SEASONAL BITE

For dedicated meat eaters a common concern about reducing meat consumption is the lack of protein. In truth, when eating a well balanced diet with plenty of vegetables you will receive an adequate amount of protein. But, for those of us who are used to adding chopped chicken to salads for an extra boost or consider a sandwich pointless without the meat, you will most likely need some tips for resupplying your non-meat proteins.

Nuts & Seeds
Grab a handful for a quick snack and protein boost. Sprinkle on salads or cooked vegetables. During the low-fat craze, nuts got a bad reputation, but in truth they are little nutrition power houses containing not only protein, but fiber, folate, Vitamins E & B-2, essential fatty acids and more. Soaking nuts is a method that is becoming more popular as a way to sprout them and increase their nutritional content. While we all have our favorite nuts or seeds, keep your diet interesting and diverse by mixing up your options.

Nut & Seed Butters
Spread nut or seed butters on crackers, bread or veggie sticks such as celery and carrots for a snack. Mix into soups for more flavor, texture and protein. Whisk into sauces for stir fries, such as Thai Peanut Sauces. Try new flavors such as almond, cashew or my latest favorite, sunflower butter. Subscribers to Lilly’s Table can try the Thai Almond Broccoli, too.

Beans
Canned beans are easy to mix into spreads, dips, soups and main dishes. If you are interested in soaking and cooking your own from scratch, here is a nice bean guide to help you along. Cooking your own is a great way to save a few bucks, control the sodium content and leftovers freeze beautifully for a quick meal on another day.

Grains
Often you will see beans & rice paired together in various international cuisine. The combination of beans and brown rice actually provides a complete protein. Pile the vegetables high and you have a delightful vegetarian dish that can evolve with the season’’s produce. If you want just a single fast cooking grain, quinoa offers the highest amount of protein, it is easy to prepare quickly and tastes great tossed in salads or topped with vegetables.

Tofu & Tempeh
Soy has had its fair share of controversy over the years, but it still remains a good protein option. Seek out non-gmo Tofu and Tempeh. Your favorite marinades work well to flavor them. Edamame or non-processed soy beans are also an excellent choice.

Dairy & Eggs
Find the best quality, sustainable options for your egg and dairy sources. We raise our own chickens and are a bit obsessed with the golden-orange yolks they produce. If you can find grass-fed dairy, wonderful, but if not we prefer organic dairy in our homes for the taste and the overall environmental benefits. Of course, this is only for the ovo-lacto vegetarians. As you can see vegans still have plenty of good protein options.

Avoid Soy Products
As a vegetarian for almost 10 years, I indulged in the occasional Tofu Dog, but for the most part I limited the soy products in my diet because they were a bit pricy and they just seemed wrong in some way. Keep in mind soy products are a processed food with often long lists of crazy ingredients. Stick to GMO-free tofu or tempeh and liven them up with your favorite flavors.

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