How to make Vegan Jerky???

[EasternBox]

Anyone here have any Vegan Jerky recipies? I have tried to make my own by just substituting Seitan for the meat but it was a major fail.

[emerald]

Don't you need a vegan to make vegan jerky? You may be asking for something that would involve a violation of WhiteBlaze's terms of service (TOS).:)

[take-a-knee]

Don't you need a vegan to make vegan jerky? You may be asking for something that would involve a violation of WhiteBlaze's terms of service (TOS).:)

That's funny, likely wouldn't be fit for human consumption anyway. Sort of a new twist on the term "human consumption".

[JAK]

Anyone here have any Vegan Jerky recipies? I have tried to make my own by just substituting Seitan for the meat but it was a major fail.What is it that you are going for? Do you want it to taste like meat, cause even jerky doesn't really taste like meat. Don't you just want something that is vegan, and a easy trail food high in protien?

Something we used to make in college was these sort of granola balls, where you roll up a bunch of stuff like oats and seeds and ground nuts and peanuts into round balls. I'll see if I can find the old recipe, but you get the idea. You could also make them into bars of course. You got heat them up to dry them out some more and even bake them a little but what we did was a simple cold recipe. I remember carob also, but didn't really like carob.

[Cassie]

I've tried both of these, they're pretty good. The second one crumbles quickly in a stuff sack but it still tastes good.

http://www.vegparadise.com/asknettie23.html

http://www.bigoven.com/18031-Vegetarian-Teriyaki-Jerky-recipe.html

[JAK]

I'm still wondering how the vegans know they are getting close to tasting like meat? :)

I've just started making homemade jerky. The dried beef itself is fairly tasteless. So far my favourite thing to add is mollasses. I don't marinate it, I just spread it on and pop it in the oven. Some salt, but alot less than in commercial recipes. Plus spices. I've only tried Cajun spice so far. I've also used bourbon but I'm not sure it does anything. Better to bring that along separate I think. For something vegan and jerky-like, I would go for a high protien vegan granola bar recipe with mollasses and salt and maybe some spices. Oatmeal and peanuts alone make a complete protien. Oatmeal and soy flour oatcakes might be another way to go, for less fat. I would still use some mollasses or honey, and maybe some seeds also.

[JAK]

As oatcakes go, these are the best I've had...
http://www.nairns-oatcakes.com/content/default.asp?page=s1_1

I've tried and matched them with a home recipe but so far no. I'll try mixing in some soy flour, to complete protiens and also to bring the %protien up closer to 15%. I recall that soy flour makes scones hard, but for oatcakes that might be ok. Taste goes downhill also, but honey or mollasses might fix that, and some salt.

[EasternBox]

JAK - I do like the taste of meat, however I have "beef allergies" which is really strange to me. Never heard of such a thing until I had an allergy test...haha. And I have the same sort of reaction when I eat deer meat or pork.

Thanks for those recipes, I will definitely try to make it.

[JAK]

Interesting. Are you ok with bullion cubes? Just curious.

Seriously though, do you think jerky taste like meat? I don't really think jerky taste like meat. Its good to chew though, and you can add stuff like mollasses and spices, but its kinda lost its meat taste. I wonder if beef bullion cubes might add some meat taste? Might try that.

[Chaco Taco]

What about tempeh with liquid smoke? Im curious about trying this. The jerky issue is an interesting one. I think the reason for the question from a vegan is for the protein that is necessary in hiking.

[JAK]

Thing is, we burn so many calories the protien needs go up, but maybe not as fast, so 10% protien might be 100g on a 4000kcal diet. If your losing weight though, you might want to reduce your fat intake and burn body fat, so in a lean hiking diet protien might be 15%. That can start to get tricky on a vegan diet unless you go to soy and stuff. Lentils and split peas are pretty high in protien also though.

But I think your right. If you could come up with a good recipe for some sort of 50% protien vegan 'jerky' then you can have more other stuff, like honey. OK, honey isn't vegan. I keep forgetting that. Sugar or mollasses then, I guess, or whatever vegans do for sports drinks.

[take-a-knee]

JAK - I do like the taste of meat, however I have "beef allergies" which is really strange to me. Never heard of such a thing until I had an allergy test...haha. And I have the same sort of reaction when I eat deer meat or pork.

Thanks for those recipes, I will definitely try to make it.

Then eat poultry, fish, eggs and drink milk then. Those are the healthiest sources of protein anyway. No true vegan gets enough protein, you can't eat that much tofu.

