May Meat Challenge Food Information: Meat Alternatives

[Emerald]

This is an ongoing thread for the month of May for sharing your climate-friendly food suggestions, recipes, tips and experiences.

Thank you to everyone who has been writing and responding.  Feel free to share your tips and recipes.

Please keep this same subject line so that people can choose if they want to read it and participate.

PLANT-BASED MEAT ALTERNATIVES

Plant-based foods have evolved greatly in the past 50 years.  All we had was tofu, beans and legumes as alternatives to meat.  Vegans and vegetarians ate tofu, tofu, tofu, and tofu.

Access to meat alternatives is more important to some than others.  The world of salads, beans, vegetables, fresh fruit, whole grains, and homemade everything is a healthy lifestyle and lower on the carbon footprint considering the impact of plastic packaging and long-distance shipping.

Most people who eat a plant-based diet eat some amount of packaged foods.  Even tofu comes in a plastic package unless you make it yourself. 

Impossible and Beyond brand meats are new on the market.  They are lab-grown to replicate meat without coming from a living animal.  These products come very close to copying actual meat.  They are the epitome of genetically modified food (GMOs).  These products come from Bill Gates and Amazon.  Marketing them as humanitarian or a solution to climate change is purely greenwashing.  The impact on the gut microbiome is a great concern long after eating a lab-grown burger or sausage. 

A better choice is tempeh, a soybean product, which also works for people who normally can't eat soy products because it's fermented.  Amy's Kitchen makes great burgers, all organic in many flavors, they are local, and their packaging is better than most.  If you are new to these try the California burger or Sonoma if you prefer gluten-free.  Alvarado Bakery makes organic sprouted wheat hamburger buns, and Community Market sells organic mustard, relish and ketchup in glass bottles.  Check out Vegenaise which comes in many versions now including a new one made from avocado oil that is delicious.  There are other brands that are healthier but not as tasty as this one.

Seitan is another meat alternative that is delicious but is made from wheat so not suitable for a gluten-free diet.  Many of those products have hydrolyzed yeast which is another name for MSG.  Field Roast has many delicious products including meatloaf, sausages, and sandwich slices, and they all have some form of yeast extract which is MSG.  The ingredients list sounds like food but these products never spoil.  There are other similar brands of gluten-based seitan products that are also delicious but best to eat occasionally if at all.

As stated in previous writing, soy and tofu are suitable for some better than others.  For people who are able to digest soy products, tofu is a versatile food.  It has very little flavor and is absorbent so it will take on whatever flavors are around it.  It can be added to any sauce or stew, adds a lot of nutrition, adds a substantial texture, and very little taste.  An easy way to prepare tofu for an entree is to bake it for a few minutes with soy sauce or tamari with some garlic and/or grated fresh ginger.  It is easy to bake it in any kind of sauce, or to marinade it and fry it.  It doesn't even have to be cooked and can be eaten plain with soy sauce or add cubes to a miso broth with a little seaweed.  It can be added to a stew or a stir-fry, and can be used in many recipes.  It is a staple in Asian cooking but adaptable to any cuisine.  It can even be scrambled as an alternative to scrambled eggs.

If you are used to having meat with your breakfast, try making home fries instead.  Bake or steam potatoes, yams, or sweet potatoes for dinner and make extra for breakfast the next day.  Heat an iron skillet to medium with some good olive oil such as Bragg's, turn down to medium low as soon as the skillet is warm, and heat up the potatoes or yams in warm oil, turning regularly until they are browned and heated.  Add some Himalayian pink salt for flavor and minerals if you like salt and try that as a side dish instead of bacon or sausages.  Home fried sweet potatoes work best if cut just in half while yams and other potatoes can be cut in any size.  Be sure to keep the skins on - the best nutrition is in the skins.  Polenta or grits also make a great side dish for breakfast.  Cook organic polenta, such as Bob's Red Mill, one part polenta to four parts water.  Regular grits are not available organic but polenta cooks the same way with a slightly coarser texture.  Bacon-flavored tempeh is good too.

Tempeh makes delicious burgers, and is a great addition to any vegetable dish.  It is available organic, and is less expensive than many of the alternative meat products.

Some of the old stand-by soy products also have MSG in them, including texturized vegetable protein (TVP).  TVP is an alternative to ground beef but is not delicious and not healthy.  Tempeh is a better choice.

Someone on this thread suggested jackfruit as an alternative to fish and versatile in recipes.  A recent purchase of organic jackfruit was $3.50 in the canned fruit section at Whole Foods.  This product comes from Edward & Sons that is a recommended brand in our Shoppers Guide.  There are several recipes on the label including one for Not Chick'n Salad.  Check previous posts in this thread for a crab cake recipe made from jackfruit.  It was also recommended for making an alternative to tuna fish salad.

If you ever had a chance to eat at the Chalk Hill Cookery booth at a farmers market or festival you might have enjoyed Mateo's vegan lox and cream cheese on a gluten-free bagel.  Unfortunately that booth no longer exists but vegan lox can be made from carrots.  If you have a recipe please share it.  Check this week's Earth Action newsletter for lots of recipes, recipe websites, and a recipe for vegan salmon made from tofu.

