Parker Katie - The high-protein vegetarian cookbook : hearty dishes that even carnivores will love

HEARTY DISHES THAT EVEN CARNIVORES WILL LOVEKatie Parker Recipe Developer and Photographer Kristen Smith Ph.D, R.D., L.D. For my mom, who is simply the best.Without you I wouldnt be hereboth literally and figuratively.HEARTY DISHES THAT EVEN CARNIVORES WILL LOVEA nyone who knew me for the first 18 years of my life is likely (and understandably) confused by the fact that Ive written a cookbook. Throughout high school I ate the exact same lunch every day: a bagel with light cream cheese, baked chips, and applesauce. My food was beige and my nutrients were low, but I was young and active and didnt think twice about it. At the time I assumed the light cream cheese and baked chips made my lunch healthy. It all made perfect, simple sense.

I was fortunate to attend a college with an incredibly diverse cafeteria. Initially I leaned into my comfortable foods: peanut butter toast, cheese pizza, and of course bagels with cream cheese. After a few months (and a few extra pounds, if were being honest), I started branching out. I quickly realized I felt much better when I ate more protein and fewer processed foods. My eating evolved throughout my four years of college, and when I graduated and began cooking for myself, I found that eating healthy foods not only made me feel better, but being in the kitchen relieved my holy crap I just entered the real world stress like nothing else. In the meantime, I began dating Ryan, who happens to be a big-time hunter and carnivore.

Having him in my life (and in my kitchen) added a little extra challenge to my cooking, because I wanted to create hearty, meat-free meals that both of us could enjoy. He came up with the blog name Veggie and the Beast, and Ive been sharing my recipes online ever since. When people learn Im a vegetarian, the first question that follows is always about protein. Meat is known for its protein, so it makes sense that people would wonder what non-meat-eaters do to fulfill their protein quota. This book is my long-winded answer to that question. When I started writing this book, I planned to use protein powder in some of the recipes.

However, as I started researching and testing protein powders, it was difficult to find one that both tasted good in recipes and was free of artificial sweeteners. When I tried to develop recipes with unflavored protein powder, I found that they just werent as delicious as their whole food counterparts. For this reason, Ive opted to use protein-dense whole foods to keep things both tasty and high protein. I think its the best of both worlds. Each main course in this book has at least 10 grams of protein, and each snack/side/dessert has at least 6 grams. When I realized I could hit those benchmarks without protein powder or supplements, I decided to go for it.

If youre wondering where the protein comes from, here is an overview of the main sources used throughout the book: Beans Lentils Nuts and seeds Nut butters Whole grains Dairy There are some recipes where I use tofu and tempeh (soy) and seitan (wheat meat). When buying tofu and tempeh I always purchase an organic variety because of the prevalence of genetically modified soy. With all of these products, I prefer to buy them unflavored, so that I can add my own seasonings and spices that make them go with each dish. My goal with this book is to debunk the myth that vegetarian food lacks protein, and to show how easy and accessible vegetarian cooking can be. The recipes in this book truly do reflect the way that I eat every day.

W hen Katie asked me to collaborate with her on this vegetarian and high-protein cookbook, I jumped at the opportunity to provide nutritional input and my perspective as a registered dietitian. W hen Katie asked me to collaborate with her on this vegetarian and high-protein cookbook, I jumped at the opportunity to provide nutritional input and my perspective as a registered dietitian.

Although I have gone through periods of my life when I relied more heavily on vegetarian foods, I am not currently a vegetarian. I do, however, make it a point to provide vegetarian and meatless meals to my family several times a week. In working with Katie, I was lucky enough to get firsthand access to 75 incredibly inventive and tasty vegetarian (and sometimes vegan) recipes that my husband and toddler also eat and enjoy! According to The Vegetarian Resource Group, vegetarians are those who do not eat meat, fish, or poultry, whereas vegans are vegetarians who do not eat or use any animal products (this includes milk, cheese, other dairy, eggs, honey, wool, silk, leather, or other goods). Vegetarian cooking and vegetarian lifestyles appeal to many people for a variety of reasons including health benefits, ecological and religious concerns, personal beliefs, compassion for animals, dislike of the taste and/or texture of meat, and more. Throughout my career as a registered dietitian, I have counseled vegetarian and vegan clients and worked with them to ensure that they are receiving adequate nutrition from their diets. Since vegetarians do not consume meat, fish, or poultry, people often assume that they are not able to get enough protein in their diets in fact, this is a common misconception.

Fortunately, there are several vegetarian protein sources (many of which are included in this cookbook) that can be prepared in a variety of ways and contribute high-quality protein. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has confirmed that a vegetarian diet can meet all known nutrient needs. By consuming a varied diet that includes adequate calories (providing enough energy to maintain weight) and a mixture of proteins throughout the day, vegetarians are well-positioned to meet their protein and other nutrient requirements. Protein is an essential nutrient, which means that we cannot survive without it. It provides structure and function to all cells in the bodyit is found in muscle, bone, skin, hair, and nearly every other body part or tissue. Protein is of vital importance to our health, but people are often surprised to learn that we dont actually need to consume it in huge amounts.