Posted by Janet Harriett on Feb.22, 2010

©iStockphoto.com - bukvalno

Whether you take part in Meatless Monday or are abstaining from meat on Fridays for Lent, meatless dinners can be more than tuna casserole or cheese pizza. If you already cook at home some, converting recipes to remove the meat, or trying intentionally meatless recipes can be simple with these four strategies.

Use Meat Substitutes in Recipes You Already Make

As a first baby step for going meatless, look for meat substitute products that you can use instead of meat in your family’s favorite recipes. Frozen soy crumbles or reconstituted textured vegetable protein (TVP) can go almost unnoticed in highly seasoned dishes using ground beef, such as tacos, sloppy joes, chili or spaghetti with meat sauce. Use cut-up soy dogs when you make franks and beans.

Many meat substitutes use soy proteins, which aside from being a common allergen may have their own problems when consumed in excess. For a soy-free meat substitute, look for Quorn products, which are made from a mycoprotein derived from a high-protein fungus.

These meat substitute products are almost all highly processed so the plant proteins taste and feel like meat. For this reason, we don’t recommend these products as a daily long-term answer to going meat-free, but they can help your family adjust gradually to a vegetarian menu.

Look for Meat Alternatives

Unlike meat substitutes, which are engineered to simulate meat products, meat alternatives are protein sources that don’t pretend to be anything other than what they are. Many are traditional parts of Asian cuisine. The most common meat alternative is tofu, but supermarkets commonly stock tempeh and seitan, too.

If you have never cooked with tofu before, one of the easiest starter recipes is to simply substitute strips or cubes of tofu for chicken or beef in your stir-fry. Tofu has a slightly beany flavor that is easily camouflaged by the seasonings in a dish.

Tempeh is a fermented soy product sold in cakes. Unlike tofu, tempeh has a noticeable flavor. Tempeh crumbles easily and can be used in recipes that call for ground meat, or you can cut a tempeh cake into cubes and use it where you would use cut-up meat. Thin-sliced sauteed tempeh also makes a great warm sandwich filling for vegetarian versions of reubens or similar sandwiches.

Seitan, made from wheat gluten, has the meatiest texture of the meat alternatives and can be sliced, breaded and served like a meat cutlet, or cut up and used in stews or fajitas.

Try Legume-Based Recipes

Many recipes using beans, lentils and split peas are intentionally meatless. In a good minestrone, you won’t even miss the meat. Bean soups are common and easy legume recipes, but the options aren’t limited to soups and stews.

• Bean burritos
• Parsnip-Split Pea Bake
• Curried Lentils
• Split Pea Burgers

To lessen the gastrointestinal side effects of beans, pre-soak dry beans and discard the soak water until your family’s digestive systems become accustomed to the higher fiber content and starches in the beans. Many of the gas-causing agents soak out of beans in an overnight soak. Unfortunately, so do many other nutrients in the beans, so as your family adjusts, you can start cooking in the soak water to retain the vitamins and minerals.

Egg-Based Dinner Dishes

Eggs aren’t just for breakfast, and can be a healthy part of an ovo-vegetarian eating style. While scrambled eggs and egg muffins are usually considered breakfast dishes, many egg dishes work just as well for dinner.

• Omelets
• Vegetable Frittata
• Huevos Rancheros

Share

Posted under Food, Nutrition & Recipes, Nutrition.