Cooking for a meat-eater - any suggestions?

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking around these forums for a good while, but this is my first post, so please forgive me if I do something wrong!

I'm a vegetarian, but my dear boyfriend is an omnivore. Food isn't really an issue between us (and please, no commentary on my dating a meat-eater. I love him, and that's that for me), as we eat out a lot. However, the pounds have slowly started to creep on over the last few months and I want to reverse the trend before it gets worse.

My question is this - what in the world do I feed him? I want to introduce him to my type of food, mostly so we don't have to cook separate meals. He eats a fairly limited diet, and tends to be wary of new foods, but is willing to try them because it's important to me. He's not a bean lover - at least he thinks he isn't, I believe I *can* change that over time.

I'd like to start with meat substitutes for him, I just don't know what kinds anyone has fed to a meat-eating friend/spouse/partner/parent and had success with. I love things like Tofurkey deli slices and Boca patties (though I rarely eat them), but I long ago forgot what meat actually tastes like. I know I'll never get an actual identical substitute - just something not too "vegetarian" tasting that'll ease him into meatless eating.

Any other ideas would be much appreciated, I know I can't be the only person in a situation like this.

Thanks in advance!

I actually made Quorn chicken breasts (contains egg though...) for my guy once - long time ago - and I just told him it was a chicken caesar salad and he didn't say anything at all. Then at the end... "What did you think of the chicken?" "It was good, why?" "Well... it wasn't chicken!"

I mentioned this story before once on the forum and people started saying how wrong it is to trick someone, blah blah. I understand that argument but my guy openly asks me to surprise him with new dishes and not tell him anything until he establishes whether he likes it or not so that he doesn't make any assumptions right away.

Oh... and one day he came home and told me he had gone to Burger King and tried their veggie burger and he said he was surprised how good it was. I think veggie burgers are good for meat eaters because if you put all the other ingredients people use in burgers, you are less likely to miss the meat. I also use a lot of vegan ground beef because it is so versatile. You can make burritos with it or just add some tomato sauce, a simple saute...  

 I have since then focused on giving him the same vegan meals I eat instead of making something vegetarian for him. In the past two weeks, I have tried about 10 recipes and the only one he didn't like was a seitan stew. The ones he loved all included tomato sauce, juice, diced tomatoes, etc. He simply loves tomatoes to begin with so he loved those recipes.

Find something that your guy really likes and try recipes that work with it. My guy loves beans, but I used to hate them. I now like them after getting used to them in soups. I think that was the best way for me to get used to it because if you make a hearty soup, you rarely taste the beans on their own. Then I started eating them with rice, and now I can eat beans on their own.

Long reply... hope it helps though. 

I'm in the opposite boat--I'm the meat eater and my boyfriend is the vegetarian.  However, he's a great cook and I don't miss the meat when he makes food.  He's indian, so it's alot of indian recipes, which are mostly vegetarian anyway (search for Indian recipes, you'll get a ton).  I also introduced him to tofu, which he liked alot.  I just made a stirfry and crumbled it up--he didn't even know it was there!  He's fed me those Boca Burger and Morning Star and I like them too.  I did not like Tofu hot dogs b/c they were too rubbery for me.  There's also this soy chicken substitute they sell in Asian markets which is sooo good.  I think it's just called Soy Chicken and it's usually in the section where they sell tofu, no packaging, just styrofoam wrapped in plastic.  I just slice it up, cook it with edamame, mushroom, and celery, some soysauce, and it's done.  I've learned to love vegetarian and I'm sure your boyfriend will too since he's willing to try.

Good luck!

Here is a very simple (and yummy!) meatless recipe that my boyfriend LOVES, and he is definitely a carnivore. :)


Black Bean & Rice Burgers

1 cup cooked rice
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 tbsp salsa

Mash black beans with a fork, potato masher, or food processor.  Mix in rice, onions, and salsa.

Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray, or brush on a thin coating of extra virgin olive oil, and heat over medium-high heat.  Using 1/2 cup of mixture for each patty, flatten them onto hot skillet with a spatula.  Cook 4 - 5 minutes per side, or until lightly browned. 

Serve on your favorite roll or bread, or by themselves.  Garnish with avocado, sour cream, salsa, cheese, or anything else you like.

Makes 4 "burgers."

hello, i'm a vegetarian too (and have been for almost 15 years for ethical/animal rights reasons) but my boyfriend is a meat eater.  luckily for me, he's very open for trying new foods and i do get him to eat a lot of vegetarian meals (although when we go out and he's got some pork or steak calling his name i can't do much!).  i buy a lot of the "fake" soy meats.... morningstar is our favorite.  he actually likes the hot dogs enough that he eats those on his own now on a regular basis.  you cover them in ketchup, mustard, saurkraut, whatever else and it hits the spot!  he also really likes the chicken subsitutes... have you tried the morningstar meal starters? they make "meat crumbles", "chicken strips", and "steak strips" and we use those often in our meals... you can use the meat crumbles in tomato sauce to make it just like if it was a meat sauce.  also, they are FANTASTIC in burritos!  the meat crumbles, with salsa, cheese, lettuce, some taco seasoning, wrap it up and he was devouring them.  i make the steak strips and just add some A1 seasoning to make it taste a little more meaty.  another favorite is the morningstar breakfast sausage patties... i've actually encountered a lot of meat eaters who will eat these.  they're alittle milder then regular meat breakfast sausage but that's actually a good thing for a lot of people.  one thing i've noticed is that the vegetarian meats don't fill him up as much as if he was eating meat, so i do end up buying and going through it very quickly.  but it's definately worth it to not have to cook two seperate meals!!! 

 just keep trying different brands.  sometimes people try one vegetarian product by one brand and it's no good so they swear it all off, but every brand makes stuff different.  you'll never really get the same texture as meat, but some come closer than others.    hope that helps!!

