Best meatless meatballs, chunks & crumbles according to redditors

Ohhh it's soy protein

https://www.amazon.com/El-Guapo-Textured-Protein-Ounce/dp/B00BV4B0SU

You can try this or this or this or this or this or this. Lots of options. This subreddit is also a great place to come for ideas.

TVP and homemade seitan. Homemade seitan is water + wheat gluten flour + salt and spices to taste. Boil.

Seitan is basically pure protein at 4.9 calories per gram and TVP is 6.6.

(Edit: division!)

Go to an Indian foods store and buy a few of the foil packed heat and eat meals along with a bag of soya chunks.

I do this before I go on motocamping trips. They last forever, are cheap as can be, and taste great.

The Fantastic World filling that you can get at PCC or Whole Foods is good and super easy. Just add boiling water.

When I make my own I just make it up, but it is something like this:

Boiling water, enough tvp to absorb the water, onion diced very fine, splash of soy sauce or worcester to give it a beefy flavor, and one package taco seasoning mix.

Protein powders of course top the list, but here are some others:


Firm Tofu yields 64 grams/560 cals (with significantly more volume):
https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4393/2


Textured vegetable protein chunks: 85.2 grams/564 cals
https://www.amazon.com/Textured-Vegetable-Protein-Barry-Farm/dp/B00015YTS8/ref=pd_sim_325_5?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00015YTS8&pd_rd_r=X4Z1STNFX8T4DR3XBWZF&pd_rd_w=BZgPE&pd_rd_wg=f1Kwl&psc=1&refRID=X4Z1STNFX8T4DR3XBWZF


Vegan sloppy joes at almost 45g/560 cals:
https://www.amazon.com/Loma-Linda-Blue-Sloppy-Non-GMO/dp/B071S8K8V7/ref=sr_1_27_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1520098124&sr=8-27&keywords=vegan+meat


More textured vegetable protein at 112g/560 cals:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XP68NLH/ref=sxbs_sxwds-stvp_2_a_it?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3341940462&pd_rd_wg=hfnHE&pf_rd_r=SR93H57DSYMHXQBTHM15&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-bottom-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B06XP68NLH&pd_rd_w=8y66L&pf_rd_i=seitan&pd_rd_r=4d3c7461-fb1f-4864-b96a-bf62bd298b2b&ie=UTF8&qid=1520098283&sr=2

And there's plenty more. Can't remember where I found another one aswell but there's vegan scrambled eggs that has almost all of it's calories come from protein, I think it's like 26g/110 cals? Can't remember though. Just need to do a bit of research and it's pretty easy to find.

stuff like this: http://www.amazon.com/Textured-Vegetable-Protein-Chunks-lb/dp/B00015YTS8/ref=pd_bxgy_325_img_2/182-5418776-4325042?ie=UTF8&refRID=14WP3RQZ6SGPZ412Z8FN

it stores well, and to use, just add hot water, let it sit, and do anything you like, like adding to a stir fry,

The reason they found it expensive is because they looked for easy replacements for their Standard American Diet Foods.
If you get a box of corndogs for $6 every month, then find it's the same price for half as many vegan corn dogs, you're gonna have a hard time. If you want junk food, think onion rings or tater tots instead, which are $2-3 for a huge bag.
If you are used to getting a Krispy Creme dozen for $10, finding a single vegan donut costing $3.50 is going to shock you. Instead, buy a box of Oreos for $3.


A lot of vegans will just be like "expensive? lolol rice and beans." But no one (or most people) don't want to eat bland sadness every day. As a new vegan, you just don't understand the "accidentally" vegan foods. You don't know the cheap vegan. You just know that Daiya Cheese costs more than regular cheese- I totally get that.


junk food that is vegan:

https://www.peta.org/living/food/accidentally-vegan/
https://www.peta.org/living/food/top-accidentally-vegan-foods/
https://vegnews.com/2018/7/25-accidentally-vegan-snacks-that-you-can-find-at-a-convenience-store
https://www.buzzfeed.com/whitneyjefferson/foods-you-wont-believe-are-actually-vegan?utm_term=.itjGe7dB4#.yyP47Xb9G


