Vegan food choices and recommendations

[D821]

One thing I’ve noticed about a lot of pubs that have a vegan offering on the menu is that it’s very often some variation of a Sweet Potato Curry…
Has anyone else noticed that? Touch luck if you don’t like curry!

It always used to be mushroom Stroganoff.

 

[Kremlin Stooge]

Bah! Make your own, folks! Whilst I’m not a committed veggie or vegan I do like to experiment with keeping meat out of my diet. One tool I’ve found indispensable is a pressure cooker; it doesn’t half take the fuss and time out of having to soak and cook pulses for hours on end.

I make my own burgers out of various beans or lentils; once cooked I feed them through a (believe it or not) meat mincer, as I found this didn’t destroy the texture the way a blender can do, along with some cornflour and olive oil to help bind the burger patties for frying, also adding some chunked onion into the hopper, and seasoning like black pepper, paprika (chili if I’m feeling brave!), a bit of tomato puree, herbs etc.

It’s really just a matter of experimentation, try it yourselves, or there’s loads of recipes on t’interwebs.

 

[Meole]

Many of these fake meat alternatives have higher fat and salt content than their equivalents, just as sugar substitutes in puds are generally worse than the white death itself. Going to the basics and preparing yourself is clearly the healthier way.

 

[Gloster]

Quite a few years ago there was a Shock! Horror! expose in one of the papers that Linda McCartney’s vegetarian meals were loaded with fats. There was a bit of a subtext of ‘So go down to your local burger bar (no names supplied) and have a healthy lard and grease burger, you weirdos.’

 

[Cowley]

Many of these fake meat alternatives have higher fat and salt content than their equivalents, just as sugar substitutes in puds are generally worse than the white death itself. Going to the basics and preparing yourself is clearly the healthier way.

Yes I’d completely agree with that. We get a veg box from Riverford every week and out of all of the vegan meals we have I’d say that the soup Mrs C makes is probably my favourite thing (alongside bolognese actually).
We take turns cooking each evening and I’d really like to find the time to do the same as @Kremlin Stooge and make a bit more stuff from scratch. I did make a cracking curry with some of that ‘What the cluck’ chicken substitute and various vegetables the other day though. We got two meals out of that.

 

[Kremlin Stooge]

I’d really like to find the time to do the same as @Kremlin Stooge and make a bit more stuff from scratch. I did make a cracking curry with some of that ‘What the cluck’ chicken substitute and various vegetables the other day though. We got two meals out of that.

It’s not something I do every day, I find it’s something that works on a ‘batch cooking’ basis (and the burgers do freeze very well!). Sort of a time management thing; if my day is disrupted by, say, an inch of snow falling in Bristol and everything grinds to a halt, then it’s “Well,what am I going to do now? Ahh, I know...”

Edited to add: if I haven’t got any pressing model railway projects on the go, that is...

 

[Cowley]

Edited to add: if I haven’t got any pressing model railway projects on the go, that is...

Don’t you tempt me with your burgers, batch cooking and model railways!

 

[yorksrob]

Many of these fake meat alternatives have higher fat and salt content than their equivalents, just as sugar substitutes in puds are generally worse than the white death itself. Going to the basics and preparing yourself is clearly the healthier way.

I've come to the conclusion that I like the tase of salt and fat !

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

Bah! Make your own, folks! Whilst I’m not a committed veggie or vegan I do like to experiment with keeping meat out of my diet. One tool I’ve found indispensable is a pressure cooker; it doesn’t half take the fuss and time out of having to soak and cook pulses for hours on end.

I make my own burgers out of various beans or lentils; once cooked I feed them through a (believe it or not) meat mincer, as I found this didn’t destroy the texture the way a blender can do, along with some cornflour and olive oil to help bind the burger patties for frying, also adding some chunked onion into the hopper, and seasoning like black pepper, paprika (chili if I’m feeling brave!), a bit of tomato puree, herbs etc.

It’s really just a matter of experimentation, try it yourselves, or there’s loads of recipes on t’interwebs.

Definitely agree with a pressure cooker, I'd be lost without it! I'm surprised that they aren't more popular, but interestingly I know that in my local wholefood shop (where I am a Director/Volunteer) more people are likely these days to buy tins of beans rather than the dried version. I've just managed to entice one of my daughters into using one, although she grew up with a pressure cooker regularly on the cooker she was quite apprehensive...but now she has got used to it, she finds it indispensable. @Cowley...they're great for making quick soups with pulses and veg too!
I'm an avid burger-maker also, I tend to use Tahini for binding if necessary.

