How to eat less meat

[fashionista-ta]

^ What is your mercury situation like?

I heard RFK, Jr. speak the other night & he was saying he had his mercury levels tested and they are 10x the level considered 'safe.' He was told if he were a woman and had a child, the child would be mentally affected by his mercury levels--not maybe, but definitely (less 5-7 IQ points would be about the best case scenario). It's all from coal pollution--it was really chilling. He also mentioned autism and Alzheimer's being linked to mercury.

Basically all the fish in the US is affected.

 

[mellowdrama]

Small fish lower on the food chain, like sardines, tend not to concentrate mercury at high levels such as larger fish like tuna, swordfish, yellowtail. Here's one guide, I'm sure there's plenty more online:

http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/sushi.asp

 

[xbryony]

I'm trying to eat less meat purely because as much as I would love to be able to buy organic steaks and chicken breasts to cook with, I cannot afford them in the first place and as I am a student cooking for myself, some sometimes goes to waste if I can't use the whole pack in 24 hours or something silly.
I was wondering if anyone could help me with some options. I tend to need a well balanced meal to fill me up, I'm not the kind of girl that could feel satisfied off a spinach and mozzarella salad alone
I like to make chicken fajitas with wholemeal wraps, filled with cut up chicken breast and sliced peppers cooked with some fajita spices then put in the wraps with salad and salsa. However as I can't afford to buy chicken all the time I was wondering if anyone could offer an alternative that won't cost the earth but will fill me up and give the same effect?
Living in London is so god damn expensive for everything - I have to save where I can.
I've never ventured into the whole tofu thing, maybe I should do some research on that. I have no idea what it is, how it tastes, how to cook it or what to eat it with... does anyone here use it often?
Also one of my Indian friends' mum is vegetarian and my friend constantly goes on about how amazing her 'chilli paneer' is. Is paneer another versatile meat substitute?
Sorry for such a long post, this thread is great though

 

[sarehak]

I eat tofu every now and then & it's basically like a sponge. Initially it is bland, seeing as it's made from soy. Whatever you cook with it, it will absorb that flavor. My mom keeps it simple and basically sautes it with spices, cayenne for example, diced onion, garlic & maybe some scallion for color. You can look online for many tofu recipes.
It's one of those things that may need an acquired taste. I grew up eating it so I've grown to really like it. Try it out, you may like it.

 

[harrietcamilla]

I'm trying to eat less meat purely because as much as I would love to be able to buy organic steaks and chicken breasts to cook with, I cannot afford them in the first place and as I am a student cooking for myself, some sometimes goes to waste if I can't use the whole pack in 24 hours or something silly.
I was wondering if anyone could help me with some options. I tend to need a well balanced meal to fill me up, I'm not the kind of girl that could feel satisfied off a spinach and mozzarella salad alone
I like to make chicken fajitas with wholemeal wraps, filled with cut up chicken breast and sliced peppers cooked with some fajita spices then put in the wraps with salad and salsa. However as I can't afford to buy chicken all the time I was wondering if anyone could offer an alternative that won't cost the earth but will fill me up and give the same effect?
Living in London is so god damn expensive for everything - I have to save where I can.
I've never ventured into the whole tofu thing, maybe I should do some research on that. I have no idea what it is, how it tastes, how to cook it or what to eat it with... does anyone here use it often?
Also one of my Indian friends' mum is vegetarian and my friend constantly goes on about how amazing her 'chilli paneer' is. Is paneer another versatile meat substitute?
Sorry for such a long post, this thread is great though

if you put mushrooms in instead of chicken and still add plenty of spice it doesn't taste to different for the fajita option and maybe add salad as well. basically the more vegetables you use the less you notice the lack of meat.

 

[TommyGirl]

There are some big environmental reasons to forgo meat, even if you're satisfied with the quality of the meat available to you.

Enviromental reasons are what I include in "questionable ways to produce meat". Actually I think that if you hunt it down and eat it, it is the best way to justify eating meat. I have used to eat quarry, but of course it is seasonal. When it is not available I should not eat meat, imo it is the most ecolocigal way. Unfortunately this doesn`t always come true in my daily life.

