Alternatives

More than 20 years ago we entered the growing wave of vegetarianism, my mother, my brother and me, a movement that has very important principles. At that time it was more difficult to have information about everything, in fact, it was a little more difficult to be sure if what we were looking for was the right path. Alternative products like textured soy, in pieces, tofu (soy cheese), were not easily found where we lived, they were specialized stores and sometimes with very high prices, but we tried and for a long time my mother dedicated herself to understanding how these foods worked, their flavors and thus created diverse and delicious recipes.

After a few years we left home, my brother and I, went back to old habits, but soy products have never completely left our lives. There is a vast world of alternatives, especially today where information is available to everyone, in a very democratic and instructive way, just knowing where to look.

Soy generates controversy, especially when we talk about transgenic soy, in fact any food. But there is not only transgenic soy in the world and its consumption is safe, even nowadays it is a more “affordable” form of protein consumption and is easily found in health food stores and supermarkets, in different formats and with preparations easy.

Obviously, no food should be analyzed in isolation in anyone’s daily diet, but when you have a good diet, rich in vegetables, fruits, fibers, everything is balanced. The benefits of consuming “soy meat” are basically:

-Helps the health of muscles;
-Reduces symptoms of menopause;
-Helps prevent cancer by being antioxidant;
– Aid in weight loss;
-Equilibrates blood cholesterol levels, increasing “good cholesterol”;
-Protects bones;
– Decreases blood pressure;
-Helps digestive processes;
-Reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.

For those who do not want to consume animal protein it is an excellent exchange, or if you want to “render” some recipe with animal protein, since its value is very high, it is also a good deal. What really matters is to eat well, proteins are extremely important for health, muscle maintenance, in short, we cannot simply stop consuming and varying these proteins is a good strategy.

Of all the recipes my mother made with soy protein, I think that Quibe Oven was the most coveted by everyone. Stuffed, juicy and vitaminized rs Let’s meet you.

Ingredients
250g of textured soy protein
250g of kibbeh wheat (can substitute for flaked quinoa)
1 grated carrot
1 grated onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Salt to taste
Ground Arabian pepper or ground black pepper, to taste
Chives to taste
Mint to taste
150g ricotta (or tofu)

Preparation mode
Hydrate the “soy meat”, placing it in a bowl with 500ml of water, preferably hot and with a tablespoon of vinegar or half a lemon, leave for 15 minutes.
Hydrate the wheat for kibbeh, it can be in normal water and during the same period.
Drain the soy protein and wheat separately, both in a sieve, squeezing well with your hands to eliminate all the water.
Mix the wheat and the “meat” in a bowl and add the grated carrot (in the thin drain), the finely chopped or grated onion, the crushed garlic cloves, the oil, the salt, pepper, finely chopped chives, mint too ( leaves only). Stir well to mix well, reserve.
“Break” the ricotta or tofu, in very small pieces, season to taste, it can be with a little salt and lemon, or soy sauce (shoyo), reserve.
In a medium form, put half of the mixture of wheat and soy protein, squeezing well with your hands to stay straight. Spread the ricotta or seasoned tofu on top, arrange the rest of the kibbeh mixture, drizzle with a little olive oil on top and bake in a preheated oven at 200 ° for 30 minutes.

Tips:
-If you prefer, make it in the traditional format, you can bake or fry it, stuffed or not, it is up to everyone’s taste.
– Make sautéed hummus and zucchini to accompany a complete meal.

Be creative, make pies, sautéed and even a delicious flour. New Year, not so new alternatives, but creative and economical. Enjoy your food!

Written article for the Newspaper A Cidade Ubatuba.