 

[Techniquest]

You are all so much better at doing vegan than I am! My lunch today was very lazy, with Garden Gourmet burgers for the main. Not sensible, nor were the biscuits, but it is all part of the process I'm undergoing to cutting down on processed food.

I've discovered today just how amazing the Wagamama menu is for vegans, me and two friends were meant to be going to another place on Wednesday but the first choice (a Turkish restaurant) doesn't really do vegan options. The second choice, a Japanese restaurant, is sadly closed the day we are meeting so we've gone for Wagamama. I've never been, but their menu has my salivating! Granted, it won't be cheap, but this could be the start of a new love for me as Wagamama are in many places I go to around the country. I've already got an idea of what I'm going to get on Wednesday!

As for cooking my own meals, I was meant to have been doing that by now but the laziness has yet to be converted into a passion for cooking. It'll soon happen, I'm sure, there are other priorities currently!

 

[GusB]

Has anyone tried the veggie bacon that Richmond does? I've seen it advertised, but I haven't plucked up the courage to try it.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

Has anyone tried the veggie bacon that Richmond does? I've seen it advertised, but I haven't plucked up the courage to try it.

Yep...just the once for me, it's fine in a toasted sandwich! Other half has it far more regularly and says it's good (must remember that I haven't had the real thing since the early 1980's, so I can't compare!)

 

[GusB]

Yep...just the once for me, it's fine in a toasted sandwich! Other half has it far more regularly and says it's good (must remember that I haven't had the real thing since the early 1980's, so I can't compare!)

Thanks - I'll maybe give it a go. I like my cooked breakfasts, and I've been able to get veggie substitutes for everything but bacon so far.

 

[Techniquest]

I've had vegan bacon in places before, generally it's a bit rancid and not worth having. I haven't had 'regular' bacon in a long time, but I still remember it tasting vastly different and better than 'fake bacon'!

 

[87electric]

Gregg‘s vegan sausage rolls are no healthier than meat ones. The statistics can be found by a search.
At least they don’t use hydrogenated fats in them anymore.
I’ve been vegetarian since 1969, you newbies are spoilt for choice these days, believe me!

 

[telstarbox]

For any kebab fans, Iceland do frozen vegan doner meat which is great in a pitta or wrap with the usual salad and sauces. Lots of other vegan gear in there too.

 

[Gloster]

When I was at school in the 1970s it wasn’t easy being a vegetarian. (It didn’t even occur to me to try as my mother would have no truck with anything but traditional English food. * ) At many meals the handful of vegetarians got a slab of cheese on a bit of lettuce with, possibly, a tomato instead of the meat part of the meal. Otherwise they just had to eat the same vegetables, soup, desserts, etc, as the rest of use with no thought to ingredients, cooking oils, etc. As this was a boarding school, I am surprised that they didn’t become badly ill: the only one I knew had packets and bottles of supplements. And of course they were frequently insulted, particularly by a couple of masters who equated vegetarians with untrustworthy lefties who probably wanted to destroy their privileged position. (I am not joking.)

In a residential college in Sweden in the early 1990s the lunches on a weekday were reasonable as there were a number of vegetarians. The evening meal and weekends, where I was the only veggie, were a bit difficult. After I got a meal consisting of a leftover salad with cheese grated on to it that had then gone in the microwave (it stank), I gave up and would just periodically collect a slab of cheese and a catering pack of Ryvita and have that for dinner. Not all in one meal!

* Just about the only excursion into more exotic food by my mother was pizzas when they were relatively new in the early 1970s. However, she believed that whatever the other toppings were, every pizza must include anchovies. She also managed to produce bases that were so tough that they probably wouldn’t even have been scratched if hit by a Polaris missile.

 

[W-on-Sea]

Phat make several kinds of vegan pasties and pies. Some I think are excellent - notably their two curry varieties, and the imitation steak one. And also "spicy mexican bean rolls" (which are kind of sausage-roll like in appearance). Some of the others I don't care for...

I've had much better vegan sausage rolls (can't remember the brand) at the ground of Forest Green Rovers FC than at Greggs, but was before the pandemic, I'm not sure they still stock them, but their legendary "Q Pies" (Quorn + leek + a light sauce) are absolutely fantastic.

