Any veggie food recommendations?

[Amyw Profile]

Was looking around Tesco’s today and the vast range of veggie/vegan foods around now is great , but also difficult to know where to start .

So far Id recommend quorn sausages , very herby and my mum said she wouldn’t be able to tell the difference , Sainsbury’s do a veggie chorizo flavoured sausage which is really nice and I like the Oatly milk/ cream . Also had some quorn picnic eggs which were nice for lunch .

Obviously cooking from scratch is the ideal but just looking for some things for the freezer and new ideas to try out , if anyone has any experience , warnings , or recommendations

[smitch Profile]

I really like the ‘This Isn’t’ chicken style pieces from Ocado or Holland & Barrett. Someone on here recommended them. Vivera chunks, burgers and shawarma pieces are also good, can buy them in several supermarkets.

The Chinese supermarket near my office does amazing ‘Tofu King’ spicy tofu, really good for stir fries. Their plain tofu is also much better than supermarket stuff.

My omni OH loves Quorn southern fried bites and Linda McCartney burgers. Fry’s hot dogs and sausage rolls are popular too. He also really likes the Quorn escalopes and the fillets topped with cheese.

Finally, I can buy a couple of types of black pudding. I prefer the VPud one, it’s lovely mixed into mash and fried on patties for breakfast.

I really hate Veggie Deli/ V Bites stuff. Not keen an a lot of quorn stuff either although some items are good.

[Mrs Vee Profile Website]

I don't like any of the Quorn stuff, which is a shame because most shops stock more of that than anything else.

We really like all varieties of Linda McCartney sausages and their 'pulled pork' burgers. I don't like their sausage rolls though, a bit greasy... so I make my own from a tweaked nut roast recipe.

Sainsbury's frozen veggie mince is good for shepherd's pie and chilli - I tried 'Meat the Alternative' veggie mince which I really didn't like, it had a strange texture!

I seem to have gone off tofu lately, don't know why, but I still love Taifun Smoked Tofu with Almonds and Sesame - it's great in a sandwich or chopped into a salad bowl.

Absolutely love Higgidy pies, although they're a very rare treat because I can't justify the calories!

[Binky Profile]

I think that was me recommending the This Isn't Chicken. I took a pic of the packaging and posted it here.

The Quorn sausages are very versatile. We fry as normal, but also make veggie toad in the hole, a sausage casserole (a simple version of cassoulet) and best of all my recent conversion to homemade veggie sausage rolls. Quorn has a recipe website which is darned useful. I have the book originally published ages ago, and the website has built on that.

[scullion Profile]

we tend buy/eat
-quorn sausages, mince and fillets (they work out cheaper than the chunks and can be cut into chunks or strips and take up the flavour of other things reasonably well. not overly impressed with the bacon version - not a patch on the morningstar streaky strips that are no longer available in this country.
- linda mac sausages - not the chorizo and red pepper version, it isn't very strongly flavoured to my mind so i make up my own version of chorizo/sobrasada with sosmix,
- the afore mentioned sosmix is good for making sausage rolls, scotch eggs or anything else you would use sausage meat/forcemeat for.
- seitan (gluten based) is another thing that i make but you can buy it in tins in chinese supermarkets as 'mock duck' (i think that's the name) it used to be sold, tinned, in health food shops as 'meatless steaks'.

mostly, though, i make things from scratch.

the protein substitutes have come a long way since protoveg (although that, too, is still available).

[Amyw Profile]

Lovely thanks for the suggestions so far

[Binky Profile]

This was my dinner tonight in the hospital. A lovely vegan coconut, lentil and chickpea curry. Delicious (and if tarted up with some fresh coriander and mango chutney, you would swear that it was homemade).

[Otterspocket Profile]

When I eat meat free it tends to be made from scratch stuff like veggie curries rather than ready meal type products , one reason is that quorn causes me to have awful stomach cramps. I did used to like the Linda McCartney pies but find them too greasy nowadays

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I don’t generally buy these things either, but I have often found that ready made veggie lasagne and cannelloni are excellent, but the meat varieties less so

And of course there are all sorts of veggie filled pasta that are good and can be frozen and cooked from frozen

Not gluten free though.

