A lot of people see meat as an essential component of their diets. After all, aside from being a great source of protein, you can also find various vitamins and minerals here. But for those who choose to not eat meat or are forced to avoid them because of medical conditions, the food group that they have to turn to are vegetables. If you took your nutritionist courses seriously, you should know that a menu that is focused on plant-based stuff can still provide you a good dose of protein.
There are a lot of veggies out there that can help you build up your muscles. Some of them are good enough to pass as meat. Here are some that are great at disguising themselves as such.
Mushrooms
If you are a pizza lover, you might not mind having mushrooms as one of the toppings. It is great at absorbing flavor and has a springy texture. This makes them great as a base for a meat imitator. You can, for example, chop up some button mushrooms and add some flavoring to make it look and taste like ground meat. If you want something more chunky, you can go for portabello mushrooms. You can grill it and baste it with your favorite barbecue sauce. This will make you feel like you are munching on a burger patty.
Beans
A lot of the dishes that involve these meat imitators remind you of eating ground or minced meat. The reason for that is the lack of a binding agent like an egg, and there are many people on a meat-free diet who have taken that off their menus too. Beans are great not just as a foundation for flavor, but also as an ingredient that can help bind the other ingredients together. Mashing it will result in a paste-like substance, and you can add other wet ingredients to make it easier to handle and make shapes out of. This would be perfect if you want to cook the vegetarian version of meatballs.
Tofu
Tofu comes in different types, but they mostly can be described as white blocks that are made from soybean curd. Now, this is one versatile ingredient. Out of the packaging, it can be tricky to handle as it is too soft and breaks down easily. Frying it helps make it firm up and form a crispy crust all around. This can then be your base, and from here you can branch out to a lot of things. You can fry small cubes and then have them skewered. Dip them in a savory marinade for several hours then fire them up in the oven or grill. What you will have is a tasty treat that you can call a vegetarian barbecue.
Banana Blossom
There might be people who are not familiar with the banana blossom. It is actually a flower that grows on a banana tree. Eating it might remind you of fish meat. This is another vegetable that does a good job of lapping up different flavors. It is can be a great substitute for dishes that people usually identify with meat, like the various stew recipes out there. It has a bitter taste when eaten by itself, but once it soaks up sauces and spices, it can turn any dish on its head.
Replicating meat is never possible, but you can always try. These are plant-based food that you can manipulate and turn into something that is at least a close approximation of what meat is like. It is a relatively guilt-free dining experience, as you do not have to worry about fat content and other unwanted stuff from real meat. It may be food in disguise, but at least it promotes health.