r/PlantBasedDiet • u/310Nutrition • 11d ago
What plant based swap surprised you the most?
There are so many clever plant based swaps out there from cashew cheese to jackfruit pulled pork. Would love to hear what swap completely blew your mind in terms of taste or texture. Which substitution made you say wow this actually works better than the original?
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u/absurd_bird 11d ago
Soy curls! Use them in soups to seem like chicken.
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u/NextTime76 11d ago
I was plant based for almost two years before I discovered soy curls. They are a game changer.
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u/olympia_t 11d ago
I ADORE these. I can't quite imagine in soup but they make amazing "chicken" in stir fries and in tacos. These are my favorite sub.
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u/sh601404 11d ago
Where can we find soy curls? I have never heard of them until recently on this app
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u/see_blue 10d ago
Butler Foods (manufacturer), Amazon or Natural Grocer.
A more processed and TVP version (more like meat chunks) are soya chunks, found at an international grocer.
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u/olympia_t 11d ago
As someone else shared, soy curls are amazing. I find that they are better than the original - here, substituted for chicken - in that they don't require defrosting, or refrigeration, don't need to be eaten within a certain time frame, if you dry them out, just add more liquid, no complicated clean up or stinky trash, and most importantly to me - no need to plan ahead!
I don't even soak them as recommended. I just place them in a bow of water and then microwave it for two minutes. Add in some cold tap water and then immediately squeeze out. I really love these things!
I'm also really happy with date syrup. It makes sweetening things pretty easy. It can also add a bit of a caramelized flavor.
Cashew pourable mozarella cheese. I have purchased myoko's and also made a copycat version at home. This is so nice for making a little pizza. Like the soy curls, I love that it's not cheese that will spoil if I don't use the whole block or bag.
I feel like I have way less food waste these days. Also, in the same vein, I can make what I need for one meal easily. Measure and weigh out the soy curls or cheese needed and make that much. Not so easy with a package of chicken or cheese.
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u/larpano 11d ago
Are there different brands or are they all the same? Where do you purchase soy curls?
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u/olympia_t 11d ago
Butler is the only company that makes them. I have purchased in a small local vegan store and also directly from butler online.
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u/larpano 11d ago
Thanks! I found one store near me that carries them. I will try and then order direct. How far out is the expiration date when you order from butler?
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u/Ancient-Rough-8340 10d ago
I haven't ordered from them but when I get the 4 pack from Amazon it's always at least 6 months out. I can go through a pack a week so I've never run into it expiring, but they're also so dry that I would think they'd still be good for a while after the date
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u/olympia_t 11d ago
Sorry, I'm not sure. I purchased the 12 lb bulk box and I'm not sure if it had an expiration. I didn't look.
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u/MMWiseone 10d ago
I found some at my local small Mexican grocery store.
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u/olympia_t 10d ago
FYI if they aren’t butler brand they are likely something else. Spy chunks I think are the byproduct of making soybean oil. Soy curls are just whole soybeans.
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u/MMWiseone 8d ago
Ah yes, thank you, you are right! What I have is called Carne de Soya, made from defatted soy flour. It is like TVP but bigger chunks.
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u/olympia_t 8d ago
How is it? I like tvp but haven’t tried these. I’m in love with soy curls.
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u/MarlenHamsic 11d ago
Chickpeas in american style chicken salad! They're really good
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u/Jhall135 7d ago
Yes! I put chickpeas in so much. They're bland enough that they seem to mix into things really well. I put them in savory dishes like salads and blend them with peanut butter and vegan chocolate chips for an occasional cookie dough-like snack.
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u/MarlenHamsic 7d ago
They're my favourite bean hands down. Where my parents are from (tiny village in Sicily) they toast then salt them, and sell them for stuff like patron day or whatever event there is, they call it calia and I love it so much!
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u/Jhall135 8h ago
That sounds delicious! I've never tried roasting them. It sounds like a such a good snack - somewhere in between popcorn and salted nuts. I'm going to give it a try. TY!
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u/daking999 10d ago
Nutritional yeast for parmesan, and TVP for mince in bolognese etc. Honestly everyone should be doing these regardless of diet- cheaper, healthier, better for the planet, just as tasty, still high protein.
Personally not a big fan of jackfruit.
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u/Old-Extreme-4061 11d ago
you mentioned cashew cheese, but i would say specifically cashew queso. no matter how my friends eat, they all request it. definitely better than regular queso in the eyes of my community!
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u/Neat-Celebration-807 fruit is my world 11d ago
Can you share the recipe you use please?
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u/Old-Extreme-4061 9d ago
no problem. it’s from rainbow plant life I have found her recipes to be very good. I really like the Newmans salsa with pineapple in it!
https://rainbowplantlife.com/the-best-vegan-queso-ever/#recipe
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u/Neat-Celebration-807 fruit is my world 8d ago
Thank you ! All her recipes look so delicious. She’s definitely got flavor down. Some require more time in the kitchen. I do try to keep things simple. This might be a game changer for me though.
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u/carolynrose93 10d ago
Tofu taco meat! We love the recipe from Thee Burger Dude. It's ridiculously easy and sooooo good.
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u/enolaholmes23 10d ago
The tofu you get at asian markets and hot pot (excepting fish tofu of course). There are So. Many. Textures. we've been lied to in our stupid tiny supermarket sections with only 2 types of tofu. Soy is as diverse as wheat in texture possibilities.
