DeePee

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  1. Vegan newbie
Please share ideas for go to protein sources.... Tofu is not for me currently. :pensive:

Lentils & Tempeh i can deal with :rolleyes: .... so any suggestion involving these two or any new ones would be great.


Thank you :heart:

PS. i only really like chickpeas for hummus, so not fussy at all....:p
 
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hi @DeePee

In addition to the great suggestions above, and your lentils and tempeh, there is protein in most of the other food that you eat. Vegetables like broccoli, spinach, potatoes etc all have some protein. Avocado and bananas have protein. Peanut butter, almond butter. Lots of ways to get it.

Amy's or Eden Refried Beans are also a wonderful way to enjoy your protein. I am lucky enough to have access to a store brand that is low in sodium and fat and we love to chop up onions, bell peppers, zucchini and mix salsa and the can of refried beans in a small casserole dish with a lid and heat it up in the oven at 350 F until it bubbles. Top with a few sliced olives and a bit of 'cheeze' and scoop up with tortilla chips. One of our favourite meals.

Emma JC
 
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Please share ideas for go to protein sources.... Tofu is not for me currently. :pensive:

Lentils & Tempeh i can deal with :rolleyes: .... so any suggestion involving these two or any new ones would be great.


Thank you :heart:

PS. i only really like chickpeas for hummus, so not fussy at all....:p


Hi DeePee,

Lentils, especially the small orange ones, are inconspicuous enough to be "hidden" in many dishes - soups, stews, pasta, and even salads. If you cook orange lentils long enough, they soften into a thick broth.


Lentils are a popular ingredient in several regions - in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, the Middle East, North Africa, and India.

In Northern Spain, lentil and potato soup is a popular home-cooked dish. I ate it when I visited Spain on business.

In Portugal, "caldo verde" - a potato and kale soup that sometimes includes lentils - is also a popular home-style dish. My dad is part Portuguese, and he has always liked lentil soup.

In Italy, lentil, pasta, and vegetable soups are popular. My mom's father was Italian, and he always liked some beans or lentils at dinner.

In the Middle East, pureed lentil soup is popular.

In India, lentils are a daily staple food, made into soups, stews, and as an ingredient in some breads.


On YouTube, there is a super-cute Italian grandma with her own cooking show. She's very popular!
In this video, she makes lentil soup (though it has more ingredients than my lazy self prefers to use):

.
 
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Hi DeePee,

Lentils, especially the small orange ones, are inconspicuous enough to be "hidden" in many dishes - soups, stews, pasta, and even salads. If you cook orange lentils long enough, they soften into a thick broth.

.
I call them red lentils but I think we’re talking about the same thing. I love them. They’re my favorite!
 
I call them red lentils but I think we’re talking about the same thing. I love them. They’re my favorite!
Split red lentils! I couldn't find them at the Indian grocer and I got red/orange ones called 'football' lentils. They still had the skin on and held their shape. I do like lentil soups, I use a combo of both red and the green/brown or French.

My chili is 3/4 cup each of 3 different beans-usually black, red beans (not kidneys though), and pintos. I make mine in the Instant Pot so my directions wouldn't apply to stove top. I soak, then next day add 3/4 cup red lentils, spices, onion celery peppers and cook. I add a can of tomatoes after cooking

This is a super easy, cheap, and versatile recipe for red lentils-https://www.cearaskitchen.com/red-lentil-kofta-vegan-healthy/

Here's my recipe for a very high protein and tasty tempeh sausage-https://www.veganforum.org/threads/tempeh-sausage-easy.12274/#post-340789
 
In addition to the great suggestions above, and your lentils and tempeh, there is protein in most of the other food that you eat. Vegetables like broccoli, spinach, potatoes etc all have some protein. Avocado and bananas have protein. Peanut butter, almond butter. Lots of ways to get it.
Yes, pretty much any plant food contains at least a little bit of protein, but that isn't usually the issue when someone is asking about vegan protein sources.

Maybe you know this already, but I'll repeat it for the benefit of those who don't:

When we eat foods containing proteins, the proteins are broken down into amino acids, which are again used by the body to build other amino acids and the proteins it needs. There are around 20 different amino acids, but only 8 or so are essential, meaning that they can not be built by our bodies from other amino acids. Different foods contain proteins with different amounts of the various amino acids. (Sometimes it's said they have different amino acid profiles.) Generally speaking, the one essential amino acid that vegan food typically has the least of, i.e. the limiting amino acid, is called lysine, but there is one family of vegan foods that do have this in good amounts: legumes.

