3 tips for tasty meatless meals
Bringing a meatless meal to your family dinner table might seem like a gamble. But by combining the right flavors and textures in interesting ways, you can create a delicious and satisfying meal that your family will love.
Make it umami
The main reason many vegetarian dishes leave meat lovers uninspired is that they lack the umami flavor that meat brings to a meal. Umami, the Japanese word for “delicious,” was named by a Japanese scientist as “the fifth taste,” grouping it with sour, sweet, bitter and salty. Umami is savory, and is also found in fermented bean curd foods—tofu, tempeh and seitan—that are staples of the vegetarian diet. Think about the flavor when you add parmesan cheese to veggie dishes. It has been aged, and therefore, delivers umami. Soy sauce is another ingredient that contains the natural glutemates that deliver this fifth taste, along with tomatoes, peas, onions, seaweed and asparagus.
Satisfaction
Other vegetarian outings leave you lacking?
Feel fuller longer by choosing recipes that combine protein and fiber. Beans, lentils and other legumes are the magic in meatless meals, providing lots of both nutrients. Also, try slow-roasting food—it enhances flavors. This is especially true for vegetables, which contain 80% to 90% water. When you remove water through slow-roasting, you intensify the flavor and produce that satisfying “chew factor.” Nuts and grilled mushrooms also add a chewy texture to meatless meals, making them more satisfying.
Banish blandness
Seasoning is essential to any recipe, but it’s especially important to use herbs and spices in your vegetarian recipes. Keep plenty of celery seed, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, sage, allspice and black pepper to use in combinations. Also, blend paprika, chile powder, mustard powder, oregano, cumin, coriander, brown sugar, salt and pepper to create your own spice combinations.