Most meat eaters can not imagine giving up eating meat, what do you eat when meat is such a staple in every meal? This is the question I wondered too before I turned veggie. I didn't fancy eating pulses and vegetables every day, I didn't want to cook from scratch every day and I would miss my favourite meals like beef stew and lasagne. But meat was beginning to repulse me, I was starting to leave the meat part on my plate, I was gagging at the sight of a tube and crunching on residue bones in mince. I hated seeing veins in cooked chicken let alone handle slimey raw meat. It was really starting to click that these animals once lived, those veins once pumped blood around their body like ours do. How did they die? and how long had their rotting bodies been in the shop for and in our fridge? It was a disgusting thought and very sad. So I took the leap and turned vegetarian. I did stumble a few times when out, it took a year to transition completely but I didn't pressurise myself and I think that is the biggest tip for anyone who wants to try. Don't label it, just try it, eating less meat is a positive start.
The best thing about turning vegetarian is you can still enjoy those meaty meals you love but without cooking dead bodies. I use Quorn or own brand meat free alternatives which is often soy based, and honestly most people can not tell the difference once everything is cooked and seasoned. The best part about it all is that I am helping the awful meat industry slowly diminish. They supply in demand and if the demand is going down person by person, the supply is effected meaning less animals are being force fed, bred and killed for meat. Another massive benefit is health. SO many people are told by doctors to reduce their intake of meat, so may people say they feel sluggish after eating meat. It's so nice to not have that problem at all but still enjoy my faux meat meals as if I were still a meat eater.
Here are a list of my go to meals for some insight/ inspiration:
- Lasagne with quorn mince using my own cheese sauce and tomato sauce made from tomato passata, garlic, onion and vegtable stock cube
- Quorn/ Tesco vegetarian chicken nuggets, chips and beans (that cosy,lazy meal most of us love)
The nuggets taste exactly like chicken nuggets - I like that Isla (my daughter) won't miss out on that kind of thing.
-Spaghetti Bolognese with quorn mince
-Beef stew and dumplings with veg, pearl barley, tin tomatoes, bisto gravy for sauce thickening and salt, veg stock cubes and quorn strips which have the same texture as a soft bit of beef.
- Sausage sandwiches/ as part of a fry up/ sausages and mash - I use quorn and Linca Mcartney sausages which are both delicious and have a meaty texture
-Burgers - Linda mcartney Burgers are the best in my opinion, meat eaters have commented on how they were actually nicer than beef burgers.
- Shepard's Pie with quorn mince
And I've even cooked a caribbean dish using quorn mince and curry spices with rice, jonny cakes and sweetcorn.
Honestly, being a vegetarian is SO easy. Easier than being a meat eater. There's no raw meat to handle, no scare of anything being under cooked and everything is frozen. This is a big reason as to why I am raising Isla as a vegetarian as well as for the health benefits which are extraordinary. Plus I now see meat as perverse, I would hate for her to be conditioned to think it was a normal thing to consume meat like we all have, she can choose to eat it in the future but I will start her off as an empathetic vegetarian who knows what meat is before she chooses that path.
Why don't you try subbing meat in a couple of meals a week ?:)
Robyn x
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments