Recipes & Food that make you happy

Hi, if people want to be vegan or vegetarian why try to recreate meat meals?

Why not just go with tasty, well presented vegetarian food and to hell with the meat eaters, and You can always eat cake and dessert.

just wondering.

Regards to all.

@matildagirl I am laughing so hard at this right now :-)

I will fess up however, I'm a "meat and potatoes" kind of guy (only without the potatoes since I try to live by a Keto lifestyle for my health.  Given how Keto has transformed my entire adult life these last few years (lost 85 pounds - gained some of it back due to a 50/50 mix of Keto and non since the pandemic began, but fully looking to go back after the holidays)  - Meat has always been a part of my life and I couldn't imagine life without it.  (The "impossible burgers" are not good)  - That said, we get 99.9% of our meat from my mom's neighbor.  Half a cow is actually my mom's Christmas present each year.  

In short;  this is the prediction I've always been most fearful of coming true. I know.  I'm terrible!

Posted by: @matildagirl

Hi, if people want to be vegan or vegetarian why try to recreate meat meals?

 

I agree.  Although I eat some meat (my system seems to need it), I don't see the point in "fake meat".  (Aren't we supposed to be avoiding highly processed foods?)  I'd rather just have a nice plate of rice and beans and fresh veg.  

@unk-p  Sounds yummy!  I make what we call in my family "Cranberry Stuff" (yeah, yeah.. I know..we are so original and imaginative ? ? ? 

1 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries

2 Navel oranges

1/2 to 1 cup of sugar (in other words ..sugar to taste)

Pulse the cranberries in a food processor until finely chopped. Pour in a bowl. Pulse the slices of 2 navel oranges -peel and all - also until finely chopped. Also pour in to bowl and fold in sugar (or sugar substitute) to taste. I use about 1/2 cup of sugar. Prepare at least a day ahead to allow flavors to "marry"  and refrigerate until ready to serve. Keeps in a covered container in fridge for about 2 weeks (if you have any that lasts that long!)

@dannyboy Hi Dannyboy,

@ana Hi Iridium

I also am a meat, chicken, fish, crustaceans kind of gal as well. Would be happy to eat vegetarian if someone would come in and make it for me. I am sick of cooking and thinking, what will we have tonight.

Those plant meat things, they are going down the same overly processed food road most people are already on. Be sensible people, moderation in all things and fresh is best. 

Now all I have to do is follow my own advice.

Regards to all

@journeywithme2 your Cranberry Stuff sounds delicious!  I love all things cranberry, esp with orange. Thanks for sharing the recipe.  I don't have a food processor- do you think a juicer machine would work for the oranges?

Posted by: @matildagirl

Those plant meat things, they are going down the same overly processed food road most people are already on. Be sensible people

gee, it never occurred to me that, with all of the environmental destruction and cruelty towards animals that can come with meat production, that the *real* problem is that my  Thanksgiving turkey-shaped  tofu is "overly processed".  I guess i will go sit in the corner and eat a bowl of radishes instead. ? 

@journeywithme2, I just saw your recipe for the butternut squash pie.  Don't know how I missed it earlier.  It sounds fantastic!   Since I don't have the squash and don't want to venture to the store tomorrow, I'm going to try it another time.  I think I'll use that nut crust recipe for the pumpkin pie.

Let me know how it goes.  Thanks!   

1. @unk-p of course, hang your head in shame. Mainly because who wants to eat tofu at the best of times. Mind you I am not afan of Turkey either. enjoy the day Whatever is l on your fork. 
2. Best wishes Regards to all. 

@dannyboy, I really laughed at your impossible burger remark.  The reason why it's called that is because it's impossible to make that stuff taste like a burger.  I tried another type of fake meat made of pea protein and mung bean, which I added to my pasta sauce.  My husband was a trooper, but I saw him gagging.  He had his head lowered, hoping that I wouldn't notice, the poor guy.  It was awful.  I'd rather just serve pasta sauce with an assortment of vegetables -- low cal, low fat, healthy and tasty.

The only veggie burgers I like are made of black beans, oats, an assortment of vegetables like mushrooms and peppers -- that sort of thing.  It doesn't have to taste like meat to taste good.   

