Author Topic: Vegetarian meals that can satisfy a carnivore?  (Read 20130 times)

Jeremy E.

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Re: Vegetarian meals that can satisfy a carnivore?
« Reply #50 on: October 08, 2015, 02:37:37 PM »
Rice and beans with a couple of fried eggs on top is not only cheap and filling, it's delicious.  It's one of my favorite meals at any price point.
I will try this! I might scramble the eggs though, sorry if that is considered "ruining" it D:

Eric

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Re: Vegetarian meals that can satisfy a carnivore?
« Reply #51 on: October 08, 2015, 03:21:51 PM »
Rice and beans with a couple of fried eggs on top is not only cheap and filling, it's delicious.  It's one of my favorite meals at any price point.
I will try this! I might scramble the eggs though, sorry if that is considered "ruining" it D:

Totally up to you, but coating the rice and beans in the yolk is part of the appeal to me.  It makes it more moist, whereas the scrambled eggs might leave you with a drier dish.  You could add chopped tomato to combat that.  That's good too.

Jeremy E.

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Re: Vegetarian meals that can satisfy a carnivore?
« Reply #52 on: October 08, 2015, 04:39:54 PM »
Rice and beans with a couple of fried eggs on top is not only cheap and filling, it's delicious.  It's one of my favorite meals at any price point.
I will try this! I might scramble the eggs though, sorry if that is considered "ruining" it D:

Totally up to you, but coating the rice and beans in the yolk is part of the appeal to me.  It makes it more moist, whereas the scrambled eggs might leave you with a drier dish.  You could add chopped tomato to combat that.  That's good too.
Cheese!

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Re: Vegetarian meals that can satisfy a carnivore?
« Reply #53 on: October 08, 2015, 04:52:41 PM »
I make my own vegetarian bibimbap - just throw cooked brown rice and veggies (I use carrot, cabbage, beetroot, gurkins etc), with chilli sauce and a fried egg on top, and you're set. Similar to what Eric mentioned earlier.

Jeremy E.

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Re: Vegetarian meals that can satisfy a carnivore?
« Reply #54 on: October 08, 2015, 05:08:09 PM »
I make my own vegetarian bibimbap - just throw cooked brown rice and veggies (I use carrot, cabbage, beetroot, gurkins etc), with chilli sauce and a fried egg on top, and you're set. Similar to what Eric mentioned earlier.
Sounds delicious! But eggs are in the "meats" category, can you still call it vegetarian?

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Re: Vegetarian meals that can satisfy a carnivore?
« Reply #55 on: October 08, 2015, 05:26:58 PM »

I make my own vegetarian bibimbap - just throw cooked brown rice and veggies (I use carrot, cabbage, beetroot, gurkins etc), with chilli sauce and a fried egg on top, and you're set. Similar to what Eric mentioned earlier.
Sounds delicious! But eggs are in the "meats" category, can you still call it vegetarian?
Thought the rule is that vegetarian includes dairy and other sources from animals but not the meat so therefore  eggs, but vegan outlaws dairy and other items from animals so no eggs :-)

Jeremy E.

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Re: Vegetarian meals that can satisfy a carnivore?
« Reply #56 on: October 08, 2015, 05:43:51 PM »

I make my own vegetarian bibimbap - just throw cooked brown rice and veggies (I use carrot, cabbage, beetroot, gurkins etc), with chilli sauce and a fried egg on top, and you're set. Similar to what Eric mentioned earlier.
Sounds delicious! But eggs are in the "meats" category, can you still call it vegetarian?
Thought the rule is that vegetarian includes dairy and other sources from animals but not the meat so therefore  eggs, but vegan outlaws dairy and other items from animals so no eggs :-)
On the food pyramid, eggs fall under meat, not dairy. But I'm not sure if eggs are vegetarian.

kittenwhiskers

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Re: Vegetarian meals that can satisfy a carnivore?
« Reply #57 on: October 08, 2015, 08:21:13 PM »
I just meant anything more cost effective than meat that somebody who really loves meat might like.

Cpa Cat

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Re: Vegetarian meals that can satisfy a carnivore?
« Reply #58 on: October 08, 2015, 08:48:17 PM »
Rice and beans with a couple of fried eggs on top is not only cheap and filling, it's delicious.  It's one of my favorite meals at any price point.
I will try this! I might scramble the eggs though, sorry if that is considered "ruining" it D:

Totally up to you, but coating the rice and beans in the yolk is part of the appeal to me.  It makes it more moist, whereas the scrambled eggs might leave you with a drier dish.  You could add chopped tomato to combat that.  That's good too.

It sounds like some Louisiana hot sauce might help that dish.

csprof

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Re: Vegetarian meals that can satisfy a carnivore?
« Reply #59 on: October 08, 2015, 09:58:37 PM »
I *love* VEW -- http://amzn.to/1Q7Eodx

Veganomicon -- http://amzn.to/1PjtIKB

Including your affiliate links without disclosing them?  Tsk, tsk...

Sorry - I just grab the short links from the navbar without thinking about it.  Will disclose if I link to amazon again.
« Last Edit: October 08, 2015, 10:00:51 PM by csprof »

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Re: Vegetarian meals that can satisfy a carnivore?
« Reply #60 on: October 09, 2015, 02:11:49 AM »


I make my own vegetarian bibimbap - just throw cooked brown rice and veggies (I use carrot, cabbage, beetroot, gurkins etc), with chilli sauce and a fried egg on top, and you're set. Similar to what Eric mentioned earlier.
Sounds delicious! But eggs are in the "meats" category, can you still call it vegetarian?
Thought the rule is that vegetarian includes dairy and other sources from animals but not the meat so therefore  eggs, but vegan outlaws dairy and other items from animals so no eggs :-)
On the food pyramid, eggs fall under meat, not dairy. But I'm not sure if eggs are vegetarian.

