a week. Although I rarely anymore do a whole day vegan. BUT if i do a meat free day I try and stay away from eggs. Cheese and milk I dont see an issue with. Even probably the largest vegan culture, certainly the most popular in recent years. In Indian cultures meat isnt consumed for religious reasons. But milk butter and cheese are ok.

Many modern vegans argue dairy is wrong because of the treatment, care, and emotional well being of the animal. Yet it is possible to use their cream and milk without injury to them. I dont see that as being wrong. But that's my opinion.

 

[Seminole Wind]

heck i know vegans that wont eat honey or bee pollen as they consider it an animal product. thats cool. more for me ;-)

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I think you will find that most vegans, these days, don’t eat dairy because, it is not a healthy product for anyone over 3, you should watch the ‘Truth About Milk”same with honey it is just another form of sugar not much better for you then white sugar, have a gander at the” Sugar Film” or “That Sugar Movie”. Animal/insect love have very little to nothing to do with it. You can argue that but again sensationalizing a diet choice and making out that they are misguided and/or misinformed. Those who want empirical evidence should read the China Study, by Dr Collin Campbell over FOUR decades of study on the topic of diet and long term health, the most comprehensive ever done, funded by the American tax payer you should get your moneys worth. Or maybe you could read Dr Michael Gregger’s ‘How not to Die’ it has hundreds of pages with thousands of references to different world wide studies on the topic, you can look at each one if you need proof, a word of warning you may not like the results of that research. Or have a look at the Blue zones, that has been studied add infinitive, documntaries made, areas on the planet where people live longest and healthier, their habits, diets and lifestyles. There is one in California a seventh day Adventist’s town you could check out the Walmart next time you drive through the area see if the lettuce is washed with holy water.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I look with extreme skepticism on all government funded research after they told my mother that eggs were bad for me and Cheerios were 'part of a heart healthy breakfast'.  And butter was bad but partially hydrogenated vegetable fat with additives I can't pronounce to make it taste like butter was better.

 

[Seminole Wind]

ding, ding, ding... we have a winner!