A Field Guide to Meat Substitutes

In addition to the many vegetarian "meat" products available in supermarkets (hotdogs, ground beef, cold cuts) there are many other ways of adding protein to your vegetarian meals. Who knew?

TOFU is to soy drinks what cheese is to milk. Basically, tofu is the solid part of soy drinks that has been coagulated and pressed into blocks of varying firmness. It has no real taste of its own, and will cheerfully absorb whatever flavor happens to be going on in the nearby vicinity.

TEXTURIZED VEGETABLE PROTIEN or TVP (also know as texturized soy protein) is made by processing soy flour in such a way as to turn it into chewy little pellets or chunks which can be added to other foods in place of meat, or as a meat extender. The granular form of TVP is great in chili or spaghetti sauce, and the larger chunky kind can be used in place of beef or chicken in stews.

TEMPEH is made from soybeans that have been partly cooked, mixed a culture (think yeast or yogurt), then pressed in slabs and allowed to ferment. It is most commonly sold as a frozen product. After an initial steaming, tempeh can be diced and thrown into a stir-fry, baked or grilled with barbecue sauce or just chopped up, mixed with stuff, and eaten as a salad or sandwich filling.

SEITAN is made from wheat gluten---the protein part of wheat---and is a common meat substitute in Asian cooking. It can be cut into chunks or slices and, when marinated, has a taste and texture that comes so close to actual meat that it can make a vegetarian feel rather guilty. Seitan is a good source of protein, is very low in fat and, because it's such a meat-like thing, it can be thrown, almost undetectably into stir-fry, stew or spaghetti sauce