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January is also known as Veganuary! This is a fun month-long challenge to eat more plants and less animals and animal products.

I never meant to end up vegan. I first went dairy-free in my early 20s when the Whole 30 challenge revealed that my body just does not process dairy well. Then I went vegetarian when I realized that animals do not exist for their entire lives just so I can eat a burger. I was vegetarian for about a year when I watched the documentary Cowspiracy in 2019, which is about the effects of animal agriculture on the climate. One of the experts said “if you say you’re an environmentalist, and you’re not vegan, you’re not an environmentalist.”

And that was it for me. I went vegan the next day, and quickly realized that my decades-long battle with debilitating eczema was actually due to an egg allergy – even though I had been tested for an egg allergy in my early twenties and it was negative! Within two weeks, my eczema cleared up without so much as a scar. It only ever returns if I accidentally eat something with egg in it.

While I love the processed vegan meat replacements for some meats (I’m sorry, I just don’t like black bean burgers, I tried), I like to use more whole food, plant-based protein options to replace meat in my diet. Scroll all the way down to find my favorite “fake meat” options.

Vegan Meat Replacements and Plant-Based Proteins

Beef

Ground beef: Lentils. I like to cook up a big batch of lentils in my pressure cooker for the week and throw into recipes as necessary. Add savory spices, and be sure to add some umami flavoring like soy sauce, nutritional yeast, or the Trader Joe’s mushroom umami blend.

Shredded beef: jackfruit – I prefer the Uptons brand because it comes in a bag that is almost dry, which is perfect for warming up with some BBQ sauce or adding to my Almost Famous Jackfruit Chili.

Taco meat: lentils, mushrooms, walnuts. Unfortunately I rarely use measurements for anything, but I would say as a guess I usually do about 1 1/2 cups of cooked lentils, 1 cup of minced baby portobellos, and a 1/2 cup of finely chopped walnuts in a skillet with taco seasoning and a splash of water until mushrooms and walnuts are soft and the seasonings have cooked through.

Chicken

Fried chicken: blue or pink oyster mushrooms. For fried chicken sandwiches, cut off the stem, dredge in whatever batter you prefer, and fry in a skillet with a neutral oil. These are absolutely delicious! While you can use pink or blue oysters, when given the chance, I prefer blue for my fried chicken sandwiches because they seem just a tad more tender.

Chicken soup: I prefer to use Chicken of the Woods mushrooms (usually have to forage these). They are perfect in soup. If these are unavailable, you can use pink or blue oyster mushrooms.

Seafood

Crab: lion’s mane mushrooms! These mushrooms look like small fuzzy softballs. I slice them, lightly spray with avocado oil, roast the slices, and then run through my food processor until it reaches shredded crab consistency, perfect for crab cakes.

Fish: banana flowers – they come in a can. I get mine at my local Asian market. When dredged in breading and fried, they taste just like fried fish. Serve with homemade tartar sauce (made with vegan mayo) and some air-fried steak fries for a delightful meal of fish and chips.

Clams: golden oyster mushrooms. Golden oyster mushrooms are smaller and more delicate, making them the perfect replacement for clams in your favorite clam chowder recipe.

Scallops: trumpet mushrooms. I also get these at my local Asian market. They slice up like scallops. I like to delicately sear them and simmer with a white wine and dijon mustard sauce. Again, I’m sorry, I measure with my heart.

Favorite Store Bought Vegan Replacements

Beyond Burgers: I love Beyond burgers! Aside from eating them as burgers, I find that one frozen burger patty is the perfect size to cook up into a crumble and add to spaghetti, chili, or taco meat on days when I just want beef without lentils.

Impossible Nuggets: They have dino shaped nuggies and I keep a bag on hand for super low-energy days when throwing something into the air fryer is the best I can do.

Abbott’s Chicken: This is delicious in things like quesadillas and anything requiring chicken be baked. The primary ingredient in this one is pea protein.

Daring Chicken: I like this chicken best for pasta dishes. It fries up nicely and gets that pretty golden brown color. The primary ingredient in this version is soy protein.

Have you tried any of these vegan meat replacements? Which one is your favorite? Leave me a comment and let me know!