To tempt a carnivore with tofu?

DP is vegetarian, I’m very much not but happy to eat vegetarian. Done properly it’s delicious but the stereotype about lack of protein is often true and it often lacks in texture, just a pile of mush.

I’ll eat pretty much anything vegetarian apart from tofu - it’s awful. Quorn mince is a really nice substitute for beef mince for bolognese, chilli etc. It doesn’t taste like “normal” mince and I’d be reluctant to tell a meat eater that it tastes the same because it doesn’t and you don’t want the reaction to be it tastes different so I don’t like it iyswim.

Problem with quorn (and I believe lots of vegan substitutes) is that they tend to be UPF so not something you want to eat too often.

Ottolenghi has some great vegetarian recipes, thought through, plenty of protein and also some texture. I’d recommend a Google.

If you class yourself as adventurous it's definitely worth a go! As is Natto which is divisive even in it's native Japan.
I think I've worked my way through every soybean food stuff I possibly can 😂

I'm amazed you cook for him - my husband and I like very different food. He does 99% of the cooking - I eat it or make myself something else. Would never think someone would do two separate meals regularly.

However my parents and brother are pescatarian and my husband eats a lot of meat so he thinks in terms of add ons when he cooks for them. Pasta... with meatballs for whoever. Poke bowls or taco night or bbq with stuff for everyone. Stir fry with tofu or chicken on the side.

We try to eat 50% vegetarian and have found a lot of Indian recipes with lentils and chickpeas and coconut milk that are great for anyone. No one here likes the fake meats (though we keep trying!)

Salt and pepper Chinese-style tofu? You could try it from the takeaway first, see what he thinks. Then if he doesn’t like it, more for you! 🫑

I don't mind tofu in soups, but the nicest tofu is inari-age cut into strips and made crispy with loads of extra soy, chilli and barbecue/yakitori sauce.

(just wish I could find GF inari)

You won't convert anybody to vegan food by going for the poor attempts at Western substitutes, but you might have a chance of some things being accepted if you layer savoury, rich, salty, sweet and heat together with some more savoury on top.

Don't bother with Quorn mince, though. It'll take hours of trying to get some flavour into it to make it a vaguely tolerable cotton wool substitute.

Tofu 🤢 And I'm a veggie!

I think it's worth frying it. The crispiness, and maybe extra satiety, from the oil have made all the difference for my lot, and even if you're generous with the oil it'll still probably be lower fat than a lot of meat. Half my family say they prefer tofu stir fry to chicken. Hopefully over time we will get to lower fat cooking methods, just like they used to need mayo with salad but will now eat it without.

There are loads of reels on social media of ideas with tofu. I like Maya of Fitgreenmind.

I'm vegan. There are some great recipes without tofu. Some people will just never like the texture. You can create a full/meaty taste with diced mushrooms.

Another vote for the cauldron marinated tofu (not me personally as even the sight of tofu makes me gag) from my son who has tried a few. I also have made him seitan a few times from vital wheat protein and marigold organic bouillon powder which is high in protein.

Anyone who thinks tofu is bland hasn't tried fermented tofu 😂 not for the faint hearted!!! Comes in cubes in jars, looks similar to feta cheese cubes. Very very very strong salty flavour. Definitely a marmite food!!!!! I've only ever found it in the Asian markets.

I used to hate tofu but my daughter bought a tofu press and it was game changer.
Pressed tofu diced or sliced, lightly coated in seasoned flour as part of most recipes is very edible.
I think a lot of the tofu hate is to do with the texture and blandness, using the press then frying fixes the texture, adding the tofu to something heavily seasoned as suggested by pp above fixes the flavour.

I like tofu. It just needs good spices. Getting soem nice sauces from the asian market is a good idea. And easy way to incorporate it it through stir-fry with good sauces. Also I don't like quorn at all.

As for your husband. If he is very much a carnivore then he won't eat it out of principle. What is he against in eating more vegetarian food? Like when it is your turn to cook he will refuse to eat it if it doesn't have meat? Or he just doesn't like tofu specifically?

The Bold Beans recipe book has lots of good recipes - my DH always thought he hated beans but he really likes some of these, much nicer than fake meat.

I am trying to minimise my meat intake so am looking at vegan/veggie recipes. May I ask why the lentils need rinsing well?

I'm an omnivore married to a vegetarian amd we mostly eat veggie dinners because life is busy enough without cooking 2 dinners every night.

Tofu is not your friend here. It is not going to tempt him. There are many delicious meat free foods and tofu is not one of them.

Deliciously tempting, plant based and low fat/healthy - most foods I can think of can only tick two of these boxes. Most veggie meals we enjoy are either rather high in fat or are in the "perfectly ok but would be nicer with bacon" category. And we aren't even trying to be vegan but have eggs and cheese. Actually vegan - yes there are some really great curries, and no meat eater actually needs meat every day, but you're better off doing good things with good vegetables rather than trying to convince a meat eater that any kind of rubbery blocky substance is just as good as meat.

You could try tempeh too, but it's a real marmite food. Personally I'm a fan if it's cooked nicely.

A couple of my fave tempeh dishes:

https://www.feastingathome.com/tempeh-reuben-with-smoked-mozzarella-and-turmeric-sauerkraut/

https://roundhousedesign.com/news/recipes/pomegranate-glazed-tempeh-with-aubergine-and-feta/

https://thefirstmess.com/2020/05/27/sticky-ginger-tempeh-recipe-coconut-rice/

Entirely vegan family here. Love tofu (scrambled, gochujang, mapo) but if you can’t get on with it, apart from all the great bean and mushroom dishes (stroganoffs, wellington etc) if you want a protein that’s not a meat substitute, try something with tempeh or seitan.

If you like something like a carbonara, try a carbonara with the “This isn’t” range lardons. Some of the more processed substitutions work very well as they are basically just replacing highly processed meats; or perhaps try a vegetable paella.

We have lots of meat-eating friends and family, and they really enjoy these alternatives.

I've not done it for a while but the cauldron marinated tofu makes a good stir fry. Fry the tofu separately so it gets a bit crispy, ideally add cashews as well.

Found it

https://www.lazycatkitchen.com/shredded-tofu-tacos/