Meat production is huge, and who knows how much goes to waste anyway. If everyone just would be satisfied with lesser meat, not eating it everyday and so on, I believe organic farms would do wonders for enviromental issues.

edit: I know your quote wasn`t referring straight to me, but I was just talking about that above you

 

[amazingGrace]

I'm trying to eat less meat purely because as much as I would love to be able to buy organic steaks and chicken breasts to cook with, I cannot afford them in the first place and as I am a student cooking for myself, some sometimes goes to waste if I can't use the whole pack in 24 hours or something silly.
I was wondering if anyone could help me with some options. I tend to need a well balanced meal to fill me up, I'm not the kind of girl that could feel satisfied off a spinach and mozzarella salad alone
I like to make chicken fajitas with wholemeal wraps, filled with cut up chicken breast and sliced peppers cooked with some fajita spices then put in the wraps with salad and salsa. However as I can't afford to buy chicken all the time I was wondering if anyone could offer an alternative that won't cost the earth but will fill me up and give the same effect?
Living in London is so god damn expensive for everything - I have to save where I can.
I've never ventured into the whole tofu thing, maybe I should do some research on that. I have no idea what it is, how it tastes, how to cook it or what to eat it with... does anyone here use it often?
Also one of my Indian friends' mum is vegetarian and my friend constantly goes on about how amazing her 'chilli paneer' is. Is paneer another versatile meat substitute?
Sorry for such a long post, this thread is great though

obviously you can use Quorn pieces, but they aren't always that much cheaper than buying meat. try adding beans to the vegetable/spice mix - it bulks up the food, is super filling and great for protein. It's quick as well; literally just tip the beans into the pan along with the vegetables. Plus, beans are very cheap - Sainsbury's basics kidney beans are less than 20p a can, and a can will easily go for 2 or 3 meals . For a little extra protein (if you aren't vegan) try adding some plain natural yoghurt or greek yoghurt or goat's milk yoghurt to your fajitas (a big pot of Sainsbury's basics natural yoghurt is less than 50p and can be used in loads of other ways as well; swirled into pumpkin or root vegetable soups, as a topping on jacket potatoes along with some broccoli and cheese, or with berries and a swirl of honey mixed in for a yummy dessert)

Another good and cheap thing to buy is textured vegetable protein; also available in Sainsbury's for about 99p a box which again has 2-3 servings worth. Use it in spaghetti bolonaise, chilli or any other recipe in palce of using mince/ground beef. It smells a bit like a soggy Weetabix when you prepare it, but once it's gone into your food you won't even realise you aren't eating meat.

I was pretty much 90% vegetarian when I did my degree purely for cost reasons, so trust me I understand this struggle

 

[fashionista-ta]

I'm trying to eat less meat purely because as much as I would love to be able to buy organic steaks and chicken breasts to cook with, I cannot afford them in the first place and as I am a student cooking for myself, some sometimes goes to waste if I can't use the whole pack in 24 hours or something silly.
I was wondering if anyone could help me with some options. I tend to need a well balanced meal to fill me up, I'm not the kind of girl that could feel satisfied off a spinach and mozzarella salad alone
I like to make chicken fajitas with wholemeal wraps, filled with cut up chicken breast and sliced peppers cooked with some fajita spices then put in the wraps with salad and salsa. However as I can't afford to buy chicken all the time I was wondering if anyone could offer an alternative that won't cost the earth but will fill me up and give the same effect?
Living in London is so god damn expensive for everything - I have to save where I can.
I've never ventured into the whole tofu thing, maybe I should do some research on that. I have no idea what it is, how it tastes, how to cook it or what to eat it with... does anyone here use it often?
Also one of my Indian friends' mum is vegetarian and my friend constantly goes on about how amazing her 'chilli paneer' is. Is paneer another versatile meat substitute?
Sorry for such a long post, this thread is great though

Agree with what others have said ... portabellas cost more than chicken, so they're not much help. You could try regular mushrooms ... I think you can make a good vegetarian fajita. I like to get the different colors of peppers (but the non-green ones are more expensive).

