BEST VEGAN PROTEIN SOURCE

Seitan

oats

or beans

beaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaans

This is pertinent to my current interests, I’ve been pursuing a mostly vegetarian diet lately and protein seems to be the thing I’m finding trickiest to get enough of.

Unlike other pulses, lentils are great because you don't need to soak them overnight. Cooking them for 20+ minutes is usually enough to soften them up.

OTOH mushrooms: you have to put in a lot of effort to overcook them, and I've grown to enjoy their taste.

I only go for nuts/seeds when I want extra texture/crunch.

Since I got a nutribullet recently, I've been making coffee, banana, chocolate protein powder shakes. SOOOOooooo good.

My understanding is it's important to combine (legumes and whole grains for instance) or at least have a variety of protein sources over the course of a day. Vegan health broadcast ends.

It's good that you enjoy the taste of mushrooms because you will have to eat a lot of them to get much protein

We made a dish with rye berries last night and it was amazing (sure, it involved non-vegan butter and cheese, but they're so fun to chew).

It also involved my favorite fake meat, the legendary Tofurky Italian Sausage.

i like tofurkey italian sausage 10xs more than I like real italian sausage.

yeah i love those things. used to work in a actual sausage joint, which is where i became nuts for sauerkraut-y type things, and big sausage sandos with sauteed peppers and onions.

guess i'll happily vote pulses - chickpeas, lentils, tofu and tempeh are all so essential to me overall. but god i loves seitan, too

i really like tempeh. don't make it very often, and when i do it's usually just the same thing (tempeh balls with marinara sauce), but it's a good one.

My spouse, reformed vegan, never wants to get tempeh or seitan. Maybe it reminds him too much of college or his 20s. But he does love it when my mom cooks him up a ton of crazy ass tofu skins and weird seitan chunks.

I have to taste everything before he eats it though because I told him a story of how she would make vinegared tripe and tell me it was tofu. I didn't realize it until I had knowingly had tripe in my 30s and was like "goddamnit, mom."

I guess tofu goes in the beans category, but I love tofu in all its many forms. I especially like the tofu I make at home and the left over soyabean meal that can be out in potato salad or made into patties.

Other legumes are good too.

you are correct, tempeh totally balls with marinara sauce

is this a "funny" new poster i see

tofu skins are very good. fried tofu skin rolls for dimsum but really any old way

Oh! I forgot abt yuba (is that the tofu skins we're referring to?). The Pinnacle of tofu imho. Now I want try making.

I love the Japanese way of serving fresh tofu skin floating in still warm soya milk. That is an absolute joy.

Hi Ed! As far as making tofu perchance
Recipe/tips?!

mushrooms kick goddamn ass

mushrooms have barely any protein what is this

as a vegan of 15 years and an Actual Fat Person i am the most qualified person to ask this question and i just gotta say ya gotta be kiddin me with this mushroom thing my guy!!!!!!!

Brad Pitt amirite

leg∞mes
pros: the magical fruit, hella cheap, hella fiber, lots of kinds so you can make lots of things, decent-to-high protein amounts, very few ppl with allergies

cons: spending what feels like half my morning on the toilet everyday for years on end, making them from scratch takes hella time

tofu
pros: high protein, is a flavor sponge, short cook times, cute to say out loud, silken kind is good in PIES, can make good breffist tacos with tofu scramble, good value in terms of protein grams per currency unit

cons: ppl got soy allergies, squeezing the water out

prepackaged things like tofurky, gardein, beyond meats, et al
pros: v high in protein, hella convenient, closer "meat" analogues

cons: soy and wheat allergies if you have them, "processed", pricier

mushrooms
pros: taste good

cons: have to eat 50 lbs of them to get a good protein, great expense, die from eating too many mushrooms

pros: everytime you eat or cook with them, always get to say you're "doing shrooms"

cons: even if ur high af it still wont give you protein

harbl otm, except mushrooms taste like dirt

seitan is the best but i eat a lot of tofu, beans, and grains

they do taste like dirt but in a good way, imo

yeah I like things that taste like dirt. Like yerba mate.

pro: get to eat 50 lbs of delectable mushrooms, fried maybe and/or roasted, with the totally plausible cover story that you're doing it for the protein

mushrooms are the best. it still irks me that portobello placed 2nd in the shrooms poll though because that is the worst shroom

My father was a horticulturist and used to pick mushrooms in the woods and farms near our house. I was always afraid of a potential mistake that would end all of our lives

I couldn’t abide shaggy manes and puffballs but my parents’ general love for mushrooms made me love them in the end

Portobellos, shittakes, give them all to me

mushrooms, they're good

mushrooms, they're good

mushrooms, they're good

All of the above.

Feng et al, 2019. The association between mushroom consumption and mild cognitive impairment: a community-based cross-sectional study in Singapore. J Alzheimer Dis, (Preprint), pp.1-7.
Darmadi-Blackberry et al, 2004. Legumes: the most important dietary predictor of survival in older people of different ethnicities. Asia Pac J Clin Nut, 13(2), pp.217-220.
Grosso et al, 2015. Nut consumption on all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies. A J clin nut, 101(4), pp.783-793.

