Thanks for sharing Freth. I can relate to a lot of what you wrote. I grew up on Morning Star foods and still eat them to this day. Do you have other brands you like for meat substitutes?
God bless and Happy Sabbath!
I grew up on Loma Linda (Worthington Foods) canned veggie meat, which are/were original SDA brands that used to be sold at the SDA book stores as well as the local grocery stores. These days you have to find a specialty store, order from Amazon, or directly from the company. I order from Amazon.
Of my Loma Linda favorites that I still eat to this day:
I get the 96 oz Big Franks can and separate the 30 hot dogs into baggies of four and freeze them. For Swiss Stake, 2 per bag, since 12 patties come in a can. Same for the others; I typically freeze most of the contents of the can, then pull out a baggie to thaw as needed. All of these have a unique taste and texture and are completely different from each other.
I buy mostly Morning Star on a regular basis at the local grocery:
- For hamburger/sausage recipes:
- Griller Crumbles (crumbled hamburger)
- Chorizo Crumbles (crumbled Mexican sausage)
- Italian Sausage Crumbles (crumbled Italian sausage)
- Corn Dogs
- Various patties, the best of which are the buffalo chik'n patties
- Chik'N Nuggets, which I'll make with tater tots
- Their pizza bites are good, but have a taste that's on the verge of being rank.
Other brands I've tried and like:
- Gardein
- A great variety of meat substitutes ready for recipes. Some even come with sauces. Their meatballs are great with spaghetti.
- Quorn
- Probably the best turkey substitute I've found. They have a turkey roast that's really good.
- Dr. Praeger
- Probably the best veggie burgers you can buy, but expensive.
- Lightlife
- Sausage in a tube, like real sausage, that I buy for my baked bean recipe.
The one I like the least:
- Boca
- Most of their food tastes bland to me.
Aside from these, I buy vegetables, beans, fruits and nuts and use almond milk for my cereal.
I've been on a Mexican kick lately. I've been making fresh-made guacamole. I just bought more avocados, limes and cilantro on Thursday for making more. I also bought some fresh tomatoes and onions (and peaches) from the local farmer's market for making pico de gallo. I buy tortillas and make burritos out of chili beans or refried beans, and other fixings. Simple delicious meals. I keep sauces on hand like sriracha and some Korean style "Bibibop" sauces to make veggie bowls and what not.
I make soups and chili frequently, as well as a baked bean recipe with veggie sausage. I buy dry mixes like Sloppy Joe and pepper gravy and use veggie burger to make sandwiches and open faced sandwiches, which I accompany with potato salad (for instance) from the local grocery.
My former church had a rich heritage of home-made vegetarian meat substitutes, so I have recipes that I make for oatmeal burgers, lentil loaf, cottage cheese loaf, etc.
Those are some of the veggie things I eat on a regular basis, but I try to mix it up and eat fresh, not just meat substitutes. I'll go a few days between eating the veggie meat, eating some homemade veggie concoction instead. I think what's key for vegetarianism is being able to pull from a menu of possibilities and be content with those flavors and meals.
Happy Sabbath!