Gaelen
03-16-2006, 09:05 PM
Ally, I can't find the thread where you were asking for help about upping the protein in your mom's diet, so I decided to post some suggestions here...
First, if she won't eat eggs or dairy, the traditional vegan sources of protein would be soybeans, beans/legumes, nuts and seeds. Soybeans and lentils will give you the most bang for the buck in the beans families; I really like incorporating seeds like raw pumpkin, sunflower and pine nuts into cooking along with regular tree nuts from the nuts/seeds family.
Soybean products, many of which it's easy to find as non-GMO and organic, would include in addition to the canned and dried beans, things like tofu (extra firm has the most protein per ounce) and tempeh (make sure it's soy based, without extra added grains.) Soymilk, and also soy pasta, soy protein based breads, etc., will boost protein in ways you're not expecting, but that will get the protein in.
If your mom isn't used to things like tofu and tempeh, start slow. ;) Use browned tempeh croutons on top of salads and soups. Stir-fry extra firm tofu or tempeh with fresh veggies...in fact, stir-fried tofu with veggies in various spice levels and with garlic or egg sauce is a typical Chinese takeout menu item, so you can 'try it' commercially prepared and see if your mom likes it. Tempeh you may have to prep at home. My favorite way (besides browned tempeh 'croutons') is to saute strips of tempeh with strips of fresh veggies and use a soy/peanut butter dipping sauce to dress them. In Indonesia, that's called Gado-Gado. ;)
You can also use 'fake meats' if your mom is amenable; I don't often use them, but things like Quorn grounds (made of mycoprotein derived from mushroom-type fungus) work very well as a ground beef sub, and some of the soy sausages also work really well with traditional veggie accompaniments.
Another option is seitan (wheat meat) which has a taste and texture when marinated very like chicken or pork. It sautes well with veggies and fruits.
Lentils are great, and if you can find lentil flour pasta, that's another painless way to incorporate some protein into your mom's diet. Papadini pastas are gluten free and made from lentil flour and salt (and that's about it.) They taste good, are relatively lower carb, and not so expensive they'll kill your budget. Here's an online source, although I can get it at the health food aisles of my local Wegman's. I like the orzo and shells the best. http://www.adriennes.com/pasta.htm
If you can't get lentil or soybean pasta, try to at least get her to eat whole wheat pasta, which has marginally more protein than white flour based pastas.
I also use chickpea flour to make pancakes and crusts, nuts to make crusts, etc. All of these, made into a crust for fresh or roasted veggies, or fresh fruit, will up the protein of the dish and keep the carbs manageble although not ultra low carb. However, at this point, just getting your mom to eat nut flour muffins and pancakes, get rid of the white flour and eliminate sugars may be all that you can hope for. Hope this helps; let me know if you need more ideas.
Gaelen
First, if she won't eat eggs or dairy, the traditional vegan sources of protein would be soybeans, beans/legumes, nuts and seeds. Soybeans and lentils will give you the most bang for the buck in the beans families; I really like incorporating seeds like raw pumpkin, sunflower and pine nuts into cooking along with regular tree nuts from the nuts/seeds family.
Soybean products, many of which it's easy to find as non-GMO and organic, would include in addition to the canned and dried beans, things like tofu (extra firm has the most protein per ounce) and tempeh (make sure it's soy based, without extra added grains.) Soymilk, and also soy pasta, soy protein based breads, etc., will boost protein in ways you're not expecting, but that will get the protein in.
If your mom isn't used to things like tofu and tempeh, start slow. ;) Use browned tempeh croutons on top of salads and soups. Stir-fry extra firm tofu or tempeh with fresh veggies...in fact, stir-fried tofu with veggies in various spice levels and with garlic or egg sauce is a typical Chinese takeout menu item, so you can 'try it' commercially prepared and see if your mom likes it. Tempeh you may have to prep at home. My favorite way (besides browned tempeh 'croutons') is to saute strips of tempeh with strips of fresh veggies and use a soy/peanut butter dipping sauce to dress them. In Indonesia, that's called Gado-Gado. ;)
You can also use 'fake meats' if your mom is amenable; I don't often use them, but things like Quorn grounds (made of mycoprotein derived from mushroom-type fungus) work very well as a ground beef sub, and some of the soy sausages also work really well with traditional veggie accompaniments.
Another option is seitan (wheat meat) which has a taste and texture when marinated very like chicken or pork. It sautes well with veggies and fruits.
Lentils are great, and if you can find lentil flour pasta, that's another painless way to incorporate some protein into your mom's diet. Papadini pastas are gluten free and made from lentil flour and salt (and that's about it.) They taste good, are relatively lower carb, and not so expensive they'll kill your budget. Here's an online source, although I can get it at the health food aisles of my local Wegman's. I like the orzo and shells the best. http://www.adriennes.com/pasta.htm
If you can't get lentil or soybean pasta, try to at least get her to eat whole wheat pasta, which has marginally more protein than white flour based pastas.
I also use chickpea flour to make pancakes and crusts, nuts to make crusts, etc. All of these, made into a crust for fresh or roasted veggies, or fresh fruit, will up the protein of the dish and keep the carbs manageble although not ultra low carb. However, at this point, just getting your mom to eat nut flour muffins and pancakes, get rid of the white flour and eliminate sugars may be all that you can hope for. Hope this helps; let me know if you need more ideas.
Gaelen