@matildagirl, I generally agree with you about the tofu, except there is a vegetarian restaurant in my neighborhood that has a dish called General Tso's surprise.  The surprise is that it's tofu, not chicken.  I don't know how they do it, but it's really close in taste to chicken.  It's fantastic.  I used to order it a lot until I discovered that I'm allergic to soy.

@ana, I love your idea of a nice plate of rice and beans with a veggie.

Posted by: @matildagirl

of course, hang your head in shame. Mainly because who wants to eat tofu at the best of times. Mind you I am not afan of Turkey either. enjoy the day Whatever is l on your fork. 

well, not all of us get to enjoy the luxury of roasted... platypus

    (sorry, even SoyBoys get hangry sometimes)

@unk-p Can't say I have had roasted platypus but they have webbed feet so maybe they taste like duck?

Don't think we will ever find out though.

Best wishes

Regards to all

@journeywithme2 I was psyched to see your butternut squash pie recipe.   I have about twenty butternut squashes from my summer garden that must be eaten. I already have TG dinner planned so it's too late to add this pie, but I am excited to try it for Xmas.

For TG, I'm going to make two butternut squash dishes:

First: roasted butternut squash in chunks, with toasted pecans (omg these are so good toasted in maple syrup), dried cranberries, rosemary, and dabs of goat cheese. 

Second: Roasted pureed butternut squash soup all creamy with coconut milk, vegetarian stock, chai spices, and topped with some  garden chive.  I don't have an exact recipe to share. But it's hard to blow this.  

@unk-p 

That sounds wonderful!  

@journeywithme2 I made that cranberry orange dish, too.  It’s even great after Thanksgiving on turkey sandwiches.  It also freezes well and I freeze some to save for Christmas to go with ham.

@unk-p

To be fair I have not tried a plant based meat, noticed them in the supermarket but they didn’t appeal, so I thought I would google to see what we have here in Aus. So looked at the website below which has a list of different kinds you can get here.

https://letsgovegan.com.au/the-best-plant-based-meat-to-buy-in-australia-according-to-you/

The top one apparently is a mushroom based one called Fable. Looking at the website the 3 Co founders are Jim grew up as a BBQ lovin’ whiskey swillin’ Texan and embarked on a career as a Mycologist (Mushroom Scientist). Michael grew up as a meat loving Queenslander and has since gone fully vegan. Chris co-founded Australia’s largest Certified Organic mushroom farming company where he won some Young and Organic Farmer of the Year awards.

So its a Aus/US background so what's not to like. Its mushrooms, which I do like, so in the interest of science and relations between our two countries I will buy one and try it. Stay tuned and I will let you know. If it turns out its good they apparently are going to launch in the US next year.

https://fablefood.co/about-us/

Regards to all

@unk-p  Well... the if your juicer is one that saves the pulp after it extracts the juice I reckon it could do! but since it's not cooked and is raw... maybe take a large plate and use your chef's type knife and finely hand chop it? Or finely hand chop the cranberries and use the juicer to extract the juice and then finely dice the peel that remains? Play with it and see what works best for you? I always make a double batch because I love it with yogurt as a breakfast..by itself as a snack... as a side for any meal after the big turkey day... like on turkey sammiches ;-), like you I just love the taste of cranberries and oranges together.  I also use it to make scones and mix in the batter as well as making a cranberry orange butter to slather on said scones.

@unk-p This made me laugh. I do recall reading somewhere at one point that the reason that men love meat and potatoes so much? Is that their bodies need the nutrients in said meat and potatoes for their bodies to produce testosterone. Which could explain why at times they seem to crave it to the exclusion of other meal ingredients.

Hangry is a real thing for sure!!!

I have reached the age where a lot of times? I like to just steam or oven roast some veggies and just eat them with some butter, salt, pepper, herbs and spices variating for a meal and am perfectly satisfied with that. I still eat meats when I feel the urge for them. I really sort of listen to my body and eat what it says it needs. I am eating more seasonally now too, i.e. more fresh fruits and veggies, unprocessed and delicious out of the garden or Farmers Market. In the winter? more potatoes and winter greens etc. Lots of soups for Fall and Winter. 

I still love my traditional turkey and dressing on Thanksgiving tho!

@bluebelle  yes!!! It is soooo good! I have never tried freezing it!!! Usually not enough left to do that...and we get cranberries here up through Christmas season. I may make an extra batch and freeze now that you mention it!!! Those scones and cranberry orange butter would go down well in January and February too!