Cooking Resources

Muffins · 08-13-2011, 01:53 PM

Hey,
My boyfriend is vegetarian... and while I know of many recipes to cook for him, I can't seem to think of an alternative ingredient for one of my favourite recipes!

It's a long standing family favourite consisting of an oven bake with new potatoes, leek, cheese, a milk and egg mix and... bacon.

I just can't think of anything that I can replace the bacon with. I have tried the "faken" slices that are on the market (as that was the obvious first choice) but it didn't work very well as it stayed soft and didn't offer the same intense flavour that you get from bacon. I'd be willing to try anything you can suggest!

Selkie · 08-13-2011, 02:11 PM

I have heard, from a fellow cook, that the fake bacon (soy based) can be made into a reasonable replica if you brush it with just a little liquid smoke (about two drops per strip) and molasses, then oven bake it at 400 degrees while sandwiched between two cookie sheets, to keep it flat, until crispy.

There are some things that just don't have very good substitutions, and bacon may be one of them.

Snip 13 · 08-13-2011, 02:18 PM

You can try adding some fried brown mushrooms. Won't taste like bacon but it will give a rich meatiness to the dish.

Muffins · 08-14-2011, 05:51 AM

Selkie - Thanks for the info on the faken, the only is I think if I pre-cooked it then it would go soggy when it goes into bake with the other ingredients.

Snip 13 - I think this would work wonderfully! Though I have to get my boyfriend to atleast try mushrooms again... For a veggie he doesn't eat much veg. Though as I am a keen cook I'm getting him to try things he would never have eaten before (such as rice!).

Snip 13 · 08-14-2011, 05:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muffins

Selkie - Thanks for the info on the faken, the only is I think if I pre-cooked it then it would go soggy when it goes into bake with the other ingredients.

Snip 13 - I think this would work wonderfully! Though I have to get my boyfriend to atleast try mushrooms again... For a veggie he doesn't eat much veg. Though as I am a keen cook I'm getting him to try things he would never have eaten before (such as rice!).

Glad I could help :) Mushrooms are good in potato bake! You could also make individual portions in ramekins, that way you can add what you want to yours and everyone else's using the same base recipe.

Josie1945 · 08-14-2011, 10:32 AM

Welcome to DC.

Josie

larry_stewart · 09-07-2011, 09:01 PM

Try the Morning Star Farm brand bacon. Found in the supermarket frozen section usualluy near the veggie burgers ( sometimes found in the frozen breakfast section too). Can be microwaved, but better pan fried. Gets crispy and taste pretty good too.

MorningStar Farms® Veggie Bacon Strips

Ive been a vegetarian for 25 years and have tasted every veggie imitation product I could get my hands on. In just about every case, they will be inferior in either taste, consistency or both. It is rare to find a product that is close in both. But, I think with the bacon, the Morning Star Farm product will be a pretty good substitute.

Also, with most Imitation meat products, they need to be cooked/ handled differently than their meat counterparts. So even if the recipe tells you to prepare the bacon one way, it will probably take some experimenting with the fake stuff to get it to do what you want it to do.

Some of the biggest problems i see with people ( usually non-vegetarians who are not familiar with cooking with vegetarian products ( especially my mother trying to surprise me that she cooked something for me) trying to prepare something for a vegetarian using a regular recipe, is that they are not familiar with how to cook the vegetarian substitute, therefore following the recipe exactly, and ultimately, either the taste/ consistency or both. Consistency is equally as important as the taste in most recipes.

Fabiabi · 10-03-2011, 07:20 AM

It's always bacon that's the issue. Mushrooms are a good idea, or how about a smoked cheese?

msmofet · 10-03-2011, 07:37 AM

BETTY CROCKER, BACOS BACON BITS SALAD TOPPING

INGREDIENTS: Defatted Soy Flour, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Water, Salt, Sugar, Artificial Flavor and Natural Flavor, Red 40 and Other Color Added, Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt), Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (Corn, Soy, Wheat).

vitauta · 10-03-2011, 07:41 AM

fabiabi, am i getting this right? you have a boyfriend who is a vegetarian who doesn't eat much vegetables, has never eaten rice, and who needs to be reintroduced to mushrooms? (good luck with feeding him) :)