Some (kinda expensive but lasts a LONG time) vegan staples:
https://www.amazon.com/Dixie-Diners-Club-Beef-Ground/dp/B00T3LW20I/ref=sr_1_8_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1535965270&sr=1-8&keywords=dixie+diner (rehydrates to 3.4lbs of ground 'beef' for $10. Add to pasta sauce, or a packet of taco seasoning and use in taco/burrito/etc.)
https://www.amazon.com/Anthonys-Premium-Nutritional-Flakes-Verified/dp/B06Y1JPZ4F/ref=sr_1_5_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1535964474&sr=8-5&keywords=vegan+nutritional+yeast (Used in TONS of vegan recipes to make cheesy sauce, eggs, sour cream, cream cheese, etc., or to add a cheesy-nutty nuance to many dishes. Top popcorn or pasta with it. $13 for MONTHS worth of servings.)
https://www.amazon.com/Planters-Fancy-Whole-Cashews-Salted/dp/B00ADX5WZ2/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1535964626&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=cashews&psc=1 (you'll find the bulk of vegan pasta sauces, dips, sour cream, cream cheese, lasagna, and tons of other shit require soaked cashews. $16 is again, months worth.)
https://www.amazon.com/DEEP-Black-Salt-3-5-oz/dp/B003WLZXBU/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_lp_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YPJCRC11RX5ZJBTKHCEP&dpID=51EigfPKPIL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail Kala Namak/black salt. It adds a sulfur-eggy flavor to anything (i.e., tofu egg scrambles, ramen.) It's a giant bag of salt for $4. Almost as cheap as regular salt.


Easy cheap vegan meals:
Biscuits and gravy (Bisquick is vegan.)
Pancakes (Again, Bisquick. Also maple syrup and margarine.)
Burrito (rice, beans, the vegan beef I mentioned above, gauc/salsa/fake sour cream/corn/onions or wtf ever you like on burrito.)
Spaghetti + garlic bread (use margarine instead of butter, that's it.)
PB+J
Grain bowls (they are super easy and cheap and have a million varieties, you'll find one to your taste.)
Curries (use tofu instead of chicken. Simply Balanced by Target has a few different good, cheap vegan curry sauces if you don't like to make your own.)
Tofu scramble (tons of different varieties if you google for recipes.)
Falafel (almost all falafel mixes are vegan.)
Salad (Italian dressing is usually vegan. Bac'n Pieces are vegan.)
Veggie stir fries
Pesto pasta
Oatmeal (top with nuts, PB, fruit, cinnamon, maple syrup, raisins, whatever.)
Pasta salad, omit the salami/pepperoni.
potato salad, vegannaise instead of mayo.
Anything you can imagine with potatoes + sweet potatoes - grilled, hashbrowns, fries, hassleback, baked, tots, mashed.
Smoothies (vegan flavored protein powder is more expensive than whey, I know. But soy and pea protein isolate are very cheap. Add plain protein, banana, ice, plant milk, peanut butter, cocoa powder and sweetener/sugar.)
Chili
Caramel rice cakes topped with coconut/almond reddi-whip and nuts.





Here's some more outside of the box but cheap meals:
Jackfruit pulled pork (I just use slowcooked jackfruit and storebought BBQ sauce.)
Fried plantains
Fried zucchini
Tempura veggies
Baked acorn or butternut squash with margarine + brown sugar
Zucchini fritters (there's recipes everywhere and they're amazing.)
Chow mein
Pan fried bean sprouts
Chia pudding
Ceviche omit the shrimp/fish
Roasted eggplant
Mujaddara
Mushroom shawarma


Plant milk is more expensive than cow's milk, but you can make cheap-ass oatmillk at home*. There's tons of baking egg replacers (banana, applesauce, etc,) but I highly recommend flax egg** for some easy omega-3s.


Some life-saving cheap recipes:
https://avirtualvegan.com/oat-milk/ *
https://lovingitvegan.com/how-to-make-a-flax-egg/ **
https://ohsheglows.com/2017/11/08/all-purpose-vegan-cheese-sauce/
https://cookieandkate.com/2018/vegan-sour-cream-recipe/
https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/cashew-cream-cheese/
https://www.cearaskitchen.com/vegan-yogurt/
https://www.joyfulhealthyeats.com/vegan-chickpea-cookie-dough/ (the semi-sweet chocochips at Trader Joes are vegan, so are their marshmallows. I recommend adding both.)



I realize how big my post is now that I'm finished.. Hope you find it helpful haha.

Not a fish but this is my go to for anything ground beef related:


https://www.amazon.com/Gardein-Ultimate-Beefless-Meatless-Substitute/dp/B00LXZTVU6

​

I do meatloaf, make my own burgers, Salisbury steaks, meat pasta sauces, tacos...you name it, this stuff works.

Have you considered TVP?
It is Textured Vegetable Protein. It takes the place of meat in most dishes, but I would not consider it a meat substitute as it is truly "its own animal" and doesn't mimic any meat very well IMHO. Great in sauce based dishes.

