That Other Non Meat Quorn

 With all this ado about Impossibemeats we sometimes forget the riginal non eat quorn.It's a surprisingly good sub in for chicken and has the same taste and flavor. It's perfect for all kind of chicken dishes.

I saw the quorn cutlets and thought why not.It's different and a change up from all those nuggets and burgers I cooked throughout the summer. Quorn started in the 1960's. decades before Impossible meat was even created. It's basically a microfungus( a kind of mushroom)  which can convert carbohydrates into micro protein.

What is exciting is that they're in the shape of chicken breasts. That means you can do anything with them//

I decided to go French and fancy with them .they're first cooked in olive oil. use about two tablespoons of a light oil (you don;t want a heavier oil with the sauce) This is Stop & Shop's..

As for the sauce I wanted a light lemony French influenced one. 

Add two tablespoons  of juice or freshly squeezed lemon juice.(I used Walmart's Great Value brand  which is very good)

The add a good heaping tablespoons of butter or plant based butter like Earth Balance or Melt.

Add two to three grinds of fresh pepper(I used Lidl's brand) for a bit of zing Cook for three minutes over a medium flame.

I paired the cutlets with the Little Potato Company s' potatoes. To me this looked and tasted more like a fancy restaurant meal than just a quick summer Friday dinner. I love this quorn cutlets. It has the taste and mouth feel  of real chicken .It was really a great dish and I loved the sauce with it.I plan on using the quorn cutlets in making chicken Parmigian in the future.

Consider quorn instead of the usual plant based meats. It tastes like the real thing and can be used in all sorts of dishes. It's the perfect vegan dish.

The Meat Crunch

 It's no secret that our groceries have gone up in price. The worst is the price of meat. A simple pack of coldcuts is close to ten dollars. Lamb chops are almost twenty dollars for a pack of four in New York City.Is it the time to embrace plant based meats? 

The answer is yes. They're somewhat cheaper than the real thing and way more healthier for you and the planet. These days there are many choices and recipes so you and your family don''t have to miss any animal protein, I recently discovered Rebellyous Foods that specifically deals with plant based chicken.

I air fried these tonight and to be honest they taste almost like chicken. The nuggets were even juicy  with a moist inside and a crunchy exterior. I'm looking forward to trying their tenders and patties.They;re mostly soy as the Morningstar Farms ones. If you want more variety with faux poultry then go to Gardein. They have great tasting chicken strips and wings, complete with sauces. They also have turkey cutlets which come with gravy and taste exactly like the actual bird. Both Rebellyous and Morningstar Farms can be bought for under five dollars at Walmart.

It is a hard time for beef eaters and even plant beef ones too. Right now Beyond Beef is on the same price par as beef however there are less expensive alternatives.Try Quorn which is one of the rare non meat products no derived from soy, It;s made from a fungus, Fusarium venenatum. A pack of four patties is only $5.79 for four (about a $1.45 a burger - much cheaper than any fast food offering). there is also the long standing favorite Morningstar Farms which has a pack of four for $4.59. Their bacon is a dollar more but two or three dollars cheaper than pork bacon. Another plus about Morningstar Farms bacon is that it crisps up perfectly, providing the right amount of salt and crunch. It's perfect in BLTs and accompanying a tomato and mayo sandwich. As for fish, Gardein is your best bet. Again go to Walmart for their fish filets that cost less than four dollars for a package of four.

It is tough times for everyone. Meat lovers have it the worst. Yet they can switch over to non meat products and save a few dollars. That's a good thing these dsys,

What Do I Eat Today?

It hits everybody, foodie and food hater alike. What do I eat today? Sometimes we just hit that culinary wall. We've tried almost every cuisine. Our favorite foods and eateries have all been done to death . Our taste buds have gone on holiday. What to do? One, it's time to think outside the box. Try cuisines you normally wouldn't. If you've gone through every Italian and Chinese dish in your favorite restaurants, then head over to your nearest Mexican or Indian. After all it's the same ingredients but they're done differently. If you go mad for diners then drive a little out of your way and try a new one. Go on line and look up restaurant reviews within a reasonable driving distance. You may just find a new favorite Another doldrums zapping thought is trying new brands when you grocery shop. Don't go whole hog right away but get a new brand every trip or every other trip. I did this with yogurts and found that I liked the Greek style ones with ewe's milk better than the American cow milk kind. I also discovered some good vegetarian brands and different meat alternatives. I went from soy to quorn , just by being daring. Do the same. Vary your diet for a more interesting and more delicious experience. Everyone gets the blahs and that includes our taste buds. Excite them by going 180 with your eating . Try that new restaurant or pick up abrand that's always intrigued you. Be daring with you food choices!

Quorn Star

If you're tired of eating soy then there's another vegan alternative quorn. It actually tastes better and is just a slow calorie and animal friendly as any of the other meat substitutes. Best of all it comes in a variety of cuts . Quorn enables you to have everything from a fancy dinner party to a backyard barbecue.

This meat alternative is nothing new. it was created early in the 1900's as a meat sub for both humans and animals.Its' real name is the scientific sounding microbial biomass and its' primary ingredient is yeast. It's a fungus, in some ways similar to mushroom, and has high amount of proteins. Scientists predicted it would be the food of the future in the 1960s, with them envisioning this in every household by the 1 980s. Today it;s sold under the name Quorn and it's actually not bad. There have been some reports and even tests that the stuff can bring on nausea and stomach problems however there have been very few reports of this. I've eaten it and it's been fine for me.

Eating Quorn is kind of like eating regular meat. It shares a similar chewiness and the chicken patties along with turkey, tasting like the real deal. You could easily fool people with it. Quorn also comes in meatballs (perfect with pasta and one of the few non meat products to come in this form) and ribs. The cutlets come either flavored or plain. I've had the plain, spiced up with Sylvia's lemon pepper spice and they turned out to be crispy and tasty.

If you're tired of soy or just tired of meat in general, then try Quorn. It's a tasty alternative that can be made a variety of ways. Try it with pasta or simply on a bun. You'll be amazed at it.

Ash Wednesday Time For Changes

Today is Ash Wednesday in the Christian calendar. it;s a time when most give up their favorite foods or even necessities like butter and milk. It;s a season of fasting however it's may also be a time to look change dietary ways.

Most people usually give up some food that they love for Lent. Some even go vegan which is a good idea. This is the time to explore other options, such as soy and quorn. Once you've given up faves like bacon or burgers you can look into the soy alternatives which taste the same and are good for you. (let's face it we all will crave the foods we give up.)These are great subs if you;re completely dying for bacon and eggs or just a nice grilled cheese burger. If you're giving up dairy and butter, then then are also soy made alternatives. Not only is there soy milk , but also almond and rice. As for butter there is pure coconut oil to cook with and the old standard margarine.

For those of you who have given up sweets, think about the alternative - fresh fruit. This is the time to become reacquainted with bananas , apples and oranges. Instead of craving a Hershey's kiss , think about a nice , juicy, iron rich grape. If you feel like ice cream,. then then eat a fruit yogurt which has plenty of calcium but little calories. You'll also feel better too because you're eating fiber and protein as opposed to allergy inducing glutens. Forbidding yourself that piece of cake never felt so good - or so right. too

Lent should be the time of fasting and repentance but it can also be a time of rediscovery. Giving up the bad means eating healthy. You may just change over to this lifestyle year round.