On NPR radio it was discussed how the meat and chicken industry is detrimental to the environment and may not keep up with feeding the world's growing population.
Technology may save the environment by investing in meat alternatives to "turn soy meal and other vegan ingredients into a finished product that mimics chicken meat"

[www.npr.org]

[beyondmeat.com]

Sure the raw food purist will never try it, for one thing it is not raw, and the taste may keep you wanting to eat the real meat.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/03/2015 04:45AM by RawPracticalist.

I am 'comfortable' at this time in my life at about 80-90% raw foods, and do occasionally have a cooked meal. Beyond meat is good, but I prefer Gardein. I was an ova-lacto vegetarian for 16 years before going mostly raw. Soy meat replacements never made me want to eat real meat (then again, I went veg for ethical reasons). I loaded up on the faux soy products for about the first year I was a veggie but discovered too much soy had negative effects, so I never ate much long term. Maybe once or twice a month I'll have a soy meat substitute, as I have been doing for years.Brands I avoid are Boca and Morningstar Farms, as they are full of terrible preservatives and additives.

Kiwibird Wrote:
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> I am 'comfortable' at this time in my life at
> about 80-90% raw foods, and do occasionally have a
> cooked meal. Beyond meat is good, but I prefer
> Gardein. I was an ova-lacto vegetarian for 16
> years before going mostly raw. Soy meat
> replacements never made me want to eat real meat
> (then again, I went veg for ethical reasons). I
> loaded up on the faux soy products for about the
> first year I was a veggie but discovered too much
> soy had negative effects, so I never ate much long
> term. Maybe once or twice a month I'll have a soy
> meat substitute, as I have been doing for
> years.Brands I avoid are Boca and Morningstar
> Farms, as they are full of terrible preservatives
> and additives.

Kiwibird, have you ever made your own soy products? That's what I used to do.
Homemade tofu, etc., tastes WAY better and fresher than store bought and you can be sure there is nothing GMO in it.

I do make soy milk, but lately have been doing raw 'sprout milks' instead to include more sprouts in my diet. I never learned how to make meat substitutes with soy, but did learn to make a reasonably good substitute using vital wheat gluten and flour. I'd be interested in learning how to make tofu though, especially as my omni husband continues to eat a more and more plant based diet. I do think substitutes help new vegetarians and vegans (or those just reducing animal products) transition easier.

Kiwibird Wrote:
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> I do make soy milk, but lately have been doing raw
> 'sprout milks' instead to include more sprouts in
> my diet. I never learned how to make meat
> substitutes with soy, but did learn to make a
> reasonably good substitute using vital wheat
> gluten and flour. I'd be interested in learning
> how to make tofu though, especially as my omni
> husband continues to eat a more and more plant
> based diet. I do think substitutes help new
> vegetarians and vegans (or those just reducing
> animal products) transition easier.

One thing you can do for your husband, if you make your own tofu, is incorporate meat seasonings right into the batch. DIY is also very versatile in that you can make it any firmness and consistency you want. For instance, if you freeze your tofu it will become much more "meaty" and dense.

It is also easy to dehydrate either into slices or crumbles which have a long shelf life without taking up fridge space. You can also use other beans in the tofu to mix with the soy beans or use alone. And, of course, you can sprout the beans before you process them. I used to do that a lot.

These days you can get electric soy milk makers which also work for making raw milks. I bought my soy milk maker before I was raw, though, so I can't use it for myself. If you make a lot of milks the automatic makers are well worth investing in for the time they save. If I had one that worked for raw milks I would use it instead of my VitaMix every time.

I actually do have a soy milk maker. It heats up though and I don't think there is a setting on it to make raw milks (it's a Joyoung). I do still use it, just not as much as I used to. I make my sprout milks in the blender. I have a stainless tofu press too. I've been experimenting trying to make raw "meat" substitutes using the press and dehydrator, but have yet to hit upon a good one that has a good flavor and consistency. I haven't had too much luck with "gourmet" raw foods in general. Salads, smoothies, soups, spiraled veggies or just eating them as nature made them seems to be what I do best with raw.

Though adding flavorings directly to tofu is a really good idea. My hubby might really like that. Any recipes for that?

Kiwibird Wrote:
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> Though adding flavorings directly to tofu is a
> really good idea. My hubby might really like that.
> Any recipes for that?

Well I was never going for a meat flavor so I don't have a recipe for that but maybe try some A1 steak sauce or herbal mixes made for chicken. I'd also freeze the tofu for the dense texture and flavor change that gives.

One thing I'm experimenting with now is dehydrating my raw soups to use for concentrated powdered flavorings. You might want to try doing that for your tofu. I've never read about anyone else doing this but, for me, it's working out surprisingly well.

That's a really good idea (dehydrating soup)! I might have to 'try' your idea Could make for really delicious dehydrated sweet potato chips or on zucchini noodles.

Kiwibird Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That's a really good idea (dehydrating soup)! I
> might have to 'try' your idea Could make for
> really delicious dehydrated sweet potato chips or
> on zucchini noodles.

Go for it! I make the soups really thick so they dehydrate faster. While the patties are still flexible I roll them up so when they are done I can keep several of them in the fridge door in a qt Ziplock bag so they are always handy and visible for later recipes.

I tried it when I was still eating more cooked - and occasionally processed- vegan foods. It was the best faux-meat I've tried so far, but as far as splurges go I still prefer tempeh, tofu, or seitan. I think it's good to be flexible, especially socially. We don't have any raw food restaurants here, but we do have alot of great vegan options and I am definitely not going to settle for a pesticide-laden salad if I can have a nice veggie dish instead.