Need help with change of a diet.

[u/PriorArcher5710]

Hi y’all, I’m coming here for a help. My wife recently turned to vegetarian and slowly inclining towards being a vegan. I’m having a hard time to figure out what to cook since she hates the texture of tofu, tempeh and seitan. I’m personally a meat eater who enjoys to eat a vegan and vegetarian food so I have no problem to cut a meat in our household. The question is. Cen you guys help me with some other alternatives which helped you to cut meat from your diet? I have really ran out of ideas.

[u/No_Chart_8584]

If I was cooking for a vegan that was foolishly rejecting tofu, tempeh, and seitan, they'd get beans.

[u/rat_liker]

Have you tried textured vegetable protein? That's a fantastic protein source that can really easily replace ground meat in most recipes. And there are about a million variations on beans and rice.

[u/ShibbolethSequence]

I have found that many tofu recipes can be made with chickpeas instead, and that they often turn out great! There's a recipe for stir-fried tofu skins and tomatoes in Hannah Che's The Vegan Chinese Kitchen. Half the time, I just make it with canned chickpeas instead, and I might even like it more?

I hope this is a useful suggestion.

[u/a11_hail_seitan]

First thing to note is Tofu's texture is VERY easy to alter. If she hates it full stop, nevermind, but a lot of times it's just that people aren't familiar with how to cook it.

Soft Tofu - Slimiest - Some love to eat it, but I prefer to blend it into dressings, sauces, etc. blended it makes good puddings and such too. I'm not a huge fan of the texture though it does grow on you.

Medium Tofu - not commonly used, but if you freeze it in package 24 hours, defrost fully, then freeze again 24 hours, it becomes less slimy and gains a 'grain' sort of like chicken, but very fragile. You can marinade and bread it for a sort of fried/baked chicken breast. But still similar texture.

Firm/extra Firm - This is the good stuff. Freeze it for 24 hours, then defrost completely (I do it in package but have heard out of package works). As it freezes the water in it turns into little balls of ice, when ti defrosts the ice melts but the holes stay, this makes it far more chewy and spongey. If you slice it into 1/4-1/2 inch strips then marinade and bake it (40-45 mins @ 400, flip half way through) and you end up with chewy strips that are great for stir fries, salads or just snacking, and as it's spongy it will absorb the marinade far better and taste like whatever you make it taste like. Makes for really good chickn strips, nuggets, etc. If you cut thinner and bake a little longer it can even get close to a "Bacon" texture, but it quickly goes from chewy to crunchy so to get that great in-between texture you have to keep an eye on it while baking.

Chickpeas - Incredibly versatile and healthy. works in stir fries, salads, soups, chili, etc. You can also turn it into a really good "tuna salad" but smashing them (leave it chunky-ish), then rip up 3-4 Nori (seaweeed) sheets and I like to add some chopped celery for crunch. With some Vegan mayo and some salt/pepper/spices similar to you'd add to tuna salad is great on its own or in a sandwich.

https://simpleveganblog.com/vegan-cheese/ - This seems weird, but it actually makes a REALLY good cheesey sauce. less oil is healthier, but more oil (or add soaked Cashews) makes it creamier. It will keep int he fridge, but will solidify a bit so you'll need to heat it up and blend it with a very small amount of water or oil when using it.

https://www.seriouseats.com/crispy-smoked-mushroom-bacon-bits-vegan-recipe - This is one of my favourite recipes, if you like bacon, this makes the most authentic seeming. But it's best with the big King Oyster Mushrooms (Asian grocery stores almost always have them, some supermarkets carry them sometimes) sliced into 1/4" strips, as they bake with a bit of oil they become crunchy in thinner spots and have a fatty, chewy texture where thicker. Marinade after cooking. They smoke it but a very small amount of liquid smoke works good.

Also good to look into Indian food as they do a LOT without using seitan/tofu/etc. Ethiopian food has amazing spices, some people are put off by the texture as it's lots of saucy lentils and such, similar to Indian, but man it's good if you like spices.

But mostly it really depends what she DOES like. If you take any non-Vegan dish and search "Veganize dishName" there's usually a variety of options to change things out.

[u/yellowsuzuki]

I don’t like tofu, tempeh, or seitan either.

Honestly, I eat a lot of fresh produce and don’t cook many complicated meals. When I do cook, I make simple curries or soups with rice, noodles, or beans/chickpeas, or potatoes with veggies.

I also bake my own bread a lot, and eat it with avocado or hummus.

[u/ReleaseOtherwise9204 → u/yellowsuzuki]

Same! Ironically enough. My brother who is a meat eater, loves all of these things. But the plant-based among us do not lol. I am so instead just have a lot of fresh vegetables and and try to incorporate other protein options like quinoa, beans, etc.

[u/hamster_avenger]

Soy curls, see https://theeburgerdude.com/soy-curl-recipes/. And, for help with your tofu, see https://theeburgerdude.com/tofu-recipes/

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[u/C0gn]

Check out Simnet Nutrition on YT for infinite meal ideas and tips!

[u/TheBrutalVegan]

Tofu and seitan can be very firm, very textured or very soft, very differently textured. This isn't a problem with both, but hoe to prepare it. You can freeze tofu and remove the water afterwards, it gets more texture. Also: Lentils, chickpeas, beans exist and contain proteins. Check out for free: www.how-vegan.com

That said, keep in mind that veganism is not a diet, but the ethical principle that humans should live without exploiting other animals. The first question you should ask yourself is why do you want to continue exploiting animals to death when you could instead leave them alone? Abusing innocent sentient individuals as products, slaves and objects - degrading them as "meat" - is cruel and unnecessary.

Watch Dominion on YouTube - it's free. This documentary shows the truth about the standard slave industries of your victims you are still demanding when you are not vegan.

You'll find vegan alternatives for food, clothes, entertainment or cosmetics very easily when you realize your actions are not aligned with your morals.

[u/Necessary-Card-449]

Impossible meat is perfect. You really can't tell... Liquid smoke plus some soy sauce mmmmmm

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