[sarbar]

Then eat poultry, fish, eggs and drink milk then. Those are the healthiest sources of protein anyway. No true vegan gets enough protein, you can't eat that much tofu.

You do realize that protein comes in many forms? A vegan who eats a wide range of foods will do just fine. Especially if they consume wheat products. 2 ounces of pasta is around 7 grams of protein....most people consume 4 ounces or more. Not a bad hit of protein just in that.

And oh yeah, not every vegan eats tofu :rolleyes:

[calculating infinity]

Then eat poultry, fish, eggs and drink milk then. Those are the healthiest sources of protein anyway. No true vegan gets enough protein, you can't eat that much tofu.

you are ill-informed and very very very wrong.

heres a website full of active vegan body builders, wrestlers, cyclists, runners and a lot of information to prove this.
http://www.veganfitness.net/

[EasternBox]

It's not like vegan jerky the only thing I am going to be eating. I'm just curious as to how to make it so that I can attempt to make it and if I like it will bring some along on a trip.

And I don't think jerky taste like meat. It taste like a salt lick...haha. Just kidding. And, to be honest, I am not sure how I would react to bullion cubes. I will have to look into that, as that would be a great addition.

Tempheh with liquid smoke sounds good

[take-a-knee]

[quote=calculating infinity;835484]you are ill-informed and very very very wrong.

heres a website full of active vegan body builders, wrestlers, cyclists, runners and a lot of information to prove this.
http://www.veganfitness.net/[/quote

The recipe for a long, disease-free life is Dr. Barry Sears' Zone Diet. 30/30/40 protein,carbs, and fat, and you need to consume meals at approximately that ratio every time you eat. You need about 30 grams of protein daily according to most vegan/tree-hugger types. Any less and you'll wind up with Kwashiorkor because you'll have inadequate serum proteins for your vascular bed to function properly. This is a late sign of starvation, poor health and markedly reduced immune function starts way before this. A couch potato needs 0.5gm of protein per pound of lean body mass. An athelete needs twice that. To keep your insulin level in check, and therefore stave off heart disease,atherosclerosis and cancer, you must consume the same number of grams of carbs at each meal. At least a third of the population has some form of wheat gluten allergy or absorption problem, the human digestive tract did not evolve to consume grains, they don't work well for everyone. They also send you insulin levels through the roof. This means the vegetarian mutual supplementation strategy isn't doing you any favors, not to mention protein from legumes and grains is markedly lower in quality and absorbability than that from animal sources.

Eating lots and lots of vegetables is really, really smart. Eating only vegetables belies a fundamental ignorance of some pretty sound, proven science. Jack Lallane has been a lacto-ovo vegetarian (he eats some fish also) for longer than most people reading this will live (he's 94) and he can still kick all of our a$$es. You will die pretty quickly without proper immune function, you will live an average or so life span with average immune function. You immunological health is largely determined by the amount(within the above mentioned parameters) and quality of protein you consume.

[take-a-knee]

You do realize that protein comes in many forms? A vegan who eats a wide range of foods will do just fine. Especially if they consume wheat products. 2 ounces of pasta is around 7 grams of protein....most people consume 4 ounces or more. Not a bad hit of protein just in that.

And oh yeah, not every vegan eats tofu :rolleyes:

Yes, I'm aware that pasta is one of the most unhealthy things you can eat, sends your insulin levels through the roof. You need to eat a LOT of quality protein from an animal source AND a couple of cups of veggies to offset the consumption of a cup of pasta and prevent soaring serum insulin. This is why the average american is overweight.

[sarbar]

Yes, I'm aware that pasta is one of the most unhealthy things you can eat, sends your insulin levels through the roof. You need to eat a LOT of quality protein from an animal source AND a couple of cups of veggies to offset the consumption of a cup of pasta and prevent soaring serum insulin. This is why the average american is overweight.
Uhhuh...yeah. You don't need to eat meat daily. Why does that sound like a pitch for the Meat Producers Board of America?

There are many options out there for vegs and vegans - whole grain, whole wheat pasta and beyond that? Legumes aplenty.

I was a vegan for a long time and by choice quit - yet I don't eat a lot of meat now. Nor do I pork out on dairy or eggs. I do eat meat occasionally for full disclosure, only when I get a craving. Usually if I do get a craving, half a can of roasted garbanzo beans cures it. I have found this method works well after intense weight training. No cholesterol or bad fats either.....sure, a burger will cut that craving, it is also very bad for my heart and FULL of bad fat.

If a diet works for a person don't mock them. I see no reason to tell a vegan they are "wrong" - it smacks of exactly why some vegans don't go home for Thanksgiving - the lectures and the table full of foods they don't want.