Personally, I've transcended concerns about protein, and actually look at ways to reduce protein intake for longevity and protection from metabolic disorders. Soon, I will be a being of light.

McCarty, 2014. GCN2 and FGF21 are likely mediators of the protection from cancer, autoimmunity, obesity, and diabetes afforded by vegan diets. Medical hypotheses, 83(3), pp.365-371.
Le Couteur et al, 2016. The impact of low-protein high-carbohydrate diets on aging and lifespan. Cell mol life sci, 73(6), pp.1237-1252.
Castaño-Martinez et al, 2019. Methionine restriction prevents onset of type 2 diabetes in NZO mice. FASEB J, pp.fj-201900150R.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

mushrooms I guess not really being a protein source are disqualified, I love nuts/seeds but have to go with legumes

Looks like peas and bean sprouts have twice as much protein per serving compared to shrooms. Always considered peas a veg. But they're a legume

I feel embarrassed about mushrooms now. :(

They have a v meaty texture when cooked and they rule so. . .

glad you included mushrooms

quorn is made from mycoprotein so not too far away from mushrooms - just wish vegan quorn was more readily available

haven't heard of quorn

It’s a meat alternative derived from some sort of fungus and it’s kind of like chicken in it’s basic form, but they make a whole range of alternative products with it. Unfortunately they use egg as a binding agent, but in the last few years they’ve trialled a vegan version which tastes p much the same. So it’s somewhat vexing as a vegan that they don’t just lose the egg permanently. It’s easily the most well-known vegetarian food brand in the uk, but they do sell it in other countries too

Quorn never sat well with me digestively

same. it also tastes kinda weird to me

Works really well in Chinese style dishes. Soaked up sauce like a sponge.

quorn is good but dry. beans are amazing and I have enjoyed my recent increased nut intake, but nonetheless mushrooms are one of the greatest things about our planet

shiitakes seem to retain a good texture, even when overcooked by fresh fool in the kitchen.

Love Quorn. Definitely prefer the chicken style quorn over the beef though. Actually I think that's true of all fake meats. I've never really found a beef one I've liked. I'm not talking about sausages there are plenty of those I like but the beef equivalent of the quorn pieces.

Seitan. I hated it until I disregarded the preparation instructions usually given. I let mine sit an hour after mixing in water, then I cut it up in cubes and cook it in the crock pot overnight. When I'm ready to eat it, I grill it. No rubbery texture whatsoever. And it's low in fat!

Last time I tried Quorn I don't think any of it was vegan, they were still using battery farmed eggs even.

Tommy's, a neighborhood restaurant in Cleveland Heights for 40 years that has a large vegetarian menu, has a BBQ seitan sandwich that is outstanding. They serve it on a brioche roll with a couple of bread-and-butter pickle slices on it.

I used to eat seitan straight out of the package.

Oh! Sounds killer, esp w/brioche. Was thinking of making BBQ tempeh this weekend for weekday sandwiches, but may have to make a batch of seitan instead.
xpost
Is jackfruit a protein source? Tried a prefab BBQ jackfruit once and it did nothing for me

beans/legumes, seitan, and tofu are all good, i'm not vegan/vegetarian anymore but i enjoy all those. mushrooms are good too but i think they are a little overrated, especially fancy mushrooms which aren't significantly better than common white button mushrooms imo

with few exceptions i think the soy meat analogs (e.g. soy hot dogs, TVP, soy chicken, tofurky, etc.) are all terrible even though i thought otherwise when i was vegan

jackfruit is not really a protein source but texture-wise it is remarkably like pulled pork

I love mushrooms so much. I was watching that French version of "Farmer Wants a Wife" and like the ones where they have mushroom farmers on. I didn't even think about there being people who just cultivate mushrooms.

Vegan Quorn hasn't shown up in the US AFAICT. I'd like to try it, though with a vomit bucket at hand.

Same here. Looks like the US advent of Quorn has been a bit sabotaged by Big Veggieburger.

The use of BEST PROTEIN SOURCE in the poll question is too damned ambiguous, if you ask me. Best at providing protein? Best tasting? Best value? Best behaved?

Don't nitpick, we all know falafel is the best.

Don't nitpick

Nevertheless...

Vegans don't nitpick, they nutpick. (That sounds less pleasant than it should.)

i like the new veggie burgers. beyond meat burger is dece

https://toriavey.com/images/2011/01/Falafel-10-640x480.jpg

C'mon, admit it. You know it's true.

looks like falafs on oatmeal imho (no argument with your premise!)

legumes are the clear winner here.

thinking about foul mudammas rn

Is that chunky hummus?

it's different in different places but it's essentially usually fava bean stew (sometimes a dip). i like it with lots of olive oil, onion, garlic, tahini, lemon, cumin, and aleppo pepper sauce

also it can have some chickpeas in it which i do sometimes

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

I was today years old when I found out that pulse can mean something other than a heartbeat.

