Quinoa, etc.
Sorry we haven’t been posting much. We’re trying to eat more vegetarian lately, and we’ve been making stuff from Vegan with a Vengeance (which has already been the subject of many blogs). We’re trying to branch out from that book, though. We’re particularly interested in quinoa and tempeh, both of which are complete proteins and more interesting than tofu. Tofu’s versatility can be a bit of a downfall, in that no matter how you flavor it, it’s still a lot like egg whites. Tempeh and quinoa, on the other hand, have a bitter taste if not prepared properly, which might sway people away from them.
Our favorite recipes of late have been Orange Pan-Glazed Tempeh–very sweet, gingery and satisfying–and Black-Eyed Pea and Quinoa Croquettes, which are crunchy and savory, especially with mushroom gravy. I’m currently working on coming up with a tempeh “meatball” recipe, forthcoming if it’s successful.
We’re still looking for more good vegetarian recipes, though, if anyone wants to guide us to some.
One of my all time favorites is Sweet Potato Taco. Just use sweet potato for your meat. Season w/ cumin s & p and fry up in a skillet. The rest is just a taco as you like it
You don’t need to include any one particular foodstuff with a complete protein in your diet. The protein in pulses complements that found in grains. Eaten together they provide protein as good as any animal source.
This is why, in all cultures, you find them paired up. Rice and lentils, beans on toast, chip butties etc.
You can adapt most meat in sauce eaten with rice/couscous/pasta/quinoa by just replacing the meat with beans or lentils.
We all eat far more protein than we need and it’s a really great thing that you’re doing.
I’m thinking of getting a Cleveland food blogger happy hour together. Would you be interested?
Beau Cadiyo
Hi Jenny,
I had refried beans and corn chips on a very regular basis as a bachelor, but Sarah likes a bit more variety. We’ve been doing a lot of lentils, lately, though.
Thanks for your reply!
–Ben
Nate: Thanks! We have sweet potato tacos on our menu for the week.
[…] finally made sweet potato tacos, as suggested by Nate a few posts ago. I did gussy them up a bit, though, and was really happy with the results. […]
I, too, LOVE quinoa. I discovered early on that if you don’t rinse the quinoa well in cold water, the quinoa will have that bitter taste you describe. I treat quinoa much the way I do with rice … sauté up some garlic and onions, through in the rinsed quinoa and sauté to coat the individual grains in the fat and then add the flavorful liquid of your choice. I usually use chicken stock, but veggie stock or water/wine would do the trick, too. At the very end I’ll add a dash of acid … a bit of lemon juice, some sherry vinegar, some red wine vinegar. Fresh herbs are also a welcome addition, too. I’ll throw in half at the beginning and the other half at the end.