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Rising Star
I don’t crave meat anymore. So it will go away! Some things I’ve found/learned:
- Field roast chao “cheese” is the best vegan cheese. It even melts normal! I’m pretty plant heavy and normally avoid all of the things that pretend to be meat and cheese but this one is really good.
- I do like to buy fancy mushrooms and lentils and sub those into seafood or meat dishes. Lions mane are good subs for seafood - I like to put them in Tom yum soup. Oyster mushrooms are a solid sub for chicken - they’re yummy in homemade “chicken” noodle soup and you can shred them into enchiladas. Also red lentil cacciatore instead of chicken cacciatore is👌
- If you’re looking for junk food vegan that’s easy to make @rabbitandwolves on IG is good. My meat eater sister and her bf love her food and make it often because it’s easy and tasty. They slowly realized her posts were all vegan lol.
I’ve been veg for prob the last 10 years. My bf wanted a fancy steak for his birthday and the butcher shop had the cutest smallest fillet mignon that was the size of a silver dollar. I bought it and let him make it for me - it was all of like 4 bites. It was good, but I’m not going back. You can cheat occasionally and not be a monster. The world needs more imperfect vegans and vegetarians vs a smaller number of perfect ones. :)
My husband has given up meat outside of a treat once a month for environmental/health reasons. Beyond/impossible meat subs are good. Myiokos makes awesome plant based cheese subs. Beans. Roasted cauliflower is a favorite. Portabella mushrooms. Potatoes. There's a whole world of yummy plant based food out there once you start looking for it/ learning how to prepare it. I would reccomended thug kitchen cook books if you're a recipe follower!
Beyond Burgers, cooked with butter in a pan (vs on the grill) are pretty good. With all the burger fixins, of course.
What exactly are you craving? If it's a steak, there's no substitute lol. I found when I first went vegetarian that using meat substitutes made me crave meat more because they were so disappointing! I grew up in a meat and 3 veg family so to go vegetarian I had to relearn how to cook so that meat wasn't the focus or all my dishes. Indian and Mexican food are great cuisines for a vegetarian, still lots of flavor and texture without the meat. Having said that, I still crave ground beef occasionally (particularly in tacos and bolognese) and I've found beyond meat an acceptable substitute!
I mean, if you're really craving a steak then don't deprive yourself! Even cutting down your meat consumption to 3 times a week cuts your emissions significantly. Just because you eat majority vegetarian doesn't mean you can't eat meat if you really want it!
I have not given up red meat, but I typically only eat it once a week at most (I grew up not eating a lot of red meat so not eating it very often is the norm for me). I have tried the impossible burger and it was alright. I could tell it wasn't beef, but I didn't have any urges to spit it out or anything. You should note that impossible burgers are not any healthier than a regular burger. Portobello mushroom burgers/sandwiches are amazing.
Pro
Impossible and beyond are amazing. Gardein chicken patties are great for sandwiches. I also use Quorn beef crumble to make  bolognese sauce.
Enthusiast
If you haven’t tried oyster and king oyster mushrooms yet, you should give those a go. Usually found in an Asian supermarket. They have a very fine umami (savory) flavor, and when cooked to tenderness, they actually remind me of pork belly. I’m not even vegetarian but honestly, if I had a plate of broiled oyster mushroom vs pork, i would pick the mushrooms. Delicious and more complex flavor than pork, with less greasiness. Prob my favorite food item ever.
I will try this portobello mushrooms! I really am not a fan of veggies in general but I will try
Marinate with a mix of soy sauce, garlic powder and balsamic vinaigrette for 30 minutes then grill! Great on a sandwhich, wrap or even as the protein in a salad.
Halumi cheese is a fantastic meat substitute. Can use it instead if meat in a sandwich. Just fry in a skillet. Tastes amazing. After not eating meat for a month, the thought of eating beef or pork does not appeal to me at all. Just makes you feel sluggish and gross
I don’t eat red meat anymore! Ground turkey can be used in everything ground beef is in— start with things that it’s disguised in like chili and work your way up to turkey burgers and meatloaf. When I’m feeling fancy, I’ll opt for lobster, scampi, or salmon instead of steak. I don’t miss it at all