Therefore, legumes are generally the answer to this sort of question. Some well-known legumes are: beans, chickpeas, peanuts, lentils, peas. Of course, these foods are used to make a lot of things such as: Tofu, tempeh, soya milk, soya yogurt, hummus (made from chickpeas), peanut butter.

I should also mention that legumes generally do not contain one of the other essential amino acids in huge amounts: methionine. Luckily, this is plentiful in grain foods (pasta, noodles, bread, rice, oatmeal, ...).

There is one grain which does contain a good bit of lysine: quinoa.
 
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I'm amazed no one has mentioned chia seeds! If you were to consumed 4 tbls of chia seeds in a day (easy to do by adding them to soups, sandwiches, smoothies, salads, fortifying your seitan, etc.) you would intake 50% of daily recommended fiber, 10 grams of omega 3's and 8 grams of protein which also holds all nine essentials.

And don't forget, when people talk about making sure we acquire a sufficient amount of the nine essential amino acids, that as long as you are eating a wide range of fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes and leafy greens in a day then you will have no problems with receiving not only the required amino acids but plenty of protein with out having to worry or counting your macros and micros.
 
Oh yeah, if we are adding things like chia to the mix, don't forget about NOOCH! That is a protein (and b vit) powerhouse. 2 TBS of nooch has 6 grams of protein, more than 100% of all of your B complex, and almost 100% of your folate.
 
Hi DeePee,

Lentils, especially the small orange ones, are inconspicuous enough to be "hidden" in many dishes - soups, stews, pasta, and even salads. If you cook orange lentils long enough, they soften into a thick broth.


Lentils are a popular ingredient in several regions - in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, the Middle East, North Africa, and India.

In Northern Spain, lentil and potato soup is a popular home-cooked dish. I ate it when I visited Spain on business.

In Portugal, "caldo verde" - a potato and kale soup that sometimes includes lentils - is also a popular home-style dish. My dad is part Portuguese, and he has always liked lentil soup.

In Italy, lentil, pasta, and vegetable soups are popular. My mom's father was Italian, and he always liked some beans or lentils at dinner.

In the Middle East, pureed lentil soup is popular.

In India, lentils are a daily staple food, made into soups, stews, and as an ingredient in some breads.


On YouTube, there is a super-cute Italian grandma with her own cooking show. She's very popular!
In this video, she makes lentil soup (though it has more ingredients than my lazy self prefers to use):

.
Oh i do love a traditional recipe, i have been adding lentils to soups as you said before and im loving it.
Also bought a big bag of the orange/red ones you mentioned. :)
 
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Split red lentils! I couldn't find them at the Indian grocer and I got red/orange ones called 'football' lentils. They still had the skin on and held their shape. I do like lentil soups, I use a combo of both red and the green/brown or French.

My chili is 3/4 cup each of 3 different beans-usually black, red beans (not kidneys though), and pintos. I make mine in the Instant Pot so my directions wouldn't apply to stove top. I soak, then next day add 3/4 cup red lentils, spices, onion celery peppers and cook. I add a can of tomatoes after cooking

This is a super easy, cheap, and versatile recipe for red lentils-https://www.cearaskitchen.com/red-lentil-kofta-vegan-healthy/

Here's my recipe for a very high protein and tasty tempeh sausage-https://www.veganforum.org/threads/tempeh-sausage-easy.12274/#post-340789
Brilliant, thank you :)
 
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Yes, pretty much any plant food contains at least a little bit of protein, but that isn't usually the issue when someone is asking about vegan protein sources.

Maybe you know this already, but I'll repeat it for the benefit of those who don't:

When we eat foods containing proteins, the proteins are broken down into amino acids, which are again used by the body to build other amino acids and the proteins it needs. There are around 20 different amino acids, but only 8 or so are essential, meaning that they can not be built by our bodies from other amino acids. Different foods contain proteins with different amounts of the various amino acids. (Sometimes it's said they have different amino acid profiles.) Generally speaking, the one essential amino acid that vegan food typically has the least of, i.e. the limiting amino acid, is called lysine, but there is one family of vegan foods that do have this in good amounts: legumes.

Therefore, legumes are generally the answer to this sort of question. Some well-known legumes are: beans, chickpeas, peanuts, lentils, peas. Of course, these foods are used to make a lot of things such as: Tofu, tempeh, soya milk, soya yogurt, hummus (made from chickpeas), peanut butter.

I should also mention that legumes generally do not contain one of the other essential amino acids in huge amounts: methionine. Luckily, this is plentiful in grain foods (pasta, noodles, bread, rice, oatmeal, ...).

There is one grain which does contain a good bit of lysine: quinoa.
Thank you, this is really helpful. :)