[World-Wide]

Don't you need a vegan to make vegan jerky? You may be asking for something that would involve a violation of WhiteBlaze's terms of service (TOS).:)http://www.happycow.net/humor_images/alpo1.jpg (http://www.happycow.net/humor_images/alpo.jpg)

My dog's point of view on a meat tasting vegan jerky treat! :D

[HeartFire]

I use extra firm tofu, slice about 1/4 inch thick, marinate in any sauce you like for about 24 hrs, then dehydrate. If you squeeze out most of the excess water from the tofu, it will absorb more of the marinade. Worked well for me, great snack to munch on while hiking.

[atraildreamer]

I tried a commercially prepared vegetarian jerky I bought at a health food store. :eek: I immediately purchased and ate a Big Mac to get the bad taste out of my mouth. :p :D Never again!!!

[Nearly Normal]

JAK - I do like the taste of meat, however I have "beef allergies" which is really strange to me. Never heard of such a thing until I had an allergy test...haha. And I have the same sort of reaction when I eat deer meat or pork.

Thanks for those recipes, I will definitely try to make it.

Try Bison, I read somewhere it is non-allergenic. That may only include wild grass fed. ???

[JAK]

[quote=calculating infinity;835484]you are ill-informed and very very very wrong.

heres a website full of active vegan body builders, wrestlers, cyclists, runners and a lot of information to prove this.
http://www.veganfitness.net/[/quote

The recipe for a long, disease-free life is Dr. Barry Sears' Zone Diet. 30/30/40 protein,carbs, and fat, and you need to consume meals at approximately that ratio every time you eat. You need about 30 grams of protein daily according to most vegan/tree-hugger types. Any less and you'll wind up with Kwashiorkor because you'll have inadequate serum proteins for your vascular bed to function properly. This is a late sign of starvation, poor health and markedly reduced immune function starts way before this. A couch potato needs 0.5gm of protein per pound of lean body mass. An athelete needs twice that. This appeals to me. Although I don't think its natural to have the same ratio every meal, the ratio seems very good.

I am currently 46, 6' 0.5", 209#, 42" waist, so according to this:
http://home.fuse.net/clymer/bmi/#bodyfat
I have a lean body mass of about 150 pounds, and a Basal Metabolic Rate of 1982 kcal/day.

So according to Sears, I need 75g to 150g of protien. If activity and exercise brings me to 3000 kcal/day, I could eat 150g/150g/200g to maintain 209#.

What if I want to lose weight? Do I keep the same ratio, or allow some of the fat portion of the ratio to come of my body?

Which is best, if I exercise enough to burn 3000kcal/day total?

Sears Ratio Reduced to Lose Weight:
105g/105g/140g = 2100kcal, for a deficit of 900kcal to lose 0.3#/day
90g/ 90g/120g = 1800kcal, for a deficit of 1200kcal to lose 0.4#/day
75g/ 75g/100g = 1500kcal, for a deficit of 1500kcal to lose 0.5#/day

Series Ratio with the food fat reduced by the body fat I am burning?
150g/150g/100g = 2100kcal, for a deficit of 900kcal to lose 0.3#/day
150g/150g/ 67g = 2100kcal, for a deficit of 1200kcal to lose 0.4#/day
150g/150g/ 33g = 2100kcal, for a deficit of 1500kcal to lose 0.5#/day

So which is it? How do you apply the Sears diet when losing weight?

[JAK]

sorry I messed up that quotation. the last paragraph is by take-a-knee, whom I am addressing

[EasternBox]

Try Bison, I read somewhere it is non-allergenic. That may only include wild grass fed. ???

Hey, thanks man! I will check into that.

[hikingjer]

When we used to own a food dehydrator, we used to dry canned fake beef (which is made from wheat gluten http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_gluten_(food) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_gluten_%28food%29) ) after marinating in soy sauce.

It was the beef version of
http://wpcontent.answers.com/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Wheat_gluten_%28vegetarian_mock_duck%29_opened_can _%282007%29.jpg/250px-Wheat_gluten_%28vegetarian_mock_duck%29_opened_can _%282007%29.jpg

It was pretty good. We used to buy the cans of fake beef at a Seventh Day Adventist store in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon. It's probably at Asian grocery stores too.

Obviously, this is not good for people who are allergic to wheat gluten.

[Nearly Normal]

Boy, if that won't throw you off your feed, nothing will!

[World-Wide]

When we used to own a food dehydrator, we used to dry canned fake beef (which is made from wheat gluten http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_gluten_(food) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_gluten_%28food%29) ) after marinating in soy sauce.

