Vegitein, or a philosphy of veggie

Protein. Too many non-animal protein haters out there. Crazy hard-core meatitarians often dismiss eggs and milk, even poultry, claiming only red meat will give you good enough proteins to become super-awesome-power-lifter-training-megapeople.

Really, this is all a misunderstanding. No, I'm not a nutritionist or trainer or any such authority. I'm just a simple me, who's done a good share of reading, is skeptical and analytical and curious. I won't get into veganism, since that is well into nitpicky supplements and particularities that I have not gotten quite yet.

WARNING: What follows is a bit of a rant. If you don't want to hear it, hop down the page until I relinquish the soapbox.

*hops up to the podium*

I'm not even against eating meat, either. *ducks flying stones*

Don't get me wrong. I love animals. I devote a good portion of my life to their health, well-being and humane treatment. I currently have a total of 7 VERY spoiled animals in my home. I work at a vet with exotics. I educate people on appropriate care, nutrition and training. I've devoted many thousand of dollars and hundreds of man hours to rescue and rehab. I volunteer for a wildlife non-profit center and foster wild animals. I use non-animal tested everything that's possible.

I'm just not a bleeding-heart animals above everything, anthropomorphizing vegan. I know that animals are animals and people are people. And we both serve our purposes and die. But what does that mean?

It means that I am against cruelty. Animals eating animals is a fact of life. I have no problem keeping animals to produce eggs or milk or meat, so long as it is done in a humane, sustainable fashion. That's all. When I eat eggs and milk, I choose organic. Anyways, it's only healthy to not want to eat suffering, sick, antibiotic-laden animal products, isn't it? And really, I want to do what's good for the environment, too.

*hops off soapbox*

So, when it comes to getting your protein, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. You can get it from soy, but replacing meat with soy-based meat-substitutes isn't really a great improvement in your diet. It is fairly easy to continue eating the typical, unhealthy, North-American diet without a scrap of meat. Half the point of going veg is learning to enjoy foods in a whole new way. And that's why I think what I write here is good for even those who still want to incorporate meat into their diets. I'm more focused on a better way of eating, period.

Quinoa is the new super-protein. Yes, it's an excellent whole food. But we need more variety.

The problem with vegetable proteins is that they are incomplete. It's not enough to see that beans have X amount in them, but you need to know how much of that is ACCESSIBLE to your body. Meat has a great balance, so that much of it is available for your body to absorb, and that's why it's considered a better quality protein.

However, there are ways to get around that. Unfortunately, you don't hear or read much about this, but the key to making veg protein accessible is to eat it in the right proportions. Just like Vitamin D and calcium, one compliments the other. And the simple answer is this: mix your grains and legumes.

Yep, that's it. You eat these buggers together and voila! you have great, accessible protein! No soy, no meat! Perfectly healthy protein. Seriously.

So, to complete this entry, here's one of my very favourite dishes. This is my own dealio, after a bit of experimentation. I won't give you measurements, since it'll vary with how many you're making. It's just a guideline for you to create for your own taste.

This is an excellent recipe to sneak veg into your diet, if you're not a big fan to begin with. The zucchini adds richness and creaminess, and you barely notice it! You can do the same with some eggplant, too, although I'm not brave enough to do that yet (yick).

Vegetarian Ques (awesome comfort food)

Filling:
Steamed Brown (or any) rice
Kidney (or any) beans
Grated Zucchini
Shredded cheese of your favourite variety (I usually use a cheddar-base mix)
Finely Chopped green chili pepper

you can also add in:
chopped green peppers
sauteed (or raw) mushrooms
grated carrot
any other random veg you want

Mix together while still hot, so the cheese melts and makes a gloopy mixture.
Add in some chili powder, cumin, paprika, a dash of salt and some white pepper (or black pepper if you prefer) You can also use Mexican green sauce in here. I toss in a bit of oregano, too.

put about 1 cup of this between 2 small rounds of tortilla (I like whole wheat flax seed variety, but use what you have)

Place in the oven at 350 until slightly crispy on top (10 mins?)

In the mean time, mix yourself up some Pico de Gallo

Chopped fresh tomatoes
chopped white onions
FINELY chopped green chili pepper (to taste)
cumin, paprika, chili pepper, dash of salt and some white pepper (black is too strong here, I think), sprinkle of oregano, and 1 clove of garlic, if you like.

Mix all that together, with a generous squeeze or two of fresh lime over it. Half a lime works well. Trust me, don't use lime juice from the bottle. It just won't be great. Limes are cheap. Go get one. Get 5. Go. Go now! Limes are good.

Let that sit in the fridge for a bit.

Top the hot quesadilla with low-fat sour cream or a thick yogurt* and pico. Or if you're lazy, use salsa. Try not to be lazy. And use fresh limes.

For the love of all that is not holy, please, do NOT eat this with ketchup. Or, if you do, don't ever tell me about it. Blech.

LIME!

* Greek Yogurt works well. And I have to say this because I know someone will email me a nasty note... use PLAIN yogurt. No flavour. If you can't find a thick yogurt, take some regular and place it in a cheese cloth or thin, non-linty cloth and tie a knot in the top. Stick a chopstick through the knot and hang it in a big bowl to let drip for a couple of hours. But this is a LOT of trouble, so just use the sour cream.