Don't trouble yourself over this. I only learned that in much of the world pulse was used when doing literature searches on health effects of beans/legume/pulses.

I have no idea of this is legit but it definitely lets me feel smug: https://getpocket.com/explore/item/here-s-even-more-evidence-that-plant-protein-is-better-for-you-than-animal-protein?utm_source=pocket-newtab

I've been looking through some vegan recipes (both desserts and savory meals) and I see cashews (soaked and processed) a lot as a substitute for cream or cheese or butter(?). I have nothing against cashews but have never had them on hand (apparently they're expensive), so what are some alternatives? Could I use (soaked) chickpeas to similar effect?

Because of the fat content of cashews, they are able to mimic creamier foods when processed in the right way.

Tastewise, you're fine with soaked chickpeas, perhaps with some sunflower seed or oil mixed in.

In terms of texture, particularly for things like cream or cheese or butter substitution, cashews or another tree nut-based protein is probably a better way to go.

I am not a vegan or even a vegetarian, but was for many years, and lived/worked in a vegan cooperative where I had to cook massive amounts of food for 80+ people once/week. Taught me a lot about these things!

I'd also not use chickpeas as a sub in a dessert, but what do I know— I'm slightly grossed out by the idea of black bean brownies, which is apparently a very normal vegan thing.

thats not normal, ive never done that shit in my life

and i have done some v vegan shit in my 17 years of veganity

I'm not vegan, so for one recipe I just went with yogurt, but maybe I'll keep an eye out for raw cashews the next time I go shopping. Until then, I think that I'll try out the chickpeas in a vegan cheese/sauce recipe (although the rest of the recipe is centered around chickpeas too).

lol black bean brownies are great (with the right recipe)! You really have to be searching out for them to taste them (they all but disappear under the chocolate/sweeteners), though they will give you a denser texture. (I've tried other atypical ingredients in my brownies, avocados being the least successful.)

xp

I never voted in this because whadda I know I eat steak and burgers like 4 days a week but I feel confident the major protein source for people after the next couple decades could very well be fungus

I have a flourless cookie recipe that uses black beans and they’re delicious, really fudgey and black beans are tasteless. Fuck chickpea cookies, though, absolutely disgusting.

Leeeeee, Trader Joe’s or a bulk foods will have decent prices on raw cashews. They’re a really excellent sub for cream. I used to make a baked potato scallopini thing using cashew cream and it was rich and delicious as fuck. The cashews produce a lovely milk or cream that you can flavor how you wish bc raw cashews are pretty tasteless. I think silken tofu is also a good sub for thicker things like cheesecake.

Second Justine (hi J!) on silken tofu...I used to make a mean silken tofu Chocolate pudding that was the perfect texture and divine. Was the Belle of the ball whenever I made it.

+1 for silken tofu for chocolate pie, great way to sneak in protein to a dessert for #gainz

Hi tabes <3

we use cashews instead of parmesan when we make pesto, works out really nicely

it's not the fat content of cashews, it's thickening power bcuz of their starch that make it such a prefect and widely used subsitute in vegan cooking imo. plus they don't have a lot of character, so like tofu, can be used as a blank canvas for which to infuse flavor? garbanzos won't give you the same effect. but using them depends on what you're making i guess

Good shout Justine! I've put it on my TJ shipping list.

I've seen a few places extolling the virtues of soaking anything from beans, grains, to nuts, to improve digestibility. Is that just woo woo? I only ever soak dry beans, and haven't had problems with gassiness if I don't soak e.g. some quinoa.

i don't think it's fake but every mexican cookbook i've looked at is like we don't soak beans here
i looked this up recently and found this explanation https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-reduce-antinutrients , seems like a legitimate way to get rid of the water soluble stuff that bothers some people

Its wise to soak and wash quinoa, as that reduces saponins and makes them less bitter.

For legumes, when discarding the soak water there's a slight reduction in the α-galactosides like raffinose and stachyose. This may help with bloating/flatulence in those who don't eat legumes regularly, but the same α-galactosides are fermentable fiber that provide most of the benefits to gut microbiome.

The main plausible reason to soak nuts is to soften them. Cashew milk recipes often call for soaking overnight before blending (in the same water), and the product can be used as either dairy milk sub or ingredient in vegan cheeze making.

I haven't encountered a plausible reason to wash whole grains or bulgur wheat in the literature. As in there aren't digestive enzyme inhibitors that will elute into soak/wash water that aren't also disseminated through the grain. Of course soak them before cooking them or using them in tabouli.

Most people who talk about digestibility in health food communities aren't very qualified to have an opinion. The idea that one must soak them to improve digestibility is akin to the idea that human digestion relies on enzymes only present in raw vegetables. In general, its not true.

Most people who talk about digestibility in health food communities aren't very qualified to have an opinion.

lol