 

[Welly]

Try making a chilli out of black beans, tomato and butternut squash - that tastes awesome and does not pretend to be meaty!

 

[Gloster]

I had one of Morrison’s own brand vegan pasties for dinner: they are not by any means bad, but are not very interesting. They will do for something to eat, but that is about it. N.b. I eat my pasties cold.

 

[Techniquest]

Talking of Morrisons, their vegan chocolate cupcakes are amazing Some of their stuff is not too bad, some of it is a bit meh. I do like the popcorn 'chicken' bites that are essentially like popcorn chicken but with soya instead. Really nice flavour to them, highly recommended and they go well with all sorts.

I've now tried some of the new additions to the Asda plant-based bakery range, the chocolate and the lemon muffins to be exact, in the last 18 hours. Not bad, not bad although I'd not buy them too often if I'm honest. The double chocolate cookies in the same range, I tried them last week thanks to a friend who wanted to try them too, they were good and unlike the Tesco version don't come in packaging that makes it look like it's come from an unpleasant source!

Also tried today was the Naked Japanese Style Katsu Curry instant rice pot. This was in the Asda free from section, and yes it is vegan. It's also surprisingly healthy, and it has a nice kick to it. I'll not go into how I was annoyed at it being marked up at £1 when it was actually £1.30 Strongly recommend this rice pot, it's full of flavour and ideal as a quick post-exercise snack or as a light lunch.

Sticking with the curry theme, occasionally I visit one of the European shops for flavoured herbal teas. I'm sure I can get them elsewhere too, but as I also really like some of the food in those shops then why hunt endlessly elsewhere? Point here is that one of my favourite purchases is the Sorella kokosowe, a coconut curry with mango. It also has things like carrots and lentils in it, and yes it is vegan. The smell on opening the jar can be a little strange at first, and it's not cheap at £1.69 but it's absolutely incredible Such a beautiful flavour, and it doesn't take long to heat in a saucepan. I had some yesterday, served in a bowl and added 2 lubielskie (think of them as a thick poppadom for lack of a better comparison) and ate it with those.

It's a meal definitely more suited to a lunch, I must say, but whenever you have it then the enjoyment is just fantastic. If you can't tell, I highly recommend it!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Feb 2022 ==

Quick post for now, I tried Pollen + Grace's Juicy Raspberry Granola + Chia Pot, got it from Co-Op before leaving Manchester. Highly recommended, what a great flavour!

 

[xotGD]

I've just tucked in to a Clive's organic gluten free vegan mushroom & leek pie. Nice. Plenty of filling and tasty. Pastry a bit crumbly, but I guess that's what you get with no gluten. And it isn't pretending to be a meat pie!

Available from Abel & Cole.

 

[Cowley]

I've just tucked in to a Clive's organic gluten free vegan mushroom & leek pie. Nice. Plenty of filling and tasty. Pastry a bit crumbly, but I guess that's what you get with no gluten. And it isn't pretending to be a meat pie!

Available from Abel & Cole.

Nice.
It’s vegan enchiladas for us tonight. Smells good!

 

[xotGD]

Nice.
It’s vegan enchiladas for us tonight. Smells good!

I should have mentioned especially for you - the pies come from Devon.

 

[Cowley]

I should have mentioned especially for you - the pies come from Devon.

Ah good old Clive.

 

[Ediswan]

I just tried a Pukka Pies "Vegan Minced Steak & Onion". It was fine, might even have passed for meat. The filling is soy mince. I have been happy to eat soy since the 1970s.

I did have to look up 'kibbled onion', it turned out to be dried onion flakes.

 

[yorksrob]

I've recently discovered that Marks & Sparks do a really good vegan BLT sandwich. It's called a "VLT" !

 

[Techniquest]

I recently tried the vegan Cornetto, oh my days that is good Highly recommended!

 

[Cowley]

I recently tried the vegan Cornetto, oh my days that is good Highly recommended!

We’ve had them and they’re damn good!
Personally I don’t like that gacky taste in the mouth that dairy based milks and ice cream leave (actually I don’t think they agree with me even though I rather like cheese), so dairy free alternatives like this are an improvement for me.

 

[Welly]

Hotel Chocolate sent me some vegan chocolate to try. These use nut milk rather than diary milk and so they taste like nutty chocolate.