Meatless Alternative recommendations
Meatless Alternative recommendations
I came here to post something similar. Except, instead of paprika I would use nutritional yeast.
I would slice the tempeh thin, and fry with a small amount of oil. Then when they’re nice and crispy, I would splash them with tamari. And while the tamari and oil are sizzling together, I would toss them repeatedly with the nutritional yeast. You gotta be quick with that part tho.
The end result is this crispy umami awesomeness that goes great with a bunch of dishes. Tacos/burritos, on top of a stir fry, pasta dishes, or even just served on their own next to whatever other side dishes you’d like.
I haven’t tried a huge amount of plant based meat alternatives (I tried making a burger with Impossible meat and really disliked it), but I recently discovered Butler Soy Curls, and so far have been extremely impressed with them. They’re different from TVP since they’re minimally processed, and use the entire soy bean so they’re a complete protein (TVP is not).
I tried them as directed on the packaging (rehydrate in warm water) and was unimpressed, as they had quite a grain-like cereal taste that was unpleasant.
However, if rehydrated in a concentrated flavorful broth (like double the dose of bullion cubes for a given amount of water) of whatever meat you’re trying to imitate, and then the excess liquid squeezed out in a strainer with a spoon, they can then be used as normal in any recipe that calls for meat, and taste fantastic! I made some stuffed peppers with them and had a meat loving friend of mine try it. They couldn’t really discern that it wasn’t meat, and it had virtually no weird taste. The texture is extremely meat like as well.
Also, I don’t know if they always do this, but when I ordered from them directly, they included a package of their soy jerky and taco crumble for free, which was pretty swank.
So yeah, highly recommend soy curls!
Daring chicken is amazing. They sell a breaded, but the original flavor unbreaded is kind of shocking in the right use. It’s best when sautéed (it browns well), but too much of it in stir-fry or sandwich feels a bit rubbery. It’s so tasty that you might be tempted to use it for something like orange chicken, but again, rubbery.
Also, if you’re interested in making your own alternatives, I love a kneaded seitan. You’ll need a really good stand mixer or a huge amount of stamina, but it’s worth it. Frontier’s no-chicken broth powder is one of my go-to seasonings for everything, but it particularly shines for seitan. https://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-Broth-Powder-No-Chicken-1lb/dp/B0001M0YT4/ref=asc_df_B0001M0YT4/
Eggs: I didn’t like the product called “Just Egg” at first, made from mung bean, but it grew on me and now I miss it. Try it!
Cheese: haven’t found anything tasty. I think that’s a long ways off.
I love the other vegan alternatives especially soy burgers and the chiqn products (they’ve come a long way over the years)! That said, I prefer naturally vegetarian or vegan food that isn’t trying to mimic something. Cheaper, healthier, and tastier.