Seitan/Vital Wheat Gluten is bad because there's a trending subject of "Gluten Intolerance" . While it's not something to dismiss... Science doesn't recognize more than about 2% of the population of 1st World Countries as to having a reason to avoid Gluten. There are other claims made about VWG, but it's basically a broken record. VWG is a great protein source for anyone who does not have an intolerance. I would just be rational about the amount of gluten intake you're getting in a day, given the snowball-effect that can occur. That's pretty much anything, though, regardless of if it's healthy or not.

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/

Soy is safe in feasibly possible consumption levels. The only unsafe Soy is raw. Fermented is considered safest, so go for Tempeh if you're still concerned.

https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/

Avoid TVP and TSP if they are not Water-based. Bobs Red Mill TSP is a water-based production process, and is safe.

https://smile.amazon.com/Bobs-Red-Mill-Organic-Textured/dp/B002YR97SS?sa-no-redirect=1

Oatmeal is a great source of protein. Go with "Old Fashioned Oats" at least, if not Steel-Cut, etc. The less processing the better. "Quick Oats" lose a lot of the 'whole" oat which makes it such a great nutritional package.

Pea Protein Powders are good if you are hyper-concerned about protein. They tend to be "meal-replacement" shakes, though... So maybe not the best idea.

There's Beyond Meat Beyond Burger, and other "healthy" processed burgers.

Nut Butters, without/low salt, no sugar, no oil added are great. Healthy fats, high protein.

I hope this helps.

I'd use this next time for the crunchy outside coating :)

Bob's Red Mill Organic Textured Soy Protein. Good protein additive for salads, soups, cereals, stuffing, baked potatoes,etc. and rates 7gr protein, 12% Daily Fiber @80 calories/14gr serving and is organic--NO GMO.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/B002YR7AQY/R2I6X8XF7BKNLA/ref=mw_dp_cr?cursor=3&sort=rd

No worries, it's hidden in the Chen's Corner tab. My guess is something like this would work well as a base. Figuring out the batter and sauce might be hard, but at that point, anything you fry and throw some sauce on would be absolutely delicious, even if it's not exactly P2000.

You can absolutely cook ramen noodles in the microwave; I've done it tons at work. Put the noodles in the water, nuke for 5 minutes or more until done. Then either drain the water and just use the sauce packets to make flavored noodles, or leave some of the water and add the stuff you want.

Things you can add: amazon has dried veggies - you probably don't need the 120 servings package unless you're trying to make ramen for your whole unit, but there's other smaller packages like this sampler or you can get the stuff you like in individual packages (mushrooms, corn, carrots, etc). I found I like the cabbage because it ends up being a little bit sweet.

I don't know where you're gonna get eggs in the desert, but maybe your chow folks could hook you up? Hard boiled are good but if you can get raw, you can microwave them too - stir them up in a small bowl with whatever spices you like in your eggs (I have a sweet tooth so I add half a spoonful of sugar and some garlic and basil). Then nuke for 45 seconds, stir, nuke again for 35 seconds, stir, make sure they're cooked. You can dump them in the soup or have them as a side.

The other thing might be - do you guys have a chow hall that does a salad bar? Maybe ask the cook if you can have a spare carrot, or something. Chopped carrots in ramen are delicious and colorful. Never underestimate the delight a nice colorful meal can bring you on a miserable shift. It only lasts about 5 minutes, but damn, that's 5 minutes life isn't boring.

They do dried textured vegetable protein, or you can add jerky to your ramen for some meat flavor. Jerky was the first thing I learned to drop into ramen after cheese. Speaking of cheese, you can get one of those bottles of shelf-stable cheese and melt that into the ramen if you want it creamy. You can make a nice version of cream of mushroom soup that way. There's a whole section on mushroom powder if you don't feel like soaking whole mushrooms. Alternately, cheese powder. Be careful though; it can be wicked salty.

There's also a whole section of powdered soups that includes some wild stuff - you can make a nice curried pumpkin soup out of the pumpkin powder, if you want. It would probably be good on noodles too.

I know liquids are more expensive to ship, but a bottle of shrichana or some hoisen sauce make good flavors for the noodles for when you get solidly tired of the crap in the packets. I love hoisen sauce on my noodles.

Anyways, I don't know if those ones I linked are the cheapest ones - shop around on Amazon, or contact individual sellers and ask if you can get a military discount, maybe?

Good luck!

One of my favorite cooking items is TVP and TVP chunks. They don't taste like anything on their own, they take on the flavor of what they're cooked in. The granules are really good substitute for ground beef in taco filling, gravy, hamburger helper type recipes, anything. The chunks make a really good chicken substitute. Reconstitute some and add it to a crock pot of ranch dressing, buffalo wing sauce, and cream cheese and eat with Fritos. Holy shit it's good.

