meat substitutes vegetarians

As a vegetarian I have tried almost every product on the market to replicate meat in my dishes. I enjoy creating dishes that are similar to their original meat-containing counterparts especially since my husband is not a vegetarian. There are many products that taste bad, have a bad texture, or simply do not hold up in recipes.

If you're a new vegetarian (or vegan!), you may want to try experimenting with vegetarian meat. Vegetarian meat is usually a store-bought frozen or refrigerated food made from soy, gluten, vegetables or a combination of those three main ingredients. The vegetarian meat is shaped, prepared, spiced and colored to resemble real meat.

Don't know what to use in place of meat in your favorite recipes? There are now widely available alternatives to just about every type of meat, including chicken-, pork-, fish-, and beef-style products. Plant-based meat substitutes have come a long way in both taste and texture since the days of the first veggie burger, thanks to the growing popularity of vegetarian diets.

While there's no denying that meat is a primary source of protein for many people, it's not the only option out there for home cooks. Whether you're cutting back on red meat for health reasons or have opted to follow a vegetarian diet in order to reduce your carbon footprint, today there is a great variety of alternative protein sources that you can even rely on when preparing typically meat-centric dishes, from burgers to chilis.