I am the top cook in the house and also the primary grocery shopper. With a goal to work only with whole foods, it's rare that I buy anything overly processed or with too many ingredients. I like to cook and serve tofu -- but I stay away from Tofurkey. I am not interested in meat substitutes -- they have too many ingredients and are generally loaded with salt. Even organic ingredients can't make up for a high level of sodium. Sure I could work with textured vegetable/soy protein to make vegetarian "meatballs," but I prefer real food.
Mushrooms are, in my humble opinion, one of the best meat alternatives out there. If you are cost conscious, you will often find the larger white mushrooms which are intended for stuffing at the lowest per pound price as compared to other mushroom varieties. The nice thing with that size, is you can cut them into healthy chunks that are sturdy and tasty enough to use in place of a meatball. For me, there is a big difference between a substitute and an alternative.
My dinner tonight was spaghetti and red sauce with big hunks of mushroom, topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. The cheese also adds extra protein and is "meaty" in its own way. I'll have to admit that I was lazy tonight and used Cento Sauce Italiano from a can. It doesn't have very many ingredients, mostly just tomatoes. If you are looking for a nutritional meal that is cost-effective and nutritious, I don't think you can go wrong with spaghetti and a red mushroom sauce.
I've never eaten meat so the idea of a meat substitute never figured in my diet although I can see the attraction with people who've only recently become vegetarian.
ReplyDeleteI love mushrooms but nutritionally there's no value in them. I always add lentils, grated carrot and chopped peppers to my pasta dishes. xxx
There are enough trace minerals and fiber to make it worth my while, at least!
DeleteIt looks good, too. I would enjoy this, but please don't try giving it to my sister. She absolutely, positively hates mushrooms. When her daughter got married and they were looking for places to cater the event, she told them she didn't want to see any mushrooms, even as an embellishment.
ReplyDeleteGood things she's not an elf!
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ReplyDeleteI am a meat eater but I can forego it in cases like this. I love "chunky" sauce too, so mushrooms, peppers, and zucchini work well for me. Looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteI have a hard time getting TBG to eat a red sauce with chunky veggies, but he likes mushrooms. However, this meal was all mine!
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