Tried Quorn, and it's okay but not really worth the price so I'm gonna just do meals with no meat or meat substitute one day a week, focus on vegetables. Instead, I'm trying to wean myself onto mushrooms for protein but the texture is kind of weird, anyone know a good way to make that less noticeable?
I think if you google 'how to make mushrooms less rubbery' you should get a lot of tips, a lot of people aren't huge on the typical mushroom texture. From what I remember, letting them dry out a lot more than you think before cooking can help, I think if you can get your hands on varieties besides the usual storebought there are some with different textures as well iirc beans and nuts can be good protein sources as well, if you just can't with the mushrooms!
personally, i very much enjoy smoked tofu if you can have it (and get it), it's usually firmer than the other stuff, and goes well in like, salads.
Beans and nuts can also be ground into variously textured pastes, and mixed into/spread on/dipped into by other things! If you're a paste hater like me, but don't mind flavors, peanuts, almonds, and cashews make great sauce flavors in stir fry without Goop Issues( I say so grudgingly but still sincerely) Also, hummus :?c Sorry to not answer the original question, I like rubbery squishy mushroom
Rubbery parts of mushroom are kind of okay if unnerving but the gills are gross. Maybe if I just keep eating it it'll click, took me a few tries for fish to work. It's weird because it's sort of like biting into meat but with no juice.
mmm i don't like gills either, always gives me the shivers when i'm cutting them up.. luckily i don't notice them after cooking, but i mostly use mushrooms in like, thick sauces (mostly stroganoff tbh) and i dice pretty thoroughly so i don't get any straight-up mushroom bites
speaking of, i consider it a mid-spoons recipe, but it is only 2 pans max, so if curious, here's my extremely vague home stroganoff recipe: you will need: some butter or oil about 1/2 package mushrooms! (whatever mushrooms, i'm not picky) beef! (i usually get the cheapest cut in the store, probably stew meat? it'd probably be nicer with nicer stuff) 1 onion! or more if you want! salt, pepper! what amounts?? I literally never measure beef bullion/stock... like 2 cups when prepared with water or so? 1-2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup 1 dollop sour cream egg noodles instructions: cut up your beef, mushrooms, and onions. I always cut up raw meat and put it in the pan, clean the workstation, then cut the rest of the things because i'm extremely scared of getting the bad bacteria everywhere. stark cooking that beef, in some butter or some oil like a normal person.. when it's cooked through and you feel like it won't give you food poisoning, add the mushrooms and onion in and get them cooking! this is usually when i'd put in garlic salt and pepper, if I didn't already put them in with the beef. in the middle of these steps, at some point, you will want to boil some water in a separate pot and boil your egg noodles. i never know when i should do it so just.. do it when it won't make you anxious, the sauce can simmer however long you need it to when the onions and mushrooms are cooked as much as you like, get your beef stock/bullion stuff and add it to the pot! It'll be maybe half of your total liquid volume, so just judge how much sauce you want on your substance today to measure it, honestly.. I just pour in until it looks good to you, you'll figure it out, if not this time, next time! then, add the can of condensed cream of mushroom soup. stir it in slowly and keep on medium-low heat until it bubbles again - it'll take a while to mix, just give it some patience. if it's looking thin you can add another can probably! that's what I do when i use too much stock in the previous step, but I like things very high in sauce content so most people will probably prefer just one. when it's all mixed, add a dollop of sour cream! it adds a nice tang, i just taste it after mixing in the sour cream to figure out how much i want to put in. You can probably serve right away, I let it simmer a few minutes so I can imagine I'm letting it thicken, especially since I usually haven't finished the noodles by this point congratulations, you now have delicious mushroomy beefy cream stuff! devour it.
Just like regular beef but very very tough and chewy. Soak it in water with some baking soda, apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice to soften it up first.
My main thing with mushrooms is peeling the "skin" off the top XD i know you wash them but I still dont love it XD also sometimes the skin bit gets slimy. Also. Mushrooms have protein? I had no idea. Thought they were a carb or some weird fungus "other" food group
Some non-button/chestnut/portabello (they're the same species) shrooms have no gills! You can get them dried on Amazon, and they can be a little pricey - as well as the fact you have to soak them ahead of time which can be a faff - but I feel like they're worth it. I really love jelly ear/wood ear mushrooms in soups and stews. They usually come in like Chinese packaging and expand WAY more than you think they will. They've got a nice mild taste and a really satisfying texture? Like, I'd hestiate to call the texture meaty, but it's a bit like tofu or some ways of cooking egg in that your brain goes 'hmm yes this is a Protein I am appeased' in a way it really struggles to do with legumes. I'm probably explaining it badly, but I hope it helps :)
I like beef stroganoff but am limited in how much cooking-from-scratch I can do, so I buy prepared pasta stroganoff and add a few store-bought meatballs from my freezer. Add a dollop of sour cream, yes. Knorr has it under "Pasta sides" (about $1.50) and Amazon has another brand, Bear Creek, which is tastier (a larger package, enough for two meals , around $6 per package if you can buy a six-package deal. Add meatballs to taste.) I bet yours is better but this is easier!
My mom buys beef from a local farm and is happy to share, so whenever I want hamburger helper I can go get some ground beef from her :) I couldn't find the flavor that's stroganoff with potato slices at my Kroger though :(
< I couldn't find the flavor that's stroganoff with potato slices at my Kroger though :( > I think the only kind Knorr makes has noodles rather than potatoes. There are stroganoff mixes (haven't tried), just seasonings, and you could probably use potatoes insteead. Those seasoning mixes tend to use a lot of salt, though.
Keurig hack if you have one and are so completely tired/out of spoons you can't even wait for water to boil: most of the predetermined output sizes will perfectly fill a ramen cup to the water line if you can experiment. The biggest cup size on a name brand Keurig will perfectly fill a standard ramen cup, just cover and wait for it to cook. I don't have a kettle so this is extremely helpful for me when I must calories but no food/energy/money
Reminded myself of this one while in the food fight thread just now - tin of strong fish (sardines or mackerel) in tomato sauce with plain crackers. It's become my favourite zero-spoons-but-not-too-bland meal recently - open tin over paper towel to save sheets from splatter, use fork to break up fish in tin, scoop with crackers until empty and licked clean. Bonus round, add fruit for dessert. Not too bad on the nutrition scale, nicely filling and mildly enriching for anti-brain weasels.
