Tofu-rific!

Just got home from dinner with my dietitian pal, Jess, and in true dietitian fashion, we had plenty of veggies and tofu! Now, I hear what you're thinking.... tofu? eww! And for the most part, I would've agreed with you, however, it really is dependent on how you cook/prepare it as to how palatable it ends up being. I've tried this soybean-derived food in all shapes and consistencies, but for the most part, it seems that extra firm tofu seems to be best at absorbing other flavors and has an agreeable texture. Try tofu in egg scrambles, stir fry's, soups, casseroles, etc! the list goes on and on! I've had a hard time with tofu just on its own and in the block-like shape, however, if you like it, great! Kudos to you! If you haven't tried it, google a recipe and give it a go! You've got nothing to lose! In comparison to meat, it is cheaper, incredibly versatile, low in the bad saturated fats, and lower in calories, while adding a great bulk to your meal, plus you're helping out the environment because the production costs are much lower.

Super creepy facts: It takes about 16lbs of grain to make one pound of beef and livestock are responsible for 18% of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. That's more than cars, planes, and other transport combined! Now, I realize I just posted a grass-fed beef recipe two posts ago, so let me explain. By buying locally and grass-fed, there was much less production that went into my cut of meat. Lean beef and other meats are also excellent sources of protein, iron, riboflavin, and vitamin B12 (lacking in vegetarian foods).

Tofu is an excellent source of vegetarian protein with 1/2 cup firm (or 4 oz) tofu providing 10g protein, 94 calories, 5g fat (can find low-fat versions), and is naturally, cholesterol free since it is not animal derived. Other mentionables are the calcium- 227mg or 22% of the RDA, and iron- 1.8mg (although iron found in red meat will be more bioavailable).

Grass-fed Momma's Meatloaf

Ahh, so it's been awhile since my last post. I was back in H-town for a few days before taking off to Austin for the last weekend of SXSW. I'm going to go off on a quick tangent and just say I love the city of Austin so much! Such a great foodie, hippie, anything goes kinda place. Super easy to eat healthy too even if it means only eating out of food trucks (which I did- Chicken Tikka Masala out of the Naan Stop truck- great decision). Got to see some amazing Athens, GA based bands as well! Great Success!

Back to the food- Upon returning, I realized I had frozen my local Texas grass-fed beef I got from the farmers' market so I decided to try out my oh-so-yummy Turkey Meatloaf recipe featured in my book with the beef instead. Grass-fed beef tends to be a tad more gamey than your average beef taste-wise because it is very lean and has some of those awesome Omega-3 fatty acids instead of the usual saturated fats traditional beef is laden with. The result was wonderful! Definitely a different taste, but very acceptable. I paired the already veggie-filled loaf with more veggies- sauteed brussels sprouts, butternut squash, mushrooms, and onion seasoned with garlic and vinegar. Soo good! AND the leftovers fed me for the rest of the week! Which is time saving for when you're too exhausted later in the week to prepare something, but still want something healthy.

Here's the recipe! Enjoy!

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 lb grass-fed ground beef (local beef preferred)
1 cup oats
1 cup finely chopped onion

3 carrots, shredded
½ cup ketchup (no high fructose corn syrup preferred)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons minced garlic
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Preparation:

1.     Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients in large bowl; mix lightly but thoroughly.

2.     Bake 50-55 minutes or until meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 170°F. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Optional Sauce:

1.     Combine ½ cup grated onion, 1 cup ketchup, 4 tablespoons distilled vinegar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce and add to meatloaf 20 minutes before done. Sauce will add 76 calories, 19g carbohydrate, and 564mg sodium per serving. 

Nutrition Information:

216 calories, 7g fat, 3g saturated fat, 1g monounsaturated fat, 1g polyunsaturated fat, 19g carbs, 3g fiber, 19g protein, 437mg sodium.