New year, new plans for healthy eating. Here are three plant-based ways to get more protein in your diet.
Instant Quinoa Flakes from Pereg
What did we do before quinoa became such a thing? These little seeds are related to spinach and beets and many consider them a superfood. They’re certainly a very popular whole grain which makes sense since they’re tasty, packed with protein, vitamins and fiber and cook up quickly. We just tried quinoa flakes from Pereg Natural Foods. Think oatmeal but with the flavor of quinoa. You cook 1/3 cup of flakes with 1 cup of water in your microwave or on your stovetop and in less than two minutes you have a delicious hot whole grain breakfast. Or substitute them in recipes where you would use oatmeal. Quinoa flake cookies anyone?
$6.50 per 13-ounce bag. Available at The Spicy Peach and online at http://www.pereg-gourmet.com/.
Quinoa Cookies from Andean Dream
Speaking of cookies, Andean Dream is producing vegan cookies made with organic quinoa.
The cookies are available in two flavors: coconut and chocolate chip. Each cookie is individually wrapped in 100 percent recyclable food-grade mylar. These are sturdy cookies, not very sweet. With their protective wrapping, you can toss a few in a lunch bag or purse and have a protein-rich snack available when hunger strikes. We love that the quinoa is fair trade and the cookies are made in a dedicated soy- , dairy- , egg- and gluten-free manufacturing facility in Bolivia, one of the countries where people first began harvesting quinoa centuries ago.
$6.45 per 7-ounce package. Available at Whole Foods Market and online at Amazon, Walmart and Kroger. http://www.andeandream.com/quinoa-cookies.html.
Credit: Gastronome Media
Credit: Gastronome Media
Granola and Energy Bars from Pure Bliss Organics
Man does not live by quinoa alone. How about amaranth? Or hemp? Marietta-based Pure Bliss Organics makes a wide assortment of products including 11 flavors of granola, ten kinds of energy bars, 12 varieties of “bites” (essentially smaller chunks of their energy bars) and five varieties of nut mixes. We tried the Cashew Butter Hemp granola and the Peanut Butter Hemp Energy Bar. Both contain organic amaranth and hemp seeds along with other ingredients that add crunch, sweetness and even more protein. Both delicious and the fact that both contain cashews (our favorite nuts) didn’t hurt a bit.
$6.99 to $7.99 per 11-ounce bag of granola, $25 for a case of 12 energy bars. Available at Candler Park Market, Cool Beans Coffee, Farmview Market, Floral Park Market, Garnish & Gather, Grant Park Market, Just Add Honey Tea Company, Kale Me Crazy, Kroger, Life Grocery, Marietta Square Farmers Market, Morningside Farmers Market and The Local Exchange. Find more locations at https://pureblissorganics.myshopify.com/.
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