Taking Advantage of Leap Day

 

I’ve been so busy throughout the month of February coaching a wonderful high school mock trial team that I’ve had very little time to cook – or blog. Having an extra day in February after a busy month has been a real blessing!

Ordinarily, I love to make delicious, healthy home-cooked meals from scratch every night of the week. However,  a busy law practice and late afternoon mock trial sessions that lasted to early evening caused me to rely on a number of plant-based protein products that required little advanced planning or could be added at the last minute to something I put together in the slow cooker before I left to coach mock trial.

It’s frustrating to me that plant-based proteins that mimic meat still get so little notice or respect. Take this well-meant video from Eating Well that indicates that beans, quinoa, tofu, dairy, and eggs are the primary sources of protein in a vegetarian diet.

Aren’t these the same conventional non-meat protein sources that I was told to eat from my early days as a vegetarian in the 1970’s?

Why is it so hard to get people to accept that plant-based chicken, beef, sausage, ground meat, and now even seafood provide much more protein and can satisfy meat-eaters and non-meat eaters alike?

So, what did my family and I eat for the ten days in February that we had mock trial practice? Here is a sampling of our favorite quick meals from three of our favorite makers of meat analogues:

• Gardein
  • Golden Fishless Filets 
  • Classic Meatless Meatballs (simmered for 10 minutes in some homemade sauce from my freezer and served over spaghetti)
  • Chipotle Lime Crispy Fingers (sliced and added to a large fresh salad brimming with lettuce, spinach, avocado, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and carrots)
  • Beefless Ground (added 10 minutes before serving my Black Bean Chili from Fool a Carnivore that was simmering in my slow cooker)
• Quorn
  • Gruyere Chik’n Cutlets
  • Cranberry & Goat Cheese Chik’n Cutlets
  • Garlic & Herb Chik’n Cutlets
  • Jalapeño and Three Cheese Stuffed Chik’n Cutlets
• Tofurky
  • Italian Sausage (thinly sliced to top pizza that we made with whole wheat dough from the farmers market)
  • Kielbasa (sliced into chunks and added in the last few minutes to my Sweet and Sour Cabbage recipe from Fool a Carnivore simmering in my slow cooker)

Each of these easy to make dinners gave me and my family substantial amounts of plant-based protein – far more than the traditional sources of non-meat protein mentioned in the Eating Well video – and was more satisfying than just eating beans or tofu.

I’m looking forward to a calmer, saner March with fewer late nights and more time to cook! Thanks for your patience during mock trial season and please stay tuned for some delicious new recipes!