Some of you already know that my best friend and housemate is a Vegetarian. As a consequence, unless having a takeaway, meals at home are always meat free. This does mean that I have to use my imagination a little more, especially to avoid boredom.
Eating a meat free diet doesn’t have to mean bland or repetitive. Nor does it mean cutting out all your favourite meals; just find a suitable alternative. These days you can find plant-based alternatives for just about every meat. Some are better than others. Personally, I’m not a lover of the processed alternatives for bacon or chilled sandwich meats, and I don’t like chickpeas (cardboard balls!). But, being creative with vegetables and use of the likes of Quorn or Soya means you can pretty much emulate all your favourites. The mince alternatives are so much better now than they used to be. My preference is for the soy mince, but there are others if you don’t like that one. This ensures that you don’t have to miss out on your chilli, spaghetti bolognaise, lasagne etc. In fact, it’s much higher in protein and lower in fat than standard beef mince, and the quantity you begin with raw is the same quantity you end up with cooked. No losing half the mince when frying – which is down to the fat and water content in minced meat.
I thought today I’d share some of our recent meals, as an example of how you can replace meat in day-to-day eating. Continue reading “Vegetarian alternatives – try meat-free”