Chef Bill Nolan shares some ideas on how to cook with meat alternatives and plant-based proteins.
Wondering about Meat Alternatives?
By now we’ve probably all been exposed to alternatives to meat, if not in our own kitchens, then through the extensive marketing that is done by companies selling these new products.
We can all benefit from eating less meat, so I wanted to feature an alternative that you might want to try at home.
When I was trying to come up with the idea for this post I thought about all of the meat alternatives: Impossible Foods, Beyond Meat, and other plant-based substitutes. Of course had to consider some that we might be more familiar with, such as tofu and tempeh.Â
I settled on tempeh, as it intrigues me the most and has a great nutritional profile. According to WebMD, a 3 ounce serving of tempeh contains 160 calories, 18 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 28% of your daily fiber requirement, 6% of your daily calcium, and 10% of your daily iron. It is a complete protein and has been shown to be an anti-inflammatory.
Meat Alternatives: What is Tempeh?
So what is tempeh? It’s a soy product that is fermented that has a slightly nutty taste. It normally comes in cake form and is best if you steam it for about 10 minutes before cooking. After steaming you can marinate it, crumble, slice, saute or grill it. Tempeh will absorb the flavors of what you are cooking it with, such as our featured tacos. If you are grilling it you may want to baste or season it to add flavor. Use tempeh in place of ground or cubed meat, or whole grilled.
Tempeh Tacos! Healthy and Good Eating!
Try tempeh as a meat alternative in this recipe for good health and good eating!
I hope you have a chance to enjoy this product. You don’t have to be a vegetarian (I’m not) to include it in your meal plans!
Happy cooking!
Bill
More about Bill
Bill Nolan, a professionally trained chef and current owner of Nolan Hospitality, a food-focused company based in Darien, Illinois, has over 20 years experience in the restaurant and education industries. passionate about food and health, Bill believes in the diet-lifestyle-health connection and loves to share his knowledge with others through writing, classes, and presentations.
For more on healthy eating for patients with PN, go to https://www.foundationforpn.org/living-well/lifestyle/.