Plant-Based – Advanced Nutrition Services, LLC

Name: Pulse Tacos
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 12 tacos
Ingredients: , Pulse Filling:; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 onion, thinly sliced; 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced; 1 tbsp chili powder, (heaping) (18 mL); 1 tsp cumin, ground; 1 cup lentils, green, (250 mL); 1 19 oz can chickpeas, or your favourite beans; rinsed and drained; 2 cups water, (500 mL); 1/2 tsp salt, (2 mL); 1/2 tsp hot sauce, your favourite; , Taco Toppings:; head lettuce, Bibb or iceberg; 12 taco shells, hard; few handfuls cheddar cheese, or taco blend; shredded; salsa, Your favourite; large bunch cilantro, fresh; 2 lime, cut into wedges

Pulses Are Delicious, Affordable, and Sustainable

Hannah — Wed, 26 Aug 2020 09:00:25 +0000

Pulses are the superfood you’ve never heard of… until now. Pulses are the edible seeds of various legumes such as dry peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas. The term “pulses” is derived from the Latin word “pulse” which means “thick soup”.

What makes pulses delicious, affordable, and sustainable?

Pulses are packed with essential nutrients such as protein, fiber, folate, iron and potassium. Pulses can contain up to 2-3 times more protein per serving than wheat, oats, or rice. A 1/2 cup serving of lentils has as much protein as 2 cups of rice! Not only are these nutrient-dense super food seeds healthy for you, they are delicious, affordable and sustainable.
Pulses can be cooked in a million delicious ways – they can be used as a vegetable, meat substitute, and even in smoothies and desserts!

Try a variety of cooked pulses in your favorite salad, soup, stew, curry, casserole, spaghetti or meat sauce. Adding pulses can increase the nutrient content and volume of a meal while reducing cost.
Try incorporating pulses in your favorite dips, smoothies, brownies, cakes, and breads using chickpea or pea protein flour or mashed or pureed pulses for an extra boost of nutrients. It won’t alter the flavor of your dish very much!

Pulses are and have been a staple in many cuisines around the world for centuries. They are found in almost every supermarket or grocery store around the country and are cheaper than other protein sources like meat. The cost of one serving of lentils (1/2 cup) is about $0.10, whereas beef can cost up to $1.49 for a similar serving.

Finally, pulses are good for the environment and leave a smaller carbon footprint than other food sources, especially meat and poultry. They grow very well and provide much needed nutrients to surrounding crops. Additionally, they use one tenth of the water than other proteins. It takes only 43 gallons of water to make one pound of pulses compared to 800 – 1,800 gallons of water to produce the same amount of animal protein (beef, pork, chicken, etc.).

Now that you know how awesome pulses are, how will you use them in your next meal? See the recipe below for some inspiration! If you want other great ideas and recipes, check out USA Pulses to learn more.

Print Recipe

Pulse Tacos

RECIPE CONTRIBUTED BY: Chef Michael Smith

Source: pulses.org

Course: Dinner

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 40 min

Total Time: 45 min

Yield: 12 tacos

Serves: 12

Ingredients

Pulse Filling:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onion thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1 tbsp chili powder (heaping) (18 mL)
1 tsp cumin ground
1 cup lentils green, (250 mL)
1 19 oz can chickpeas or your favourite beans; rinsed and drained
2 cups water (500 mL)
¹⁄₂ tsp salt (2 mL)
¹⁄₂ tsp hot sauce your favourite
Taco Toppings:
head lettuce Bibb or iceberg
12 taco shells hard
few handfuls cheddar cheese or taco blend; shredded
salsa Your favourite
large bunch cilantro fresh
2 lime cut into wedges

Directions

Make the pulse filling:
Splash the vegetable oil into a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions, garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Sauté until the vegetables soften and the spice flavours brighten, 3 or 4 minutes. Stir in the lentils, beans, water, and salt. Bring the works to a slow, steady simmer. Cover tightly and continue slowly cooking until the lentils are tender, 35 minutes or so. Stir in the hot sauce.
Assemble the tacos:
Fit a full leaf of lettuce into a hard taco shell. This will hold the fillings in when the hard shell inevitably breaks. Fill each taco with a heaping spoonful of the lentil bean filling. Pack with cheese, salsa, and cilantro. Serve with the lime wedges and share!

Amount Per Serving (12)

Calories: 200
Protein: 8g
Sugar: 4g
Carbohydrate: 27 g
Fat: 7 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 210 mg
Fiber: 5g

The Impossible Truth (About the Impossible Burger)

Hannah — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 09:00:40 +0000

One of the biggest food trends right now is eating plant-based: this means eating less meat and more plant foods. Even the most meat-eating of carnivores say the Impossible Burger mimics a traditional beef burger in terms of taste, texture, and aroma, but how is this “impossible” feat accomplished and what does that mean nutritionally?

