This week, I’m investigating plant-based protein and how to make it a focus of the meal. The reason? I discovered that when I eat meat, that tends to be my meal’s focus. When I have beans or tofu or something like that, it’s usually buried into the other ingredients as though I need to hide its shame.
Stop Ingredient-Shaming Plant-Based Protein!
Okay, maybe that’s an overstatement of the situation, but I have found it quite surprising that if I tell you about a meal with meat, I’ll say that I’ve had steak or chicken (even though there were veggies and rice or potatoes on the plate too), but if I have a plant-based protein, I just say that I had vegetarian chili, for instance. I don’t say I have beans with a veggie mix. Because why would I say that?
So, while this could be my lack of sleep this week speaking (I’ve ordered a sleep supplement, I’ll be fine soon!), I’ve decided to make my focus for this week’s post a challenge to place the spotlight on plant-based protein. Yes, it can be the focus of a meal, and it can be darned good too.
Using Plant-Based Protein in Every Meal of the Day
To make this make sense (at least to me), I’ve broken down my suggestions into the three main meals of the day to show how plant-based protein can easily be the star in each one. I find that it’s easiest to do this if I’m making my meals from scratch, but increasingly there are heat-and-eat or instant foods that offer this option as well. Honestly, though, I don’t recommend most of them because their sodium, sugar, and even bad fat content is surprisingly high. It’s better to just do it myself when I can. Let’s do this.
Breakfast – Tofu Scramble
Oh my gosh, this tastes so good! The odd jiggly texture of tofu is the perfect substitute for eggs. I have become a recent addict of scrambled tofu with onions, bell peppers and a few herbs and spices to add some zing. I sometimes eat it straight-up like that, but it’s a lot of fun on a wholegrain tortilla as a kind of breakfast burrito!
Lunch – Bean Salad
In this case, I don’t just mean a little mix of beans that you take as a tablespoon on the side of the plate. Instead, I mean that I create a whole lunch salad and top it off with an incredible bean mix where I’d usually put chicken or hardboiled eggs. I get a canned bean medley mix super-cheap at the grocery store and it’s usually good for about three or four salads. Talk about a great way to save money while the price of food keeps going up!
So, I’ll create a base of lettuces and spinach, maybe some kale too, and I add tomato, peppers, cucumber, carrots, mushrooms or whatever else I have in my fridge that isn’t reserved for another dish. I’ll rinse the bean mix like crazy and add it on top. I top that off with a vinaigrette and I’m all set. To jack up the plant-based protein even more, I can add a bit of seeds and/or nuts. It’s delicious, filling and has tons of texture.
Dinner – Toasted Chickpeas on Brown Rice with Veggies
Have you tried toasting chickpeas yet? I get them canned, but you can get them dry and soak them overnight too. Rinsed and spread on a baking sheet, toast them in the oven until they’re crispy. Spice them up however you want. I just use a taco mix to make things easier. Then, add them to cooked brown rice with stir fried onions, broccoli, mushrooms and other veggies. These little flavor bombs elevate the entire meal. It’s a plant-based protein you’ll definitely crave.
