Exploring Plant Protein

Greetings from San Diego!

For those I haven't met, I used to be a part of the food group in person until we moved from Portland to San Diego 5 months ago. I miss being there in person but have been thankful to stay in touch with some of you and continue learning and sharing. Due to a health condition, my husband is unable to have animal protein. I have been venturing out into unknown territory and trying out new sources of animal protein.

Millet is a gluten free, easy to digest grain rich in Phytic acid and almost 15% protein!

Black Bean and Millet Salad

Black Bean and Millet Salad
1 cup millet, uncooked
3 cups water
2 cups black beans, cooked
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, (or substitute green onions), chopped
1 medium cucumber

Dressing
1/3 cup water
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin

Cook the millet in 3 cups of water until water is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Fluff with fork and allow to cool. (Boil water first, then add millet and simmer. I had to look this part up as the recipe wasn't very specific!)In a large bowl, combine millet, black beans, tomatoes, and onion.Peel several strips from the cucumber (it should look striped) and cut it lengthwise into four pieces. Remove the seeds and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Add the cucumber to the salad.

Mix all dressing ingredients until well blended and pour over the salad, tossing to blend. (Experiment with the seasonings to suit taste.) Cover and refrigerate until the salad is well chilled. Serve on lettuce leaves or stuff into pita bread.

Another new item for our family this week was Tempeh. I wish I could say I found a fermentation starter and made my own, but not quite yet! I purchased a non flavored block of organic Tempeh from our local health foods store to use in the recipe. It has 20 g of protein in a serving. (Non GMO, Organic Soybeans)

This picture is of Tempeh Scalloppine with Shallot Mushroom Gravy. There is a organic and local foods restaurant near where Steve works called Native Foods and it comes from their cookbook. Due to the fact that we are downsizing to an apartment in 4 days, I already packed it! I will try to remember to come back and add the recipe. I found Tempeh to be nutty, wholesome, and flavorful.

Tempeh Scalloppine with Shallot Mushroom Gravy

My family has made quite a few changes in the last few weeks. We are enjoying raw milk and raw cream and think we have located a good source for raw goats milk! My son Luke, will be turning 3 on Wednesday and it took switching to raw milk and a mostly raw foods diet to improve some health issues he has had his whole life. We are also thankful to have found a local, organic farm near where we live. (It took 5 months to figure out such a thing DOES exist in Southern California!) We became CSA shareholders and had our first delivery last Wednesday. The last recipe I wanted to share with you comes out of the CSA cookbook we received with the first delivery. It was a big hit with the entire family, even 13 month old Ellie!

Cauliflower Potato Curry

2 T peanut oil ( I used almond oil)

1 tsp each: curry powder, turmeric, cumin, dried thyme

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2/3 cup chopped onion

2 cups cubed waxy potatoes (Yukon gold was in CSA delivery, they can be both waxy and starchy so they worked great)

1 cup vegetable or chicken stock, or water ( I used water)

2 cups chopped cauliflower

1 medium carrot,chopped

2 slices fresh gingerroot

1/4 pound fresh beans, chopped

1 T fresh lemon juice

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in skillet. Stir in dry spices. Add onion and garlic; cook over medium heat until tender. Add potatoes and stock, cover and cook 10 minutes. Stir in cauliflower, carrot, and ginger. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Stir in beans. Cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove cover; continue to simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over white rice and top with green onion. (We used brown rice. Next time I was thinking of trying Millet or Quinoa). Makes 4 servings.

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Lisa Engelman is a Founding Member of Sustainable Food For Thought's Portland Food Group, and we are blessed to be able to continue sharing our learning and conversations through email and blogging as she and her husband and two beautiful kids now make their home in sunny Southern California ...