I have developed a recent aversion to red meat and chicken, so that rare bleeding chunk is not calling to me.
Yeah, go ahead, start the heresy trial. This is Free Republic, home of the proud, nay, devout, carnivores.
OTOH, I still crave vegetables that are “meaty”, that fill and satisfy and have some chewiness and umami to them.
Experimental successes, in past couple of weeks:
Portobello mushroom burgers. Just cook a big mushroom as you would a meat patty. Add your toppings, which could include a meat patty, I suppose.
General Tso’s cauliflower. Toss cut up cauliflower with peanut oil, then with corn starch, fry it up in a hot heavy pan with generous amounts of oil. Serve with General Tso sauce, cilantro, scallion and rice. (Oven frying with just the initial oil toss did not work - had to transfer it to that hot skillet with oil.)
Szechuan eggplant.
Balti paneer, with stir-fried potatoes, onions and grey squash, cumin and nigella seeds. Paneer is Indian cheese that doesn’t melt, high protein low fat. Grey squash is like zucchini but much better, more nutty, less watery. And admittedly paneer is not a vegetable.
There are recipes on line - I adapt according to my tastes, what ingredients I have on hand, and how much effort/time I want to spend.
Thanks for your ideas. I’m always looking for new ways to do vegetables.
I’m not a big fan of red meat myself - though I do crave the Great American Cheeseburger frequently. But I’m married to a very red-blooded guy who wants his ‘slab-o-meat’ every day.
We have an arrangement: he generally cooks the meat dishes, and I cook the veggies and other sides, and desserts.
-JT
thanks for the suggestions. I have a vegetarian daughter, and we meat eaters struggle with coming up with something we will all enjoy.