Category Archives: Protein

Whole Food Plant-Based concerns about protein for vegans and vegetarians

Bean Salad

beansSummer! Who wants to cook? Not me!

Much of our summer food is cold – salads, chilled soups and sandwiches. Mostly I prepare the the salads and soups early in the morning and put it in the refrigerator to chill for four our five hours. Not only are they cold, but the flavors have had time to meld. (more…)

Posted in additive-free food, diary-free food, gluten-free food, plant based diet, Protein, salad, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Leave a comment

Talking About Tofu

TofuThere are foods that make my mouth water. Tofu is not one of them!

I have never looked at tofu and thought “yummy!” Mostly it is a vaguely gelatinous food with no color and very little taste. Turns out that because of the texture, color and taste, tofu can be easily transformed into a tasty source of protein.

Much of the tofu in the USA is genetically modified so it is important to look for non-gmo organic tofu. I personally like sprouted varieties the best. (more…)

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Energy Cookies

ECOOKIESLITTLEvery now and then your body screams at you — “I need fuel”. Something more than a handful of nuts or a piece of fruit. It wants something solid and chewy. Which is why energy bars were created in the first place.

Unfortunately, commercial energy bars are almost always filled with strange ingredients, sugar and preservatives.

My solution, of course, is to make my own.  I have tried all kinds of things. I wanted a basic recipe that could be adapted to various food plans and tastes.  So with out further ado, here is my latest attempt. (more…)

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The Year of Being Vegan: 2012 Lessons Learned Part 3

I have always been a plant-based eater; a vegetarian. Over the last year David and I decided to become vegans. It has been an incredible learning experience! Between now and the end of the years I will share some of the things I learned.

fat cookMany “Healthy” Vegan Recipes are NOT!

The decision to be vegan meant David gave up meat. And we gave up cheese and eggs. Meal planning became a challenge. I spent a couple of hundred dollars (all of it on used bookstores) and many hundreds of hours pouring over menu plans and recipes.

My biggest take is that many vegan recipes do not fit my definition of healthy food. Many of them contain ingredients that I wouldn’t eat on a bet: (more…)

Posted in additive-free food, diary-free food, environment, Food Additives, gluten-free food, GMO foods, plant based diet, processed food, Protein, Soy, sugar-free food, vegan, vegetarian, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Getting Enough Protein?

When people find out that I am a vegetarian, the most usual question is — One of the things I am most often asked is, “How do you get enough protein??” I have been answering this question for over 40 years. My basic answer hasn’t changed a lot, but my thought process and information base has.

When I was in my 20, 30s and 40s I would tell people it was easy, but that the “tricky” part was making sure you got complete protein. The way to do that was to combine grains and nuts with legumes. I would assure them that if you just paid attention, you would be “fine”. That you don’t really need that much protein anyway. (more…)

Posted in Beans, plant based diet, Protein, T. Colin Campbell, vegan, vegetarian, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Home Again! And Tacos in a Hurry!

imageWe had a great time in New Orleans, but were very glad to get home. No place like it!

We got in late, tired and very hungry – bad combination! The fridge was bare and all the frozen entrees would take at least 20 minutes to thaw.  Fortunately we have canned food in the pantry and a garden to raid. (more…)

Posted in Beans, Cote Home Grown Fare, fresh veggies, gluten-free food, Mexican, Protein, vegan, vegetarian | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Eating on the Road

We are heading to New Orleans – timing being everything! The trip has started me thinking about what we are going to eat. Airport and airplane food (if you can even get it) are slim pickings! TSA rules limit the liquid you can take and living on protein bars and caffeine seems like a bad option!

We leave here at 7:00 am and get to New Orleans at 5pm, which when you adjust for time means that we will be traveling 8 hours. No matter what we eat for breakfast before we leave we are going to want to eat twice before we get a chance to sit down to real food. I have been racking my little brain trying to figure out what to take. (more…)

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Succotash by Any Other Name

Growing up, I was an easy kid to feed. I’d pretty much eat anything. There were only 3 foods I objected to – green peas, lima beans and dried powdered milk. So it follows that I really disliked succotash which my Mom considered a special treat. I wondered (and continue to wonder) why anyone would ruin good corn with lima beans.

Every now and then I have to go through the fridge and try to think of inventive ways to use the food. One day I made a mixture of corn, black beans, onion, green pepper and tomatoes. To my great consternation, David called it succotash. That started a heated discussion (argument) about the definition of Succotash. As much as it pains me to admit it, turns out David was right. (more…)

Posted in Beans, entrée, Protein, vegan, vegetarian, Whole Food Plant-Based Food Kitchen, Whole Food Plant-Based recipes | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The “Eggless” Omelet (Omelette)

Earlier this week in my post about Eggless Quiche I mentioned eggless omelets.  Over the last couple of days I have had several people ask me for the recipe. So by popular request here it is: (more…)

Posted in Beans, Breakfast, fresh veggies, Protein, vegan, vegetarian, Whole Food Plant-Based recipes | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Crustless, Eggless Quiche (Really!)

S6300832I hate picky eaters.  The ones who know they are going to hate something before they even taste it.  Probably because I could become one.I have the genetics for it! Plus.I have lots of opinions about food and what will work/not work.

When I came across several recipes for eggless omelets and eggless quiche my inner skeptic reared her ugly head.  I was pretty sure this was one of those ideas that wouldn’t work.  But, in the spirit of doing the opposite action, I pulled a quiche recipe and hung it on my fridge. (more…)

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