[ad_1]
It is widely held that vegetarian meat substitutes like vegetables and fruits, surpass their processed counterparts like seitan or wheat gluten and soy meat. This is, to a large extent, shaped by a growing awareness of the irreplaceable natural goodness of whole foods, no matter what your tastes may dictate.
Besides, the way mushrooms are structured with their caps and stalks, seems to indicate they are designated for the cooking pot. Not all mushrooms, though.
Nevertheless, there is no gainsaying the fact that the Portobello, shiitake and oyster mushrooms make perfect vegetarian meat substitutes. The meaty texture of mushrooms is more palatable than fibrous meat; they never get stuck in your throat all the time.
Portobello Mushroom Meat Substitutes
For instance, Portobello mushrooms are hailed as the ‘steak of the vegetarian world’, as they are low in fat and calories, but rich in minerals, vitamins and fiber. Moreover, nothing beats having a portobello sandwich or burger for a dose of good health. A beautifully simmered miso-portobello gravy is delightful – in fact, with portobello, good eating never ends.
Shiitake Mushroom Meat Substitutes
As for the versatile shiitake mushroom, it is a substitute for ‘real’ bacon in almost any recipe. It tastes equally great in sandwiches and salads. Rich in iron, B vitamins and fiber, this woodsy-scented mushroom can shore up your body’s defences against cancer and heart diseases.
Oyster Mushroom Meat Substitutes
Further, oyster mushrooms serve as vegan pulled pork in sandwiches. Rich in protein, and plentiful in B vitamins, they have no cholesterol, because of its cholesterol-lowering lovastatin. Thus meaty mushrooms can take the place of meat, as they are both filling and healthy to boot.
Jackfruit Meat Substitutes
An instance where a fruit doubles as a meat substitute is that of the green jackfruit, which is pulled pork for vegetarians. It is low in fat and calories, and high in B complex group of vitamins and fiber. For barbecue pulled pork, jackfruit is first marinated in spices and then simmered in barbecue sauce until it is tender, falling apart easily. Meanwhile, boiled jackfruit seeds, when peeled, taste like nutty meat.
Eggplant Meat Substitutes
Nutrition-wise, the eggplant is like the jackfruit. However, it boasts a purple skin that is packed with phyto-nutrients; so eggplants should never be peeled in cooking. Cooked eggplants have a meaty, spongy texture as in a recipe of ‘steamed eggplant with garlic and soy sesame oil’.
Lentil Meat Substitutes
Then there are the red, green and brown lentils that make such hearty, meaty meals. Rich in folate that prevents you from strokes, lentils should be first soaked for a few hours and then cooked with onions and garlic before being added into the rice cooker to be cooked with rice.
On the other hand, there is a much wider range of beans for you to choose from. Black, kidney and pinto beans make for hearty soups; chickpea, cannellini and white beans, for stews; while, red, black-eyed and mung beans, for delicious sweet dessert soups.
Vegetarian Sources Of Proteins
In fact, mushrooms, when combined with broccoli and corn, will make a complete protein. As for the jackfruit, it shows that fruits can also be another good source. To a lesser extent, you can look to the eggplant for some proteins; while lentils and beans forge well ahead as good protein champions.
However, whole foods like these bring multiple benefits as they also contain vitamins, minerals and fiber.
Hurray for vegetarian meals!