The Impossible Burger’s ingredient list may look pretty intimidating, but each of the ingredients serve a very specific purpose that contribute to the finished product. The main ingredients are water, soy protein concentrate, coconut oil, sunflower oil, potato protein, heme (soy leghemoglobin), yeast extract, salt, binders, B-vitamins and some minerals.

The “heme” ingredient (soy leghemoglobin) is the main genetically engineered ingredient made from soy and yeast to produce the signature beef flavor. After all, “heme” iron is the component that makes beef taste like, well, beef. Over the years, genetically modified foods have gotten a bad rap – understandably. Science is a pretty scary thing, especially if the technology is new and unfamiliar. But this doesn’t mean GMO foods are bad or harmful, nor does it mean that we should make the world full of “super-crops”. Adequate and rigorous testing, rules, and regulations are definitely needed to make sure things are safe. Since I can go on and on about GMO foods, we’ll leave that post for another day.

Another key ingredient is the soy protein concentrate, which contributes to the protein content of the burger. Soy protein concentrate is considered a high quality protein, as measured by the protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS). This score evaluates how digestible proteins are based on amino acid content and digestibility. Eggs and beef are almost 100% digestible with a score of 0.98 (highest being 1.0). Soy is 95% digestible with a score of 0.95. Newer studies have found a range score of 0.91 to 1.0 for soy protein concentrate and the Impossible Burger contains a published PDCAAS of 0.99. Soy protein concentrate also has fiber and several vitamins and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, iron and phosphorus.

Finally, the coconut oil and sunflower oil add to its flavor and juiciness when cooked.

We know that the Impossible Burger does a wonderful job of mimicking the taste and texture of a beef patty, but what does it look like nutritionally?

Impossible Burger Facts


Serving size	4 ounces (113 grams)
Calories	240
Total fat	14 grams (g)
Saturated fat	8 grams (g)
Trans fat	0 grams (g)
Cholesterol	0 milligrams (mg)
Sodium	370 milligrams (mg)
Total carbohydrate	9 grams (g)
Dietary fiber	3 grams (g)
Total sugars	<1 gram (g)
Added sugars	<1 gram (g)
Protein	19 grams (g)

At first glance, there’s a couple things that stand out. First of all, there’s quite a bit of sodium – definitely more than the average beef patty (3.5 ounces of 80% lean / 20% fat cooked, pan-broiled ground beef patty has 83 mg sodium). This makes sense – you need a flavor enhancer like salt to make the burger taste good. However, Americans today consume about 50% more sodium than is recommended, much of this is hidden in these types of foods. You might already know that canned soups, frozen dinners, and processed/packaged foods have a lot of sodium, but did you also know that bread, cereal, pasta, sandwiches, deli meat and salad dressing actually make up most of the sodium we consume? While for much of the population, sodium intake does not pose an issue, but for those with heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, and several other diseases, too much sodium can be harmful. It’s recommended that healthy adults have less than 2,300 mg (about one teaspoon of table salt) to decrease their chances of getting one of these diseases.

Remember, sodium is not bad, but it is important to be conscientious of the sodium content in the foods we eat to make sure we aren’t overdoing it.

The second thing that stands out is the saturated fat content. The coconut and safflower oil definitely add to the saturated fat content. Neither of these oils are necessarily bad for you, but it’s important to be aware of saturated fat content. The USDA currently recommends that less than 10% of calories per day can come from saturated fat as part of a healthy diet – that would be about 22 grams of saturated fat for a 2,000 calorie diet. Having only 8 grams of saturated fat in an Impossible Burger doesn’t seem like a lot, but if you take into consideration all the other things the average American eats (fast food, processed foods, baked goods), it can add up.

To create a plant-based burger that looks, tastes, smells, and feels like real beef is definitely an accomplishment and a step towards more sustainable eating practices. While it does taste good, it’s important to keep in mind what you’re eating and make sure you have it in moderation.

References:

Gertjan Schaafsma, The Protein Digestibility–Corrected Amino Acid Score, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 130, Issue 7, July 2000, Pages 1865S–1867S, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/130.7.1865S
Report of an FAO Expert Consultation, Dietary protein quality evaluation in human nutrition, FAO Food and Nutrition Paper, http://www.fao.org/ag/humannutrition/35978-02317b979a686a57aa4593304ffc17f06.pdf
The Impossible Burger: Made from Plants. Impossible Foods. https://impossiblefoods.com/burger/. Accessed July 21, 2020.
You May Be Surprised by How Much Salt You’re Eating. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/you-may-be-surprised-how-much-salt-youre-eating. Accessed July 21, 2020.