Every vegan & vegetarian out there knows the annoying question, ‘But where do you get protein if you don’t eat meat?’ Then we calm our-self down from pulling out our hair & remember that many people believe the misconception that only meat has protein. Then we get the fun task of sharing a world of information with them!
First off, read some books or watch some documentaries! I like the book ‘In Defense of Food‘ & Netflix has a great selection of documentaries including Forks over Knives & Vegucated.
To make things simple, VEGETABLES HAVE PROTEIN!!! Not only do they contain a healthy amount of protein but they also are rich in fiber which meat is not! The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that the average american is getting twice the recommended amount of protein & lacking in their daily fiber.
Outside of veggies I get my protein from lentils, chickpeas, nuts, nut flour, quinoa, couscous & more. Most recently I have been on an edamame kick! A half cup of cooked edamame contains 94 calories, 4 g of fat, 16% daily fiber & 8g / 16% daily protein.
One last thing before we dig into some recipes… Now, I know that we were all raised with the same meat, dairy, vegetable food pyramid. You know how workouts & exercise plans have changed over the years due to research in order to make them more effective & yield better results? Well, the same has happened with food. I want you to consider this as your new food pyramid. Give it a shot, try it out, what could it hurt?!
So now that we have plant-based protein somewhat discussed, let me share some easy, quick, protein & fiber packed bowls to make for lunch or dinner. Get ready because I have FOUR yummy recipes below 🙂
Buddha Bowl
Ingredients
- Rainbow cauliflower
- Shredded brussels sprouts
- Spiralized beets
- Sliced radish
- Light Life Foods, tempeh
- Rainbow Carrots
- Tahini*
- Pomegranate Seed
Directions
- Marinate tempeh in liquid aminos (I use Braggs. This is a healthier alternative to soy sauce), set aside.
- Simply roast or saute all vegetables except for the carrots
- Saute tempeh on medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side.
- Add everything to a bowl.
- Top with the carrots, tahini & pomegrante seeds. Enjoy & be full 🙂
*Tahini is simply ground sesame seeds that are blended or processed until it reaches the consistency of a nut butter. This paste offers many health benefits, including healthy macro-nutrients & a range of good-for-you vitamins & minerals. Try making your own!
Sweet Potato Pizza Bowl
Ingredients
- One sweet potato
- Organic pizza sauce
- One yellow pepper, chopped
- 1 T diced jalapeno
- 1/4 c black beans (drained & rinsed)
- 1/4 c vegan cheese
- Pizza seasoning (i like Flavor God)
- 1/2 c cauliflower rice
- 1/4 c roasted or canned corn
- One rainbow carrot, chopped
- Handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
Directions
- Poke the sweet potato with a fork several times & bake at 400 degrees for about 1 hr or until cooked through.
- With about 10 minutes left, cut open the sweet potato & top with the pizza sauce, pepper, jalapeno, black beans, vegan cheese & pizza seasoning.
- Steam the cauliflower rice for 10 minutes.
- Lastly, assemble your bowl! For the base add the cauliflower rice, carrots & tomato then simply add your loaded pizza potato. Enjoy!
Nourish Bowl
Ingredients
- One serving black rice ramen
- 3/4 c orange cauliflower florets
- Handful of snow peas
- 1/2 c chopped purple cabbage
- 1/4 c Upton’s Naturals italian seitan
- Liguid Aminos
- Half an avocado
- Small handful sprouts
- 1 nori sheet, torn into pieces
- 1/4 c pomegrante seeds
- Nutritional yeast / nooch
Directions
- Cook ramen according to directions
- Steam the cauliflower & snow peas until soft – about 10-15 minutes
- In a sauce pan, saute the cabbage & seitan in some liquid aminos for about 10-15 minutes.
- Add everything to a bowl.
- Add in the avocado, sprouts, nori & pomegrante seeds.
- Sprinkle desired amount of nooch on top. Enjoy!
Protein, Rainbow Plate
Ingredients
- 4 brussels sprouts, cut in half
- 1/3 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/3 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- Handful of baby kale
- Handful of spiralized zucchini
- One pre-cooked baby beet, sliced
- Frozen veggie patty (I like Morning Star or Dr. Praegers)
- Liquid Aminos
- Italian Seasoning (i like Flavor God)
- Beet hummus
- Pea Mash
- Nutritional yeast/ nooch
- Fresh basil
Directions
- Simply add all veggies & patty to a sauce pan.
- Saute in desired amount of liquid aminos.
- As veggies start to cook & patty starts to soften, chop up the patty & continue to saute mixing everything together. (Total saute time about 15 minutes)
- Add everything to a plate or bowl.
- Add drops of beet hummus & pea mash (recipe in my Falafel Buddha Bowl blog post).
- Sprinkle with desired amount of nooch & top with a fresh basil to taste. Enjoy!
The Kelly Diet 
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