Americans are finally starting to come round to the idea that they should eat less meat. Depending on which part of your society you ask, you’ll find up to 31% of adults saying they’ll eat less animal products, as Oregon Public Broadcasting reports.
For many of these people, it’s more about conscious eating rather than a specific attempt to stop eating meat. To help, it’s useful to have a few vegan recipes in your back pocket that can help fill the gap.
Finding a vegan recipe that doesn’t simply use meat substitutes or processed products trying to be meat can be a challenge. However, with a little effort it is easy to make vegetables, legumes and pulses fantastic all on their own. Here we’ve got some great flavor pairings that won’t disappoint any vegan diner.
Beef and broccoli
Many of these recipes will help meat-eaters to explore the joy of the meals they perhaps see less often, and how powerful ingredients with less auspicious backgrounds can be. Take broccoli, for instance. Broccoli is the result of 2,000 years of careful selective breeding, resulting in a vegetable that can fulfill flavor, crunch, absorbance or any other quality needed for the plate. When paired with a meat replacement, such as beef, as featured by Clemson University, you can replicate favorite meals such as Korean beef and broccoli without ever having to use an animal product.
Hummus and lamb
As Taste Atlas highlights, hummus is already the most popular vegan recipe in the world. In its simplest form, chickpeas and oil, it’s creamy and punchy; add garlic, zaatar, or harissa to the mix, and you have a party. Pair with seitan or pea-protein based imitation lamb, or kleftiko, and you have a classic meal that will fulfill all of the flavor requirements it demands.
Chicken and macaroni
An American classic, macaroni and cheese with fried chicken will be served up at countless cookouts and stalls across the south. It’s a fantastic combination and, once again, can be achieved without meat. There are fantastic chicken replacements out there and, now, vegan cheeses that can even melt in the same ooey-gooey fashion that macaroni and cheese demands. With the use of additives such as sodium citrate, you can easily replicate the cheese-borne stickiness and silkiness of a mac-cheese without the need for actually going to milk.
More products are in the pipeline, too - from lab-grown meat to more sophisticated pea-protein based brands. Together, they will produce a fantastic plate for anyone looking to turn away from meat. A little less consumption, aside from helping the planet, will help in broadening your horizons and trying more delicious food.