Fake Meat Blues

I ate the veggie lunch meat a few times, and I can honestly say that I am not going to eat any more of it. Maybe I just got sick of it. I don't know. I think it is actually too much like real meat, and the thought of even eating it again is making me feel sick. I really don't need anything to replace the meat. I have plenty of other foods that give me wonderful, healthy protein.

Not that it wasn't tasty. I don't mean any kind of disrespect to Vegan Dad.

My favorite Cuban beans and rice recipe is on the menu for tonight. Along with some steamed broccoli.

I am getting paid on Friday and I am soooo excited to go buy groceries. How lame is that? I was thinking today that I am a pretty low-maintenance kind of girl. No makeup, no fancy hair styling or coloring, no expensive jewelry, and I get my clothes at thrift shops or on the clearance rack. Once I had a purse that I bought at a garage sale for 10 cents, and I used that purse for about three years. I save money in so many areas, including food, that I feel justified in buying the best ingredients, and trying out new foods as well.

Just no fake meats for a while.

Holy Cow I Did It!

A long time ago I read a post by Vegan Dad on his seitan lunch "meat" and went on with my life, never imagining that it would be something I could actually make myself. I don't know what it was that intimidated me so, but I figured since my last attempt at seitan went so well, maybe I could do this one as well.

EASY!
PEASY!

If you can measure, use a blender, and mix things together, you can make this stuff.

Funny note- His instructions said to use a blender to mix the beans, water and spices before adding the wheat gluten. Stupid me thought for some reason that I should use my food processor. After three seconds of that and wiping up the mess, I decided that it was pretty presumptuous of me to think that I knew more than Vegan Dad. Use a blender.

I rolled the dough into a log and wrapped it in foil like a tootsie roll. For the steamer, I used my bamboo steamer that I have never used before. I put water in my wok and placed the steamer with the seitan over the water, covered it and let it steam for an hour. The thing was, I had to add some water after a while. Then later I forgot about it and it ran out of water, and my wok had a big black spot on it and my house reeked of burnt wok and almost-burnt bamboo steamer. But all was well. It was ready for the oven anyway.

After it cooled in the refrigerator for a while, I sliced a couple of slices off and made myself a sandwich with whole grain bread and Vegenaise. Grace shared it with me, because she does not have the ability to eat her own food. It was DELICIOUS! I am betting it would be even better with lettuce and more veggies on it. Woo-hoo! I am Super Vegan Woman! I can do anything!

OK, not really. But, still. It was fun.

Yes, I am aware that my photo sucks. And I am aware that it doesn't look much like Vegan Dad's lunch meat. Those things just do not matter.

Seitan Worship

Yesterday I didn't have a lot to do, and I was feeling really good. I got really ambitious and decided to make myself some homemade seitan. I have never done it before; I had never even eaten it before. I was always quite intimidated by the whole process of making my own, which ended up being pretty easy. I used the recipe from VWaV, and it turned out perfectly. In this picture, the dough that I kneaded and sliced is simmering in the broth. I swear, when this stuff was done, it looked exactly like roast beef. The texture was chewy and meaty. But, thank goodness, it didn't taste like roast beef. It tasted wonderful. A new world of fake meat has opened for me, beyond tempeh and tofu. Think of the possibilities! I can stir fry it, make a sandwich, barbecue it...

I pulled a double-duty and made two meals at once last night. I made homemade hamburger stroganoff for the boys, and the Seitan Portabella Stroganoff from VWaV. My recipe turned out to just be okay. Nothing spectacular. But I have leftover seitan, so I am off to my favorite recipe sites to find out what is for supper tonight.

Faking It

I have no problem eating fake meat. It's much better to eat something that slightly resembles meat in texture and flavor than to actually eat a dead animal. I don't, however, eat a ton of pre-packaged veggie burgers, faux chicken, or veggie dogs. They are very heavily processed, and not the healthiest foods to eat.

Today is Grace's 4th birthday, and she requested chicken nuggets for supper. I was going to go to the store to buy her some, but she fell asleep on the couch and refused to wake up. I got hungry and found this recipe on VegWeb. Thank goodness I had those chickpeas in the freezer, huh?

I did cook Grace some popcorn shrimp that she likes, but my chicken-nugget-type-things were done first, and she devoured two or three of them. And they were yummy. Nothing like a chicken nugget, of course, but that is totally fine with me. They had a wonderful flavor to them. However, there were a few things I did not like:

-I fried them in oil, and that was not very healthy
-After eating several of them, I became sick to my stomach from all the oil
-I also burned my arm on splattering oil
-They became a bit chewy after sitting for a few minutes.

Not exactly a replacement for chicken, but a very nice chickpea patty or croquette. The thing is, right now I feel so gross that I may never make them again. Perhaps I will try baking them. I think I better make a cup of tea to help ease my stomach...