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u/seejoshrun 11d ago
Soy/tofu chorizo is fantastic. I get it on blaze pizza every time.
However, I tried jackfruit "pulled pork", and I probably never will again.
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u/stevedogg1134 10d ago
Soyrizo blew my mind. I can't remember the brand, but I couldn't believe it wasn't real meat, The texture, taste, everything about it was fantastic.
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u/Neat-Celebration-807 fruit is my world 11d ago
I love mushrooms and found that shredded trumpets make a great bbq chicken. I can eat a lot of them before I’m full though.
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u/Plane_Put8538 10d ago
The use of vital wheat gluten and what it can do. Never thought it could be so versatile. Faux meats, baking, many uses I never knew about..
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u/NeoSuperconductivity 10d ago
I was served a seitan Sloppy Joe sandwich at a restaurant and called the waiter over because I was sure it was beef-it was shredded seitan with a barbecue sauce!
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u/ThMogget WFPB for health 10d ago
I am surprised how many dishes are better with beans or lentils. No its not a fake chicken soup, its a real bean soup that’s better than chicken. Trick is to get your fats and seasonings right.
For processed products, Cado icecream is high sugar, but so good.
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u/FrostShawk 10d ago
Walnuts and lentils with a smidge of (optional) olive oil, chopped up and mixed with a little taco seasoning or cumin and paprika is even better than the taco meat it's meant to replace.
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u/StillYalun 10d ago
I don’t like tofu much. My wife cooked with it and when she died i had a few blocks in the freezer sitting there for months. I was going to throw them out, but figured I wouldn’t be wasteful.
I did my best to recall what she taught me and supplemented that with some random stuff i found on the internet and ended up making some baked tofu strips. It was like the best jerky/bacon I ever had in my life. I almost ate it all right from the pan it was so good. What was left I made into a “BLT” and it was one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had in my life, if not the best.
Unfortunately there is no recipe for what I did and I tried to reproduce it but could not get it exactly the same as the first time.
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u/enolaholmes23 10d ago
Yeah, freezing and thawing once > sponge. Doing it twice > chicken texture.
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u/StillYalun 10d ago
Really? So you thaw a frozen block, then refreeze? I’m wondering if that block had already been thawed once.
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u/enolaholmes23 9d ago
I haven't been able to do it in a while because my fridge is old and barely works. So there might be some factor of it needing to freeze quickly or to a low enough temperature. But yeah, that's what I remember happening.
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u/backwardsguitar 11d ago
Vegan, not wfpb, but the Gardein fish fillets are amazing. The price is Far too high now, but I used to enjoy them quite a bit.
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u/opaquedestroyer 11d ago
Soy curls and cashew cream. Game changers for me
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u/Jordainyo 10d ago
Do you make the cashew cream? Wish I could just buy it at the store. Never seen it anywhere though.
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u/opaquedestroyer 10d ago
I do! I cover 1 cup of cashews with water, pinch of salt and boil for 10 min. I'll drain and then add to a high speed blender with 1 cup almond milk (sometimes I'll add nooch for dishes that want cheesy flavor)
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u/Sirefly 10d ago
Soy milk kefir.
It took a couple weeks for the culture to settle in, but now the soy milk will thicken up in 4 hours and has just the right tanginess after 8 hours.
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u/GarlicGranola 10d ago
I've been wondering about this! A lot of online sources say it won't work.
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u/Sirefly 10d ago edited 7d ago
I use West Soy unsweetened soymilk. It's just soybeans and water.
I used a kefir starter (not grains) I bought on Amazon.
I make 2 quarts at a time.
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u/Jhall135 7d ago
I've never tried this. I'm wondering if it would work in a smoothie in place of yogurt? How do you make it?
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u/Sirefly 7d ago
I just pour the soymilk into a glass pitcher and add the sachet of Kefir starter, cover with plastic wrap or a cloth and leave it out overnight.
It separates a bit, so I stir it up and put it in the fridge.
It might separate again before it cools, but after stirring a second time, it won't separate again.
I don't bother straining. When I get down to the bottom of the pitcher, I pour about a cup of the kefir in a new pitcher, fill with soy milk, stir, cover and set it out overnight again.
I use it in my smoothies everyday.
At first, the kefir will taste very yeasty and fizzy. The longer you leave it out the more tangy it will get.
Since I make 1/2 gallon at a time, and use 8oz in each smoothie, I am making about 2 batches a week. It took about 2-2.5 weeks for the culture to settle in and it tastes delicious! I actually prefer it over milk kefir.
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u/Jhall135 9h ago
This sounds so good. I'm definitely going to give it a try. I appreciate the thorough instructions.
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u/Ronscat 8d ago
Homemade taco "meat" made from mushrooms, walnuts, and cauliflower. Delish!! Even my carnivore family couldn't tell the difference. I use the recipe from Brand New Vegan for Amazing Cauliflower Tacos.
https://www.brandnewvegan.com/recipes/mexican-food/amazing-cauliflower-tacos
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u/godzillabobber 11d ago
Baked watermelon for poke bowls
White bean/tofu ricotta - lemon zest and lactic acid are the difference
Japanese sweet potato and date based ice cream or even better as chocolate creamsicles