Friday, January 21, 2011

Pack a Protein Punch!

Well, better late than never!  My blogging intentions are good; my mandatory house, pet, husband, job and social needs just impede on those good intentions.

Without further ado, I give you: Garlic Parmesan Quinoa
Delicious, hearty, pretty and packed with good-for-you protein and fiber!

What the heck is quinoa?  I'm glad you asked - here's the Wiki answer!

Here's what you'll need:
1 tbsp soy butter
1 small onion, diced
2 cups broth
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup uncooked quinoa
Salt to taste
1-2 cups fresh spinach (or 10oz pkg frozen)
¼ vegan parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast

Preparation:
In a medium sized pan, sauté the onion and garlic in butter (or olive oil) over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, until onions are just soft. Reduce heat to medium low.

Add the vegetable broth and quinoa. Cover, and allow to simmer until liquid is mostly absorbed and quinoa is cooked, about fifteen minutes. Add parm and spinach; cook just until the spinach wilts.

I served this with some marinaded tofu (super yummy marinade, thanks Jené)!

AND...
A yummy sauce inspired by my recent trip to the Asian market
1 tsp chili bean sauce + 1 tsp rice vinegar = seriously kick ass sauce

Here's what you end up with
Serves 6 people

Nutritional Info per serving (approximately):
Calories:  266
Fiber:  7g
Protein:  13g

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Happy and Healthy 2011!

It’s a New Year and time for new decisions. Many people will get back on the diet bandwagon; a decision which will be bitter-sweet for most of them. Personally, I hate the word “diet”. It is a misconstrued four-letter word which evokes visions of supermodels dancing through one’s head. Since the majority of us fall under the shorter than 5’10” category and check the older than 25 box, we can do ourselves a favor and put the supermodel image to bed already. We cannot, however, put to bed our health.
Make a decision this year to be healthy, not “skinny”! Make healthy choices and your body will follow. Make your insides happy and you will be happy – it’s as simple as that.
As a vegan, I’m frequently asked how I get my protein. The recommended dietary allowance for both men and women is 0.8 grams of protein for every 2.2 pounds of body weight (people with special needs, such as pregnant women, are advised to get a little more).
Our bodies – hair, muscles, fingernails, etc... – are made up mostly of different kinds of protein that consist of varying combinations of amino acids. In much the same way that the 26 letters of the alphabet can form millions of different words, 20 amino acids serve to form different proteins. Half these amino acids can be manufactured by the human body, the other 10 cannot. These remaining amino acids are easily obtained by eating a balanced vegan diet.
I always stress how careful you must be when ingesting animal proteins. The consumption of animal protein has been linked to some types of cancer, Alzheimer’s and other avoidable diseases. Plant-based protein sources contain healthy fiber and complex carbohydrates.

So, here is your Easy Protein Formula:
Your Weight ÷ 2.2 x 0.8 = Your recommended per day protein amount.


My recommended intake is around 44 grams. I was curious to see how many grams of protein I was actually getting, so I tracked my meals for a couple days and found I could use a bit more. I was getting between 26-38 grams of protein per day, so I need to try to work in about 10 more grams per day. I stocked up on beans, grains and tofu at the store and will try to whip together some tasty vegan dishes over the next few days.
 
Here’s to getting as healthy and happy as we can be! Happy 2011!