I meant that eggs are animal derived (not dairy) but not vegetables though. That's the difference between vegan and vegetarian, eating animal derived for or not.

And loads of protein though if substituting for meat.

Moonwaves

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Re: Vegetarian meals that can satisfy a carnivore?
« Reply #61 on: October 09, 2015, 04:45:27 AM »
I would definitely start by slowly shifting the ratio of veg to meat in the direction of veg, e.g. some people make bolognese that's meat which is barely coated in a tiny bit of tomato, mine has morphed over the years until I don't really ever make bolognese anymore because with all the veg I add it's so delicious it feels like meat doesn't add anything.

Bean burgers are always good, although I often tend to end up making lots of smaller balls rather than bigger, flatter burgers. Somehow seems more satisfying to me that way. I especially love these carrot, cumin and kidney bean burgers. And I have a recipe for white bean, sage and pecan burgers that I really want to make again soon. Basically, there are so many different recipes using all types of beans that you just need to find the ones you like.

My very favourite though, for a couple of years now, is a fake shepherds pie. Basically you make shepherds pie but instead of using mince, you use lentils. This is another one that I've come to love nearly more than the real thing and it does down really well whenever I've made it for a crowd.

Kaikou

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Re: Vegetarian meals that can satisfy a carnivore?
« Reply #62 on: October 09, 2015, 07:41:22 PM »
curries

bauhauss

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Re: Vegetarian meals that can satisfy a carnivore?
« Reply #63 on: October 21, 2015, 08:57:49 PM »
Eggplants and mushrooms tastes like meat to me, and serves well as meat substitute.

kandj

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Re: Vegetarian meals that can satisfy a carnivore?
« Reply #64 on: October 22, 2015, 08:06:07 AM »
I strongly second the person who mentioned Thug Kitchen. My husband and I bought their cookbook to expand our menu and have been in awe of the tasty and generally easy meals. We especially love the Beer and Lime Roasted Cauliflower Tacos. My husband eats meat (I don't) and doesn't even miss meat when we make an effort to cook tasty meals. We have also learned to make a mean Eggplant Parmesan and make chunky garden style pasta sauces where we load up on veggies like peppers, mushrooms, and onions instead of a smooth bland tomato sauce.
I think if you feel limited to using meat substitutes (they can get pricey) or tofu (why people think it is so amazing is not something I understand) then you are not making the best use of being a vegetarian, even part time. Invest time in learning to make new foods and try things that seem crazy, you will appreciate it.

Verdandi

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Re: Vegetarian meals that can satisfy a carnivore?
« Reply #65 on: October 22, 2015, 08:19:15 AM »
A really hearty winter dish without meat is a mushroom and red wine risotto. It's really filling and satisfying. If you want to get fancy, I recommend stirring in a tbsp of goat cheese at the end.

Another one is chickpea and curry burgers, served like a normal hamburger in a bun with spreads and pickles. You can find lots of recipes for that online.

Also, simple gnocchi with tomato sauce and a salad never go wrong :-)

alexrcraig

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Re: Vegetarian meals that can satisfy a carnivore?
« Reply #66 on: October 22, 2015, 10:00:17 AM »
My DH has been a great sport with all the changes we have been making since I started developing my peach fuzz mustache. We are making great progress, but we still have lots of room for improvement.

Our single largest grocery expense by far is meat. Do you have any favorite vegetarian dinner recipes that could satisfy the most dedicated carnivore? I am aware there are various recipes across this forum, but I'd like to bring out the big guns for the next round of budget cuts!

Thanks again for all your input! I have been so grateful for all your helpful and generous advice.


What??? No meat! That's hard.

I applaud you.

What kind of meat do you buy though? There are plenty of "healthy" at least "healthier" meats that are less affordable. Chicken costs way less than steak or any sort of cow meat.

I can buy chicken breasts in the midwest for about $2 per lb.

I used to be a vegetarian and eat almost no meat. If I did eat me it was small amounts of Turkey.

I used to eat Tofu, which was about the same costs as Chicken. Are you cutting meat to save money? Look at different types of meats and meat cuts.

But to answer your question my wife and I made tofu anywhere we used meat. So if we liked Tacos, we would make tofu tacos. We made this delicious barbeque pineapple and tofu instead of chicken.

Tofu tastes pretty much like what you season it with. Whatever you do, do not skimp on the tofu you buy. I found only the more expensive brands to taste goods. All of the other ones made me want to vomit. Also, make sure to drain all of the water out of it by squeezing it.

I also like to make an stuff acorn squash. Scoop out a small amount of the squash after it has been cooked for a bit, put some tofu, cheese and peppers in there. Yum!!!

Bee21

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Re: Vegetarian meals that can satisfy a carnivore?
« Reply #67 on: October 29, 2015, 08:15:26 PM »
guys, just borrowed a book from the library called "The meat lovers meatless cookbook.' Vegetarian Recipes carnivores will devours.
The author is Kim O'Donnel.
Haven't tried anything yes, will let you know. :)


etselec

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Re: Vegetarian meals that can satisfy a carnivore?
« Reply #68 on: October 29, 2015, 10:30:14 PM »
In ground-beef based dishes (chili, meat sauce, etc.) I will often swap out half the meat for TVP. I've never had anyone notice or comment, and TVP is dirt cheap, especially if you can get it in bulk.