BEST VEGAN PROTEIN SOURCE

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