Tag: protein
Your Life or Your Lupins
Soybeans get all the fame and glory as the premiere meatless protein, but what if I told you there was another bean that could steal the spotlight with ease? Lupini beans are the dark horse rivals, vying for legume supremacy, almost doubling the protein content of whole soybeans. Think that soy foods are unique, chalking up tofu, soymilk, tempeh, and more as a clear soybean success story? Just wait until you see what the humble lupin can do.
The Lupin Spin
First, the confusion of naming needs to be addressed. “Lupini” is the Italian plural form referring to the seeds of the lupin plant. Lupine and lupin are both common names for the same flowering plant genus, Lupinus. The genus is part of the legume family, which also includes peanuts. There are over 200 species of lupine, though not all are edible. Some, like the beloved Texas bluebonnet, are actually poisonous. Don’t go digging up your garden in search of a feast, and on that note, be careful to keep them away from curious pets, who are more susceptible to the measured dose of poison in an unsuspecting seed.
Lupini Through History
Lupini beans are just starting to get their big break, but they’ve been around as a reliable food source since roughly 3000 BCE. Hailing from the Mediterranean and the Near East, evidence shows that the ancient the Egyptians and Romans knew the value of a good lupin when they saw it. During the Middle Ages, lupins were grown in Europe not only as a food source but also as a nitrogen-fixing crop to improve soil quality. They were commonly planted as part of crop rotations to enhance soil fertility. In the modern era, lupins have been gaining attention as a sustainable, high-protein legume now that the sweet lupin has been selectively bred for better taste and ease of consumption. Early lupins were often relegated to animal feed given their bitter nature, which also explains their slow start on the mainstream market.
The Cooking Conundrum
The biggest barrier to entry, aside from sourcing the beans to begin with, is cooking them. Even the newer “sweet” strain requires a concerted effort when it comes to cooking, in an attempt to remove more of the bitter alkaloids and break down almost impenetrably tough skins. This is also why you’ll often find them pickled, not dry or canned. Pickled lupini beans are ready to eat and infused with salty, savory flavor. The most popular brand in health food stores packages theirs in pouches; old school labels sell glass jars, found in the import section in specialty or gourmet stores.
Although you can of course buy dried lupini beans, I don’t recommend it. To beat them into submission, or some version of edibility, you would need to:
- Cover with cold water and soak for 24 hours.
- Drain, add fresh water, and simmer for 2 hours.
- Cool completely, drain, and add more cold water.
- Soak overnight. Drain and replace the water.
- Boil for 45 minutes – 1 hour. Drain and replace the water.
- Soak overnight. Drain and replace the water.
- Boil for 45 minutes – 1 hour. Drain and replace the water.
- Soak overnight. Drain and replace the water.
- Taste for doneness. If still bitter or gritty, repeat the boiling process.
- Add salt and store submerged in water, like pickles.
If you’re willing to sacrifice roughly a week of your life to this process, be my guest. You’re far more patient than me.
What Do Lupini Beans Taste Like?
I thought you’d never ask! Sweet lupins are poised to be the new edamame; large and flat as fava beans or gigante beans, yellowish tan in color, and encased in a substantial but edible skin, you can peel them or eat them as is. Mild in flavor and firm in texture, they’re an ideal bar snack served either hot or cold, and especially with a salty finish. Aside from eating them out of hand, they’re excellent tossed in salads and simmered in soups, since they won’t fall apart for anything.
Beyond The Whole Bean
Consider lupini beans for further applications beyond immediate eating gratification, and that’s where things get interesting.
- Lupin flour holds incredible promise as a gluten-free, keto, high-protein staple, capable of creating highly nutritious pastas, cakes, cookies, breads, and more. Blended with water and seasonings, it could become a liquid egg substitute, too.
- Lupin “rice” is an alternative to the conventional whole grain, made more like an orzo pasta for quick cooking applications.
- Ground lupin or lupin flakes are a coarser take on flour, approximating the texture of grits or savory oatmeal when cooked.
- Lupin milk, though rare in US markets, is taking off primarily in Europe, noted for its excellent frothing abilities in lattes, thanks to its naturally high protein content.
- Lupin cheese is every bit as varied and versatile as the average nut cheese, ranging in texture and flavor from creamy ricotta to sliceable, buttery Havarti.
- Lupin tempeh isn’t a stretch of the imitation, as any bean can be tempeh-fied.
- Lupin tofu is similarly successful as a soy-free alternative, more aligned with Burmese “chickpea tofu” in preparation rather than the traditional coagulated soymilk approach.
Where Do You Get Your Protein
Okay, let’s get the protein talk out of the way. One cup of cooked lupini beans does in fact have 26 – 30 grams of complete protein, including all 9 essential amino acids. Incredibly high in fiber, they’re the only bean that has 0 grams net carbs per serving. Additionally, they’re a good source of manganese, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, folate, and vitamin A.