You could sub cheese for meat and do a quesadilla ... or beans and do a burrito. If you really need to save money, cook them from scratch. I always do that for quality reasons--and for some reason beans from a can just seems so lazy to me I buy onions and sometimes other vegetables precut, so don't ask me to explain ...

Personally I despise tofu I just hate the taste and texture. I've continued to give it a chance every few years, and my opinion remains the same But many people of course love it. A restaurant might be a good place to try it ... a dish that others recommend. If you like the texture, you're home free. You just can't depend on it for flavor like you can meat, because it doesn't have much of its own.

Here's a recipe for paneer, which leads me to believe it's similar to ricotta ... http://www.indianfoodforever.com/basic-preparations/how-to-make-paneer.html

For chicken, I generally always buy tenders rather than breasts because they're cheaper (and more tender ). As far as quantities, find a butcher where you can buy what you want in exactly the quantity you want from the case. I love being able to buy just two or three strips of bacon, or three chicken tenders--exactly what I want and no more.

 

[Stylish Chick]

I like meat but I do try to limit it in my diet for many reasons. I do like cooking vegetarian foods! My sister came home for Christmas this year and her new boyfriend is a vegetarian we decided to cook a big vegetarian dinner and it was delicious! We had things like spinach salad with pomegranate, sweet potato/carrot soup, baked bread and more!

 

[Belowen]

I have been eating less and less meat lately. I don't know why I just seem to be opting for vegetarian choices all the time. I have been having salad rolls for lunch (with avocado in place of chicken or tuna) and eating a lot of bruschetta and fresh salads.

I tried cooking up tofu with a stir fry once and it tasted like a foot so I haven't been brave enough to go back. I'm not sure if I had the wrong sort of tofu, or the recipe I was using wasn't the best... I might try some in a restaurant one time, to see if I like it when it's cooked properly.

 

[Drusilla_]

.
I've never ventured into the whole tofu thing, maybe I should do some research on that. I have no idea what it is, how it tastes, how to cook it or what to eat it with... does anyone here use it often?

I love tofu in Chinese food, but some people really hate it- it's basically bean curd, practically tasteless on its own. If you're going to use it, I recommend seasoning it and using other vegetables with it- and some people really hate the stuff, so try out a little bit somewhere- maybe at a Chinese restaurant- before you buy the raw stuff.

Also one of my Indian friends' mum is vegetarian and my friend constantly goes on about how amazing her 'chilli paneer' is. Is paneer another versatile meat substitute?

I'm Indian, so I can tell you paneer has a texture that's not entirely unlike tofu, only it's less silky/smooth. I suppose you would use it as a meat substitute, it's a dairy product so has proteins. Mushrooms or soy are probably a better meat substitute though. In any case, there are lots of vegetables out there that don't have a meatlike texture but will fill you up well anyway. And if you can cook, try cooking lentils- it's healthy, and can taste good.

 

[nijuyanah]

God, I'm so proud - I already managed to live meat-free now for about 2 months And everything's going so great! I don't even crave for it anymore.
Not too fond of Tofu and all the other products you can have instead of meat though, so I just try to have my protein-intake by eating fish but as I'm lately obsessed with all sea-food anyway that's not that hard either I'm even trying out vegetables I didn't even know they exist haha.
Can only recommend it to everyone!

 

[fashionista-ta]

I have been eating less and less meat lately. I don't know why I just seem to be opting for vegetarian choices all the time. I have been having salad rolls for lunch (with avocado in place of chicken or tuna) and eating a lot of bruschetta and fresh salads.

I tried cooking up tofu with a stir fry once and it tasted like a foot so I haven't been brave enough to go back. I'm not sure if I had the wrong sort of tofu, or the recipe I was using wasn't the best... I might try some in a restaurant one time, to see if I like it when it's cooked properly.