 

 

oh and vegetarian chili.  seems to be an easy one because all the spices mask that it's not "real" meat.... you can use beans and/or the veggie ground meat and throw in some extra veggies. 

and to the post above, i've tricked many a people so i don't think it's wrong :P  in fact i've had my hot dogs mysteriously disappear because people ignored the label and just ate them and never realized they were my veggie dogs! 

 good luck!

 

My boyfriend and I moved in together in May- soon after he stopped drinking milk (only because I don't) and soon moved on to tofutti cream cheese and tofutti sour cream. He also started eating veggie 'meat' patties and his favorites included Yves taylor ham, Trader Joe's meatless meatballs, and Amy's sausage patties. He was a Huge carnivore and in the past six months he's lost 20 lbs, without really changing the rest of his lifestyle.

I think it's important to coax people in to it and, if they need to be tricked to do it, then why not?

oh wow! you guys are great. thanks so much for the responses - keep them coming, if you have any more!

i just realized i sound defensive about dating a meat eater. that's because i've read other veggie boards before, and it seems like some people get attacked for it, which is silly, and an entirely different topic.

but thanks so much, this is awesome!

My wife and I are omnivores but much of my family are vegetarians (father, future step-mother, many aunts and uncles). These are what I personally like in terms of vegetarian foods:

 

1. Bean Burritos (Moe's Southwest Grill makes GREAT Bean Burritos - I believe its called the Art Vandelay).

2. Indian food (e.g. vegetable somosas and naan or paratha)

3. Spinach-related products (I had some really good Spanakopita the other day)

4. Vegetable Stir Fry (use a sauce he likes, something spicy like General Tso or something sweet like a sweet and sour). Me personally I like stir fry with a lot of garlic and ginger and sweet and sour sauce; I like to throw in some fruit like pineapples as well.

5. Edamame 

6. Seitan is okay. I wouldn't try to pretend its "real meat" or anything. I had a future relative try to make "fried meatless chicken tenders" recently. My wife and I really did not like it much. She REALLY REALLY hates Seitan. You may get heckled by your boyfriend (if he's at all insensitive) basically something to the point of "what's the point of faking something to taste like meat, you might as well eat meat?". Many omnivores are insensitive like that -- I try not to be, but sometimes you get it the other way too.

Original Post by jessebott:

 You may get heckled by your boyfriend (if he's at all insensitive) basically something to the point of "what's the point of faking something to taste like meat, you might as well eat meat?". Many omnivores are insensitive like that -- I try not to be, but sometimes you get it the other way too.

That's an interesting comment.  I've heard comments rather the 180 degree opposite from that, coming from my friend who is a vegetarian and doesn't eat "fake meat", because, as she says, "If I choose not to eat real meat, then why would I want to eat fake meat?"  Her feeling is that if in her lifestyle she chooses to "do without" meat, then she should just do without it.

Of course, I felt the same way during the Atkins craze when we started seeing all those very expensive carb-free "bread" products on the shelves.  If you CHOOSE a carb-free lifestyle ... well, that means you don't get to eat bread! 

If you choose to be "meat-free" then ... well, shouldn't you be willing to give up meat?

i know a few vegetarians like that also.... they just don't want to eat something that tastes like meat....

i loved the TASTE of meat... i just hate where it comes from and how it's made... therefore if i can get something that tastes almost the same without causing any harm and suffering then hey all the better!

 it really depends on why people aren't eating meat...

as to the original poster.... considering your bf probably enjoys the taste of meat and would be reducing/giving it up for convenience, lifestyle, etc. he might be one of the people more interested in the imitation meats.... or not.  keep making stuff and trying different things til you find whats liked.  do you like veggie lasagna?? i'll make that at family events and it seems to go over well.

just wanted to quickly throw in a follow-up. the other night, i fed my boyfriend tacos made with morningstar farms "beef" crumbles...the verdict? it was a success! he took his first bite and thoughtfully crunched for a minute, then said "wow. this is good. i am surprised at how good this is." he then proceeded to eat FIVE tacos and afterward said "i am pleasantly full, but not grossly exploding full as i am after eating beef tacos." this is a GREAT start, thanks for all of your advice!

I have to admit I wasn't very patient about getting my boyfriend to eat veggies. We're both omnivores, but he grew up in a house where he ate mostly meat and potatoes and I grew up in a house where we only ate meat about once a month. I told him flat out that I couldn't see us having a life together if he was afraid of salad. Not very nice, but true. And he started eating veggies soon after and now he loves them! I think there was this weird initial fear of the unknown and he needed a push to get over it. Now we live together and I cook almost every night. I don't use imitation meat products (except for the occasional batch of TVP sloppy joes) but we do eat a lot of bean based meals (baked falafel, black bean soup, bean chili, black bean burgers, lentil dal, etc.) along with lots of stirfrys and vegetarian casserole type meals. The food is hearty enough that he doesn't miss meat.

in regards to the earlier comments about giving up fake meats. i live in an omnivore family and its easier to make meals in one pot rather than 5 so they have started integrating fake meat into their meals and i find that a quick veggie burger wrap makes a delicious protein packed sandwich that's healthy and quick. sometimes it is not all about the meat aspect of things but rather the  need a protein quick and do not want to actually eat meat. so naturally what are your next best options eggs which do not reheat well or fake meats.

i made shepards pie last night with morningstar "burger" crumbles and my boyfriend loved it hardly noticed the "meat" was fake

Looks like there are already a lot of good suggestions :) My omnivore husband loves the morningstar chick patties, and will ask for them. Also, tacos with fake ground beef are well-liked. He still prefers meat, but at least he's open-minded.