Last but not least is lentils.  Lentils are inexpensive, very nutritious, easy to cook, and delicious.  They can be made into a loaf, burgers, stews, soup or cooked simply with seasonings.  There are many kinds of lentils but the brown ones are cheapest and the most common.  Cook one part lentils in two parts water.  Make them flavorful by starting with onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and savory, bay leaves or curry spices.  Sautee these with the lentils and then add the water, cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 15 minutes.  Lentils make a simple meal with veggies and rice or quinoa.  Lentils are used in many Middle Eastern and Indian dishes. 

There are many other alternatives to meat such as beans, nuts and seeds.  Stay tuned for more information about alternatives to dairy such as good choices for yogurt, butter, and some new delicious non-dairy cheeses.

Use our Shopper's Guide to do a search on Meat Alternatives to find suggested brands that are non-GMO and independently owned.

What are your favorite dishes and recipes for replacing meat?

  

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[Bev Alexander]

LARGE PORTOBELLA MUSHROOMS!

First cut up some onions - rings, chopped, whatever you like and then brown them in a covered heavy pan (no oil needed - just watch them and add a little broth or water if necessary). Add the mushroom/s with your favorite sauce: teriyaki sauce, barbecue sauce, soyaki and cook covered until done. Eat like steak or serve on a bun like a burger. They are really rich and delicious, and much better for you without cooking in oil.

Alternatively, you can slice the mushrooms before you cook them and you can add sliced bell peppers along with the onions.

PS - If possible, use all organic produce.

😋

Bev

Beverly Alexander

Protect Wild Petaluma

341 Liberty Street

Petaluma CA 94952

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[Jen Briere]

Bean + Quinoa Burgers

Makes ~ 6 burger patties.

 

Ingredients

·      2 cups cooked + drained black beans (can choose canned)(~2/3 cup dry)

·      1 cup dry quinoa, cooked

·      1 carrot

·      1 fennel

·      Salt + seasonings to taste

Directions

1.     Cook beans.  Sautee then cook quinoa.

2.     Cut and sautee the carrot and fennel.   When tender, add spices and herbs.  Add some water (about a cup) and let cool.

3.     Add all bean, quinoa, and veggies to the food processor and blend.

4.     Form the ground ingredients into patties.

5.     Bake @ 350* for 20 minutes.  Flip and bake for 15 minutes more.

Best regards,

Jennifer Briere

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[clista]

Thank you for those recipes! I =love= mushrooms! The big caps really are like eating a steak. 😋

Sent from my Galaxy

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[Emerald]

This is an ongoing thread for the month of May for sharing your climate-friendly food suggestions, recipes, tips and experiences.

Thank you to everyone who has been writing and responding.  Feel free to share your tips and recipes.

Please keep this same subject line so that people can choose if they want to read it and participate.

Climate Friendly Eating: Best Choices For Every Diet

According to UN studies, raising livestock accounts for 14.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Including all the direct and indirect emissions from animal agriculture, it can be as high as 51%. Breeding and killing billions of animals for human consumption requires vast amounts of land, water, and fossil fuels. A shift to plant-based foods is essential to preventing a climate catastrophe. You can reduce your carbon footprint by participating in our May Meat Challenge.

We encourage people who consume animal products to consider an 80-100% plant-based diet during our May Meat Challenge to reduce greenhouse gas and climate change. We also encourage conscientious eating that is locally sourced, organic, and minimally processed, with sustainable packaging. Experiment with plant-based choices that are delicious, nutritious, local, and sustainable for a lasting climate-friendly diet.

People who choose to eat animal products have access to grass-fed, grass-finished, pasture-raised foods from farms that utilize carbon farming practices, mitigating the large amounts of methane produced by animal agriculture. Seafood products that are sustainably farm-raised without GMOs or toxic chemicals are not depleting or polluting the oceans. Eggs from chickens that are pasture raised are widely available and vastly different than so-called cage-free or free range eggs that are raised in overcrowded warehouses. Pasture eggs are from chickens that run around outside on rotating pastures and have a coop to sleep in at night. Look for organic, non-GMO, pasture eggs for a more conscientious choice, if you eat eggs.

Grass-fed, grass-finished, pasture-raised, organic… these animal products cost more than cheaper meats, dairy and eggs. However, these choices are healthier for the environment and your body. In the long run it is more economical to stay healthy and limit the quantity to remain within your budget. A normal 4-ounce serving of meat or fish is the size of your palm. For information about best choices for seafood and other products go to our interactive Shopper’s Guide.

Beans and rice is still one of the cheapest and most nutritious meals. Balance your diet with lentils, beans, whole grains, and fresh, organic fruits and vegetables. Fill most of your plate with vitamin-rich foods such as a beautiful salad, steamed veggies, sauteed greens, or a baked yam. Regularly consume iron-rich foods such as beets, black beans, and leafy greens. Beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and vegetables are all great sources of minerals and adequate protein. Make homemade non-dairy milk, butter, cream, and sour cream, in your blender from nuts, oats, or seeds. Delicious, local, non-dairy butter is also available now in all paper packaging.

Photosynthesis pulls carbon from the atmosphere and puts it back in the soil. Some of the best solutions to climate change are growing plants organically, with minimal or no tilling, composting, and shifting to a plant-based diet.

What choices have you made or considered for your climate-friendly eating?