It was the beef version of
http://wpcontent.answers.com/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Wheat_gluten_%28vegetarian_mock_duck%29_opened_can _%282007%29.jpg/250px-Wheat_gluten_%28vegetarian_mock_duck%29_opened_can _%282007%29.jpg

It was pretty good. We used to buy the cans of fake beef at a Seventh Day Adventist store in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon. It's probably at Asian grocery stores too.

Obviously, this is not good for people who are allergic to wheat gluten.

Yum-yum....Seconds please! :eek: Actually, I think I ate something very similar at an AYCE joint while stationed in Korea!

[LaurieAnn]

A few comments....

Tofu jerky is very easy to make. I use firm tofu and marinate it for 24 to 36 hours in the fridge. I've also roasted it before drying before. Sometimes I've used a board and the BBQ to add smoke flavor to the tofu.

Seitan I didn't have much luck with. There is a lot of experimentation going on around the office right now as I'm in the process of finishing a Vegan/Vegetarian backpacking cookbook. So if anyone wants to test a recipe or two send me a private message. I'll also post a few here once I am finished the manuscript.

About protein and pasta.

I'd like to address the person who said that pasta was unhealthy for insulin levels. You are misinformed. Pasta has a low GI. Yes, it is high in carbs but it takes longer to digest, especially if you like it al dente or choose whole wheat pasta. Because it takes longer to digest the release of blood glucose is much slower and that is healthier. I have first hand experience here as I am diabetic.

Someone else mentioned protein in pasta. It isn't a complete protein though. The best vegan source of protein, in my opinion, is Quinoa. Why? Because it is a complete protein. You can add beans or legumes to rice or pasta to make the protein more complete though.

Whether a person is vegan, vegetarian or meatatarian is not indicative of a healthy diet. It solely depends on the food choices made within the diet itself. I know omnivores who have really unhealthy diets compared to vegetarians and vice versa.

[JAK]

My staple food when I was a cheap student in college was spagetti and frozen green peas and some butter. Complete protien, and yum. I just bought a huge bag of frozen green peas last night for the first time in awhile. Not a big pasta fan at the moment though, as I am losing weight. Thinking maybe some sort of green pea and barley and mixed vegetable soup. Hiking I bring mostly oats for breakfast and lentils for supper, and between the two they are a complete protien. I have read that the essential amino acids don't all have to be taken at the same meal. Skim milk powder also completes grain protiens like oats, so I tend to bring more oats and less lentils as I drink alot of skim milk chai while hiking. When losing weight I don't need as many calories when hiking. When I need the calories I add alot more currants and honey and almonds and peanuts to my diet. I've started making homemade jerky also. I was surprised how easy it is with a convection oven. Not as tasty as fresh meat though, so on a short 3-5 day hike it might be better to have a big steak before you go and another big steak when you get back.

[mudhead]

When we used to own a food dehydrator, we used to dry canned fake beef (which is made from wheat gluten http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_gluten_(food) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_gluten_%28food%29) ) after marinating in soy sauce.

It was the beef version of
http://wpcontent.answers.com/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Wheat_gluten_%28vegetarian_mock_duck%29_opened_can _%282007%29.jpg/250px-Wheat_gluten_%28vegetarian_mock_duck%29_opened_can _%282007%29.jpg

It was pretty good. We used to buy the cans of fake beef at a Seventh Day Adventist store in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon. It's probably at Asian grocery stores too.

Obviously, this is not good for people who are allergic to wheat gluten.

The fake abalone version of this is very tasty. I have never taken it into the woods, however.

[dradius]

I use extra firm tofu, slice about 1/4 inch thick, marinate in any sauce you like for about 24 hrs, then dehydrate. If you squeeze out most of the excess water from the tofu, it will absorb more of the marinade. Worked well for me, great snack to munch on while hiking.
thanks. i'm going to give it a try.
oh, and i lol'ed at all the "vegans don't get enough protein" comments. i love those :banana

[hikingjer]

Yum-yum....Seconds please! :eek: Actually, I think I ate something very similar at an AYCE joint while stationed in Korea!

Atleast 1 Vietnamese restaurant in the US has similar fake meat seitan on their menu. The "almond chicken" is pretty good when it's in a crust covered with almonds and fried.

-------------------------------------------------

I like how the canned stuff squeaks when you chew on it if it's not cooked enough. :) Fun, fun. It'll plug 'ya up pretty good if you eat too much of it.

Jerky made from canned beef seitan does not squeak when you chew on it.