Going back to being a vegetarian - ups and downs
Hello, I am new to this group but not new to being a vegetarian. My mom raised me as a vegetarian ( I still remember being 5 yrs old and her telling me that eating a hamburger is the same as eating our pet dog - I don't recommend that tactic). Since my mom didn't cook much we ate a lot of mac and cheese, fried egg sandwiches and the occasional fake hot dog. This was in the late 70's and 80's when fake meats were still in the cardboard tasting phase. Fake bacon - oh that was horrible. Fake hot dogs - awesome.
When I got older, I started eating meat - mainly because it was "new" and in defiance of my mom (dumb, I know). In college and law school I was too poor to eat much meat - maybe some ground hamburger once a month or so, plus I have never really liked the taste or texture of meat.
Then I married a carnivore - my husband was raised eating 3 meat courses a day, plus meat as a snack. Over the years, I began cooking and eating more meat. Trying to impress my husband with my culinary skills and providing him with delicious dinners, I began cooking pork chops, chicken and of course beef roasts. Our health has not improved as a result of all this meatiness. I did casually start to substitute meatless alternatives in his meals - Boca crumbles instead of ground beef in hot dishes or chili, Quorn chick'n patties etc. I have succeeded in having not only meatless meals, but whole meatless days for him without him really noticing.
So, because we are trying to eat healthier and be more humane we are re-assessing our food habits. It started with reading some blogs, Micheal Pollan's book Food rules, etc. When I mentioned becoming vegetarian to my husband last week, he had a full blown panic attack. It was that all or nothing that made him crave a steak, right then and there.
I realize now that by giving us permission to eat meat - as long as it is locally and humanely raised, no hormones, no animal diet, grass-fed etc, he is ok with that - takes that panic away from him. Since finding this type of meat in the local grocery store is impossible (thanks Big Food) and its very expensive at the Co-op (and my husband is kind of cheap), going meatless is going to be a lot easier.
The good news? There are so many meatless alternatives on the market now and they actually taste good. Plus there are more vegetarian cookbooks so finding recipes is easier. More and more restaurants have vegetarian dishes - you know real meals, not just the damn side salad. Also I know from experience that meat cravings do go away, after going meatless the texture of meat is foreign and it feels so greasy and heavy, so I know that in time my husband will feel the same way.
The bad news? I feel for years that I have been progammed to cook (and my husband to eat) a meal that centers around a main meat course and 2 sides - its what so many cooking magazines, menu plans etc focus on its hard to get out of that mental rut. Meat is cheap and easy - easy to throw some chicken on the grill or a roast in the slow cooker (this is why the humanely raised rule comes in - that meat is so expensive, we have to find a meatless alternative). I am not a huge fan of many vegetables - so I need to try more recipes and be braver in my eating. And finally meat cravings - bacon and steak are my husband's favorite foods - bacon wrapped steak is heaven for him. That is going to be hard to overcome.
The weirdest thing I crave - those Loma Linda meatless hot dogs in a can. Ate those growing up and now I can't find them anywhere. I can get a case on Amazon, but that's too much of a commitment.
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I say, "Why not?" and he says, "because it isn't real!"
So then I say "why won't you eat the real ones then?" and he says, "because of all the bad ingredients in it!"
He'd rather eat beans or something because it isn't pretending to be something else. I don't care--meatless hot dogs, sausage, burgers--it's all good. I've been doing this longer so maybe that makes the difference.
The "meat" balls are great in spaghetti and make a really yummy sub. I like their "chick" patties with tarter sauce and cheese (think McD's fish sandwich) and the nuggets are awesome with Bookbinder's cocktail sauce (it has heavy horseradish). I really don't like their attempts at sweet BBQish variations (patties, McRib thingies, etc.) or the "Italian sausage", but the regular links rock as a snack and are perfect in Bush's vegi baked beans. The "bacon" strips make an awesome BLT (I add sliced mushrooms and cheese) and the veggie dogs are the ONLY such creations that work well over an open fire. SmartDogs are close, but they split and I've lost a few to the pit. My youngest daughter likes the corn dogs with honey. I find the bread coating to be too sweet as it is, but hey, she's only 17.
Something to try with your husband: Get the refrigerated crescent rolls (check for lard), pull them apart and put half a veggie strip or a link on each one. Cheese is optional. Roll them up and bake them as per the crescent rolls directions (about 10 minutes at 350). I'm yet to find anyone who doesn't like those.
As for "Boca crumbles" or MorningStar's equivalent, I really don't like either, but the latter made a great sloppy joe. For chili and such we use bulghur (sp?) wheat, quinoa, or a combination of both. They add body and texture and are both really good for you. We usually cook it in a crock pot so you can just add them with all the other ingredients when you throw it together. Chunk-cut mushrooms are also a good texture addition.
If he really needs a wake-up call, get "Diet for a New America" by John Robbins (heir to Baskin Robbins). It's about half nutrition-based and half ethics-based and it's the book that made us go veggie in '89 (we read it together). For recipes, all of the Mollie Katzen books (starting with "Moosewood Cookbook"
are excellent and Laura Robertson's "Laurel's Kitchen" is full of great recipes and nutritional information. They were my staples in the early days. I never use recipe books now unless it involves baking (which is very much a science). Speaking of which, join the "Cooking and Baking" group and just throw out questions.