However, there is one big nutritional red flag about lupini beans that I briefly mentioned earlier. Being part of the peanut family, those with severe peanut allergies may have similar sensitivities when exposed to lupins of any variety. If that’s the case, avoid lupins and any lupin products to be safe.
From Unknown to Unforgettable
Lupini beans have lost their harsh edge and are ready for their closeup. To get the most bang for your bean buck with a protein-packed legume, look no further. They’re versatile enough to transform from a quick fix snack to your new secret ingredient in all things baked and cooked. I think they’re the next big thing in bean technology, personally, and I’m here for it.
Reinventing The Pinwheel
When you wake up in a holi-daze, still feeling groggy from too much nog, it’s tough to get motivated and cook a proper breakfast. Forget about making a huge production; the right recipe will wake up your taste buds even before your brain can engage. Keep the festivities rolling with big, hearty, and healthy breakfast pinwheels.
The Gift of Good Taste
Want to give your loved ones a gift they won’t find under the tree? There’s nothing better than waking up to the aroma of sautéed onions and garlic wafting from the kitchen, promising something rich and savory is on the way. Layering lightly spiced, herb-flecked vegan breakfast sausage, vibrant kale, and creamy tofu scramble in soft lavash flatbread is a foolproof formula for a happy holiday. It’s a symphony of textures and tastes, contrasting and harmonizing simultaneously, for a deeply satisfying morning meal.
How Do You Roll?
No gathering is complete without at least one picky eater on board, but this highly adaptable, entirely flexible blueprint can accommodate all requests. You can easily customize the filling based on what you have on hand or your guests’ preferences.
- Simplify by doubling up on just meatless sausage, or just tofu scramble.
- Swap the kale for spinach, or omit it entirely if the kids balk at anything green
- Lose the lavash and stuff everything into pita pockets, or better yet, have guests assemble their own.
There’s no shame in using shortcuts like prepared ready-to-eat sausage crumbles or prepared tofu scramble to take some pressure off in the pre-dawn rush, too.
Break The Fast, Not Your Spirit
Don’t let holiday fatigue get you down! Roll up your sleeves, and your lavash, and bring a little cheer back to the breakfast table.
Wordless Wednesday: Don’t Worry, Be HapPea
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HapPea Vegans
Risk It For The Brisket
Brisket, historically a cheap cut of tough, barely edible meat, has come to be revered by aficionados across the globe. Some call it the “holy grail” of Jewish food, especially when the holiday season rolls around, and even more so when you factor in the difficulty of veganizing such a time-honored culinary tradition. Given the scrutiny placed on such an important centerpiece, it’s one I’ve never even felt capable of attempting.
Until now.
Brisket: A Celebratory Centerpiece
Growing up, Hanukkah dinner meant extra-crispy latkes, two or three types of homemade applesauce, and a heaping serving of brisket, cut into slick slabs that fell apart on the plate, dripping with juice. It was a point of honor when my Nana, the matriarch of meat, passed the torch to my own mother by sharing her secret recipe. The secret being powdered onion soup mix and lots of time. Three hours in the oven, an overnight rest, and then however long it takes to slowly, gently reheat the roast for the festive meal. There’s just not much to it besides meat and onions; every ingredient counts.
On that note at least, the same can be said for my plant-based rendition, a distinct departure from the beef-soaked ghost of holidays past. Where most vegan brisket recipes fail is by using just a big hunk of seitan, meaty but monotonous, without the distinct shredded texture of dissolved sinew cut against the grain, cooked into velvety submission. After the great success of my drumsticks, I knew I had the answer: finely shredded Sugimoto shiitake caps, blending into a matrix of seitan and meaty seasonings, the way to go.
Tasteful Textures
Moreover, this grand roast employs jackfruit and fresh enoki mushrooms to enhance that illusion, adding ample umami and a satisfying bite all the while. It’s a production compared to your average meatloaf, but it still takes less time than the original article. Since there’s no pesky cartilage to break down, you can slash the cooking time in half. Of course, there’s the added benefit of having no pesky cartilage in the first place.
Souped Up Supper
Onion soup mix is still an essential ingredient, but not in the same way as before. Skip the packaged blends with loads of fillers and milk solids; Sugimoto shiitake powder creates an incredibly rich, rounded depth of flavor alongside dried onion flakes, which you can buy ready-made or dehydrate yourself. This could be a stand-alone pantry staple for making instant chip dips, rice pilaf, more flavorful burgers, elevated vegetables, and, to state the obvious, soup.