Also, of course, there's all kinds of beans, nuts, dairy if she eats that, eggs if she eats that, those sorts of things.

Iron is sometimes difficult for vegetarians too, one quick fix for that is to cook in cast iron, which increases iron content by a crazy amount.

Since I went vegetarian, my cholesterol dropped from 213 to 163 without any other changes in my diet or lifestyle. I don't get sick any more, I'm not deficient in any nutrient, I feel fantastic.

Also head over to /r/vegetarian, lots of good recipes there.

My mistake. I missed the "soy protein" qualifier in OP's post. I suppose it could be large TVP chunks hydrated and then seared.

I just found some on amazon so I could try this recipe out.

http://www.amazon.com/Textured-Vegetable-Protein-Chunks-lb/dp/B00015YTS8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397774782&sr=8-1&keywords=quorn - They don't look amazing, but nutritionally they sound great.

I may have to give that a shot! Another really good crumble if you're looking for taco-style is this stuff. It's a dry mix, so it's shelf stable and it's really tasty.

You can also check for "textured vegetable protein" chunks.

http://www.amazon.com/Textured-Vegetable-Protein-Chunks-lb/dp/B00015YTS8

I reckon you mean TVP, tofu, soy chunks, and seitan. Those are probably not available at most Wal*Marts. TVP and soy chunks are dry and non-perishable, you can order those online from Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Textured-Vegetable-Protein-Barry-Farm/dp/B00015YTS8/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=tvp&qid=1568488007&sr=8-5

https://www.amazon.com/Textured-Vegetable-Hoosier-Hill-Farm/dp/B06XP68NLH/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=tvp&qid=1568488038&sr=8-3

If you live near a health food store like Whole Foods, they will have all the foods I mentioned. But it will be more expensive than ordering online or shopping at an Asian market. If you live anywhere close to an Asian market, as a vegetarian that will be your best source for buying cheap foods in bulk. Even if it’s a 2 hour drive, it’s probably worth it, you can go once a month and get a month’s worth of food.

I live in India. Here, everybody buys their dry foods in bulk once a month. Rice, flour, beans, lentils, soy chunks, cooking oil, spice mix, etc. That’s the most economical option and you’ll know that you always have plenty of food at home.

>what do you usually snack on

I was raised not to snack, so I don’t feel the urge outside of meal times. If I do feel peckish mid-day, I drink a few glasses of water. If you are prone to snacking, sugary drinks and salty snacks are your enemy.

Instead, try some fresh vegetables. Like long slices of cucumber, carrot, celery, daikon, radish, or broccoli – which you can combine with yogurt dip, hummus, cheese cream, dijon mustard, salsa, etc. Another option is unsalted popcorn with nutritional yeast. Or have some 0% fat FAGE Greek yogurt, mixed with equal parts of water. It’s delicious on its own and doesn’t need any sugar.

I order many things from Amazon with free Prime shipping. My favorite is Textured Vegetable Protein Chunks which are fantastic in chili. They also have the crumbles from Barry Farm. Link below.

I also make vegan cheese with is easier than you think using the Miyoko book The Homemade Vegan Pantry: The Art of Making Your Own Staples. You can get supplies from Barry Farm too.

https://www.amazon.com/Textured-Vegetable-Protein-Chunks-lb/dp/B00015YTS8/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?srs=2582941011&ie=UTF8&qid=1467126626&sr=8-1&keywords=chunks

It's TVP. I found something similar on Amazon. In my country we don't have any mock-meats and this is the only thing we can use.

The meatballs have a pretty good ratio of protein:fat/carbs I think, good amount of fiber too.

I also fucking love Field Roast hot dogs which have 21g of protein for only 200 calories/3 net grams carbs. Lots of sodium but damn they're good

It looks like what I was seeing was this premade seitan. I did not refer to the cost of beans vs chicken.

How do they create vital wheat gluten in the first place? I'm sure it's some amount of processing seeing how anything in flour form is processed by definition.

I'll add that I have eaten seitan before in nicer restaurants and I did enjoy it. But really, this is moot as I would much rather eat pea or rice whey than seitan if I ever went vegan.

You didn't really address my reply to your chicken vs black bean comparison. It's not as simple as you're wanting it to be. To add to that, 6oz of black bean has 39g of prot while 6oz of chicken has 42g of prot, so even your initial comparison is wrong when using weight instead of volume for comparison...as I(and others typically) weigh my food, I don't look at volume. I didn't actually address quinoa or corn, both are not my definition of high in protein, requiring 6g of protein per oz of food. I think legumes are the only vegetarian option that meets my definition of high protein.