5 Tips for Getting Started with Meat Substitutes
If you're considering making the switch to a plant-based diet, you may be wondering what to do about meat substitutes. Luckily, there are many meatless options available, making the transition a lot easier.
The great thing about pulses, beans, lentils, and peas is that they can grow with less water than their meat counterparts, even in dry places. Yet, they’re full of protein, vitamins, and minerals. They’re good for you, good for the planet, and as a meat substitute they are surprisingly flavorful.
1. Try New Recipes
It’s important to remember that meat substitutes can be used for a lot more than just veggie burgers. There are a variety of ways to incorporate them into your cooking. Instead of trying to recreate your family favorites when you first start using pulses to replace meat, try brand new recipes. As you get accustomed to the unique flavors, you can go back and experiment but when you first start, try new things so that you can enjoy the taste without comparison.
2. Open Your Mind
It can seem strange at first to replace meat with pulses. But the truth is, you’re going to love most of the recipes you cook because the texture and the flavors will be similar due to the high concentration of protein in pulses. Try to think of the meals you make in a new way so that you don’t feel as if something is missing. Because the truth is, on a molecular level nothing is missing.
3. Follow Proper Cooking Procedures
When you first start learning to prepare pulses, each type cooks differently. Learn how to make each type that you want to fix solo in the best way for that type. For example, if you plan to use chickpeas in a lot of recipes to save money, learn how to cook chickpeas outside of any kind of recipe so that every dish is made the best that it can be.
4. One for One
When using beans or lentils to replace meat in a soup or chili recipe, use a different type than already called for to add a diversity of flavor and color on a one-to-one basis. If your recipe calls for one pound of ground beef, you’ll want to use one pound of cooked beans to replace it. If it calls for one cup cooked meat, you’ll use one cup cooked and drained beans. It’s that easy.
5. Soak Your Pulses
Even if you don’t technically have to soak lentils, going through with the soaking process does more than you may think. You can reduce your cooking time, ensure that you experience fewer gas pains, and get the right texture based on the recipe that you need.
Since pulses generally have higher protein than meat, are low in fat, and high in fiber, you can be sure to be totally satisfied in every way from your meals prepared with pulses and without meat. The remarkable fact is that the flavors you can create using pulses are even more varied than what you can make with meat. Open your mind and start cooking. Your family and your heart will thank you.