A Brief Brisket Primer
Brisket means many things to many people, but at its core, simply refers to a prime cut of beef. Jewish brisket is made of the same stuff as Texan brisket; the difference is in the cooking. Texan brisket is the crowning achievement of any pit master, the litmus test determining their ability. Deeply smoked from a low and slow process that can take anywhere from 18 to 24 hours, each bite is intense and heady. Sometimes it comes crusted in a highly spiced rub, or slathered in BBQ sauce, lacquered with that sweet, tangy, spicy finish. Jewish brisket, on the other hand, sometimes called pot roast (especially if made in a slow cooker) is baked, braised, stewed, or slow-cooked for 3 to 6 hours in a flavorful liquid with plenty of onions. Always, always, lot of onions.
If you wanted to take this Jewish-style brisket and make into a barbecue feast, simply increase the liquid smoke to 2 teaspoons and brush it liberally with your favorite BBQ sauce 15 minutes before it’s done baking, and then once more right out of the oven. Or, if you happen to have an actual smoker, do your magic with the roast as is.
Brisket Tips and Tricks
This is not a quick-fix meal; never has been, never will be. Part of what makes it so special is how much time and care it takes to come to fruition. The most important piece of advice I can give you for making a meatless brisket is to have patience, plan ahead, and relish the leftovers. Prep and bake the brisket the day before, so all you need to do is reheat it for the big event. It only gets better as it sits, becoming more tender and intensely flavorful. Leftovers keep beautifully in the fridge for at least a week, and can be frozen for around 6 months. That is, if you’re lucky enough to save a few pieces. It may look like a beast of a roast, but trust me, it disappears fast.
Brisket isn’t just for Hanukkah. It’s a prime guest of honor at any important gathering, from Passover to Thanksgiving, birthdays to summer barbecues. Finally, with a genuinely meatless option that might even make my great-grandparents proud, there’s even more to celebrate.
Breaking The Mold
Would you like some moldy bean cake? It’s been fermenting in my pantry for two days! Wait, where are you going?!
Chickpea Tempeh
Tempeh, the ancient Indonesian invention that sustained countless generations, seems to fly in the face of modern food safety. Most foods enshrouded in a layer of white fuzz should go straight to the trash, but a block of tempeh sporting a similar fur coat, on the other hand, is destined for the dinner table. Though it’s been a plant-based staple long before we ever had meatless beef, this prime protein failed to take off on the mainstream market with the same enthusiasm. Whether it’s the cause or result, there remains a significant gap in widespread awareness and acceptance.
Air Fried Edamame Tempeh
Cast In The Same Mold
Mold is a type of fungi, just like mushrooms. Microscopic, multicellular, and often misunderstood, mold can be a very good thing indeed. Rhizopus oligosporus (R. oligosporus) is the beneficial fungi responsible for transforming a pile of beans into fully fermented tempeh, encasing the proteins in fluffy white mycelium. Tempeh that’s been wrapped tightly, either in banana leaves or punctured plastic bags, will have a smoother, more compressed layer of mycelium, whereas one given more open space will look genuinely furry and soft. Both are
Inoculated Chickpeas
DIY, Don’t Buy
Homemade tempeh is leaps and bounds better than anything store bought, not that there’s an abundance of choice in most grocery stores. Soybeans are the most common base, traditionally and commercially, but starting from scratch means you can use any bean you like, and beyond. I’ve had wonderful success with chickpeas and edamame especially, and I’m just getting started. All you need are tempeh cultures, dry beans, and vinegar. Cook the beans, toss with vinegar, let stand until the surface is dry to the touch, toss with cultures, and pack into plastic bags. Puncture the bags with a toothpick so the tempeh can breathe, and let it rest in a warm place (70 – 90 degrees) for up to 48 hours. That’s all it takes!
Chickpea Tempeh Noodle Bowl
Seeking Mycelium, Not Mycotoxins
Fresh, properly fermented tempeh should smell nutty, mushroom-y, earthy, and just subtly funky. It should NOT smell like ammonia, alcohol, or rotting garbage. It’s perfectly fine if there are some dark spots, but not if they’re slimy, sticky, or crumbling apart. There IS the danger that bad bacteria might find this inviting guest room you’ve carefully curated and decide to move in. Always use common sense; when in doubt, throw it out. Since tempeh is quick and cheap to make, you’re better off starting again.
Edamame Tempeh
New Tempehtations
For anyone even remotely interested in learning more about tempeh, I implore you to delve into The Book of Tempeh by William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi. First published in 1979, it’s still the most complete, definitive text on the history, science, nutrition, and recipes for both creating and using tempeh. There’s so much more to it than I could ever hope to cover in a blog post, nor would I try. I’m simply hooked on the satisfaction of growing my very own mold, intentionally, to make a staple food I thought was impossible to make at home. The war against mold is over, if you want it.