A question for the VEGETARIANS!?

Question

Well it's happened. I can no longer justify eating another (formerly) living creature. I've had issues for a long time with eating meat...I've never thought of it as food as much as I thought of it as the animal I was eating.
My question is--I make a lot of dishes with ground beef...and now I need a substitute. I've only tried one meat substitute in my life, and that was a hot dog...and it was horrible. Mushy. I can't tolerate mushiness.
Is there a ground beef substitute that looks and feels like ground beef? Also, what is the most meat-like non meat burger patty?

Answer 1

Veg. patty made with boiled potato, boiled mix vegetables, seasoning amd bread crumbs and fried crisp.

Answer 2

For the mince side of things quorn mince and vegemince are pretty good . Quorn is not vegan though. If you are not a vegan then quorn or Linda McCartney brand burgers are similar. Veggie burgers made from seitan (wheat protein) are also good I had some nice vegan ones but I can't remember the brand. My pal 'H' an answerer on here is an expert and he is a long term vegan. E-mail him and he will give you some great alternatives to beef.

Answer 3

congrats on your decision. I use beans or lentils in place of ground beef. There are some small black french lentils that hold up well. I can't do the fake meat, as I am allergic to soy. I no longer miss meat at all. Portabello mushrooms are a great meat sub too, and I grill a whole one and eat it like a burger

Answer 4

Boca and morning star farms makes a great ground beef substitute. There are lots of veggies that can used in place of beef too depending on what you are making.

Answer 5

Boca Soy Crumbles. The would be in the freezer section of your grocery store. They look exactly like ground beef. I cook mine with garlic and onions and add them to recipes like normal ground beef. It fools my parents all the time. They never realize it isn't meat until I tell them, and they are hardcore meat-eaters.

Answer 6

Gimme Lean is very much like ground beef. Just don't buy the "sausage" flavor. It's SUPER salty.

http://www.lightlife.com/gimmeleanbeef.html

I also use Soy Taco for sloppy joes and spaghetti sauce.

http://www.nowcasting.com/~elburrito/soytaco.html

El Burrito also makes some tasty fake sausages.

http://www.nowcasting.com/~elburrito/sausages.html

Extra firm tofu makes a reasonable ground beef substitute. You just need to flavor it up a lot.

As far as burger patties, I just love portobello mushrooms. They make for great burgers.

Answer 7

Morningstar Farms (and I'm sure other companies) make burger crumbles, which simulate ground beef in texture at least. Morningstar also makes a very beefy tasting patty.

Answer 8

I use a lot of TVP, found in most grocery and health food stores. I also like the MorningStar products. They have veggie crumbles that are easy to use. I think those could replace your ground beef.

Answer 9

I eat a lot of Quorn, it tastes kind of like meat, and it's very nice. I also eat red kidney beans, chickpeas and lentils. Well done for choosing to be a vegetarian! I gave up meat for the same reason as you.

Answer 10

Morningstar products are really good... they have veggie crumbles that I use in a lot of things, like lasagna.. mmm.. :) I make chili with it as well, and they can be used for anything that you use ground beef for..

Morningstar's site: http://www.seeveggiesdifferently.com/
Crumbles: http://www.seeveggiesdifferently.com/product_detail.aspx?family=366&id=324

Their burgers are also really good, I like the prime veggie burger.. http://www.seeveggiesdifferently.com/product_detail.aspx?family=363&id=325

Answer 11

Yves Veggie cuisine has ground beef that is excellent.
It's spicy and the texture is just like the real deal.
You can buy it at Safeway and usually your local grocery stores.