Like a foot

I have definitely had it in a restaurant where it tasted good, but the texture was so weird I'm sure it doesn't help that my mother used to buy it day-old I have an issue with white things that have just a little (bad) taste ... tofu, cauliflower ...

Good for you, Belowen!! Love avocado. My grocery store has a guacamole bar where you can have it customized the way you want it, and then they also sell it freshly made from their recipe. So sometimes I will make a meal of guacamole and chips or tostadas ...

 

[Belowen]

I have been making guacamole about 5 times a week It's so easy to do, here is my recipe if anyone is interested in trying it out...

1 avocado
1/2 large tomato
1/8 red or salad onion
1 clove of fresh garlic
1/2 medium lime
sea salt & cracked pepper to taste

peel and de-seed the avocado, put it in a bowl and smush it with a fork (technical terminology here, lol)
de-seed and finely dice the tomato, garlic and onion, mix through the avocado
squeeze the lime juice over the guacamole mix
season with salt & pepper to taste

I've been eating it with organic corn chips. Such a delicious lunch!

 

[Drusilla_]

If you're ok with eggs, I definitely believe they're a good substitute for meat- and cheaper, too. It helps that they're nutritious (skip the yolks if you have cholesterol problems though).

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Barring some weird hereditary thing, though, if you're watching your meat, etc. intake, you shouldn't have a cholesterol problem

 

[Drusilla_]

^ I guess the median age of this forum isn't likely to have cholestrol problems! . But some people also like to skip the yolks because of the fat (not me, though). Eggs are basically the H&M of food- they're cheap, they go with anything, and even if you break one you can always get another.

 

[tigerrouge]

In terms of cholesterol, people need to keep an eye on their consumption of trans fats, which are likely to be more disruptive to the body's systems than any naturally occuring saturated fat. Trans fats are mainly of plant origin, and a vegetarian diet can still lead to eating high levels of them. There's no point in someone leaving that nutritious yolk on the plate if they're also eating biscuits, cupcakes, crackers, pizza, takeaway french fries...

 

[sarehak]

Oh also, some packaged products like Ramen noodles for example, say they don't use trans fats but if you look at the ingredients you may see that they use hydrogenated oil, which is essentially the same thing as trans fats.

 

[Melisande]

Tofu nerd mega post

Eggs are basically the H&M of food- they're cheap, they go with anything, and even if you break one you can always get another.

Bwahaha, eggs=H&M!
Gotta love tFS

I've heard doctors say that two eggs a day is fine, as long as you avoid meats & dairy fats and trans fats.

By the way, what's with all this tofu-bashing here ??
I must admit I've never liked storebought tofu outside of Japan though.

Try and make your own fresh oboro (zaru) tofu with untreated organic soy milk or soybeans and nigari, find a good restaurant that does it, or if you're lucky and they sell this near you, get this:

http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2009...manhattan-sunrise-mart-soho-east-village.html

Their insane website (music warning
http://otokomae.com/index_jpn.html?1

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Otokomae-Tofu-Inc/117962837552?v=wall&viewas=0#!/pages/Otokomae-Tofu-Inc/117962837552?v=info

It will change your life. I like their blue "Surfer Johnny" or Ken one.

Good silk tofu is like eating a soft cloud, disappearing on the tongue and lighter and silkier than the most delicate panna cotta. When the tofu is top notch, I can even eat just with good sea salt, or even as dessert drizzled with maple syrup. Traditional condiments are scallions, bonito flakes, fresh grated ginger, chopped shiso, and good quality light soy sauce (not "tamari").

One good way you can eat the hard "cotton" type of tofu available in supermarkets worldwide, is tandoori-style. Marinate bite-size pieces thoroughly in your choice of tandoori marinade (more or less curry spices and yogurt), dredge in flour, and fry/sautee until crispy. You can scatter fresh coriander leaves on top and serve atop saffron rice, maybe with cucumber raita.

For steaks and stir-fries, don't use the tofu as is, deep fry it first.
It makes such a difference, it's worth it IMHO.