It's All About Flavor: Vegetarian Food vs. Meat & McCormick Seasonings

When starting out and on the road to being a vegetarian it really is all about the flavor and not losing that. My husband is one of the hardest people to get to eat a meal without meat but I have successfully accomplished that! Start out small. One great way is to buy the McCormick Grill Mates Seasoning. You can buy it to flavor steaks, chicken, or hamburgers. Try Getting the Boca Burgers in the "Flame Grilled Style" (You can pretty much pick this up from any Wal-Mart store.) Throw them on your skillet with a little oil and season both sides with the Hamburger seasoning you purchased and cook until done. Last few minutes of cooking, add your cheese to melt on top. Mike, my husband actually ate it and liked it with no complaints! The idea is that these seasoning don't have any meat, they are just herbs that people are used to cooking with for different meats. Therefore, you are just adding some of the familiar flavors that people really desire. Face it, Meat really doesn't taste all that great if it isn't in any way seasoned. It's just a yucky dead animal. Something to think about!

How to make vegetarian Ground Beef

Okay, So you want to make that family meatloaf recipe, spaghetti, or hamburgers and think you can't have it anymore because you aren't eating meat? Well, Think again! Here is a basic recipe with gluten flour to make your most loved dishes that would call for ground beef.

1 C. Vital Wheat Gluten flour
1 C. Water (or flavored broth)
seasonings for the water (if not using broth)

In a large pot bring about 16 oz. of water to a boil.

In a bowl, mix water and seasonings together. Your seasonings can be anything. When I first started I would make a strong broth with boullion flavored chicken, or beef depending on what I was making.

Once you have your flavored water prepared mix in the vital wheat gluten flour until blended together.
Take 1/4th piece of the gluten and squish it between your hands to make sure to get extra water out. Then pat into a flat strip and place in boiling water. Do this with the rest of the gluten.
Let simmer 30-40 minutes covered. Gluten will double even triple in size!
After it has cooked let it cool down and then put into a proccessor, or chopper and lightly grind. Make sure to check every few seconds to make sure the grandules are the size you want them.
Your Done! Use the ground gluten beef in anything that would call for it. You can cook it, brown it on stove top and even freeze it as it will keep for a long time!

Let me know how you like this recipe! My husband didn't know it wasn't meat until I told him!!! =)

Welcome!

Hi! I would like to personally welcome you to my blog. It doesn't matter if you are vegetarian or you are looking into being a little bit healthier, this blog is for you. Here I will be posting yummy recipes and tips for those who are meat eaters trying to eat better. I grew up vegetarian actually, vegan on and off. Then, in my teens I was on my own in the world and started eating meat. It was simple and everyone was doing it. Recently I found out that it wasn't so simple unless you are buying fast food. People may think that it's cheaper and easier to buy meat but actually I find it to be the other way around. My husband eats meat and I am trying to go completely vegetarian. My Parents and all my siblings but one (my brother) are vegetarian and have been for many many years. They have absolutely wonderful recipes and I will be posting some of theirs on here to with there permission of course. I hope you enjoy this blog, comment, and ask any questions you might have!