[scullion Profile]

quorn causes me to have awful stomach cramps.

you, me, my sister-out-law, and a couple of other people i know.
they seemed to have changed the recipe a couple of years ago because before that it was fine.
we don't eat it very often, not as often as my partner would like - it doesn't effect him in the same way.

i haven't eaten ready made lasagne, etc, for a very, very long time - maybe it's got better but the ones we had been given to eat (i've not bought them) have been rather weak; not very good sauce, lacking in cheese and mouth appeal.
i think we were the only vegetarians at a wedding (oh my gosh, thirty years ago!) and we were given an obvious, ready meal lasagne (in a posh hotel in clifton). it was almost an insult to call it a lasagne. it may be the reason i've never bought them.

lidl have some rather good, two in a pack, vegetarian 'wellingtons' and 'parcels' in their frozen cabinet sometimes. should be in now - as it's coming up to ch....massssss!

[Amyw Profile]

Sue as I don’t have endo , I’m not on a gluten free diet anymore thank the Lord !!! Eating an occasional piece of fish but mostly veggie .

Your hospital meal looks nice and nutritious Binky . I always find it ironic how hospitals that are supposed to promote healing , usually have the least nutritious menu ever !!

I’ll have to investigate Lidl for possible Xmas mains . I was thinking of just having a couple of sausages with the usual accompaniments but will be nice if there’s something a bit more festive on offer

[jeral Profile]

Hi. Pre-prepared frozen veg (saves ages standing hunched over), especially as you like soups. Some fresh ones take little prep anyway, so make those to freeze on "good days".

Ones I buy are: frozen chopped leeks (Tesco's are better than Picard), baby or sliced carrots, spinach brickettes, petit pois, cauli florets (but not broccoli), bell pepper squares (usually mixed colours), chopped ginger. Bird's Eye Steamfresh microwave packets might still be on special offer.

McCain's baked spuds have generally good reviews on here.
Powdered mash in a packet is handy for super quick veg or fish patties.
Ready-rolled short and puff pastry for the freezer.

In prepared food, my main problem (aside from myriad ingredients) is sheer cost for what you get. Veggie quiches are usually quite good as are pasta tortellinis. I'm not keen on vegetable lasagnes as the fillings aren't nice to me including some being over garlicky. Pasta sauces are often veggie anyway.

My vegan friends eat fake meat and the duck is usually first to be eaten. Smoked tofu is fave for tasty panfried chickpea/onion/pepper. Brown rice (nutty taste) is good with those.

[scullion Profile]

i forgot to mention tartex - a yeast based paté/spread, that comes in a tube, like toothpaste, the classic is nicest, to my mind.
it's a good 'meat paste' substitute to put in sandwiches. you can get similar patés made by granose, in small tins.

[DEB Profile]

I also do not use fake meat but cook a lot of veggie meals. I generally start from a base of those cultures where meat is not eaten or rarely eaten. Eg Indian, Northern Africa, and med areas.
So things like chickpeas, curried or with aubergines in a bake, mixed with spinach or even falafel or veggie burgers.
Lentils go in ragu, dhal, fritters, soup, in veggie curry.
Not all pasta dishes use meat of fish eg sicilian aubergine, pine nut & raisin fusilli , Pasta alla Norma, etc
I could go on forever, hope this give you a few ideas.

[DEB Profile]

Hi

I forgot to say that many of these dished I make in bulk and frezze for later use.

[jeral Profile]

Yes, to extra portions to freeze (and label!)

Also, almost all home made sauces can be thinned with bouillon or stock cube & water for soup. Can always add in any bits and bobs hanging around or more herbs or suitable spice.

A clove or two in white soups like mushroom is one I tend to forget about, although I do count cloves in so I know how many to fish out.

Talking of mushrooms and bought things, you can buy little perfectly formed button ones in a jar in a brine (so long shelf life). I bought "Smak" brand (Polish) from one of the major supermarkets. It has a polish subtitle "Pieczarki Marynowane".

[Badger's Mate Profile]

I've been referred to as a 'closet vegetarian' because we often have veggie meals at home or choose the veggie or pesky options in restaurants. I generally don't like meat substitute products, if ordering the 'veggie breakfast' in a hotel I always omit the sausage. I don't dislike the veggie cutlets or burgers that are either bean based or variations on bubble and squeak. The cauliflower cheese grills are nice, as are Glamorgan sausages. Quorn or soya products don't do it for me. I like tofu and paneer in Asian dishes. There's a tin of mock duck in the cupboard that needs using up. It was bought for a Ching recipe that hasn't been made yet.

[Lusciouslush Profile]

I have to ask don't I - what's mock duck....?

[smitch Profile]

Mock duck is made from seitan (wheat gluten). Looks a bit weird out of the can!

[Sakkarin Profile]

Homemade seitan, courtesy of Sunflower!

http://sunflower-recipes.blogspot.com/2 ... eitan.html

EDIT: I've got 500g on the go - I hope ot works, otherwise that's 15p down the drain.