Protein
One of the obstacles vegetarians face is how to get enough protein to their diets. According to the USDA, the recommended amount for women is about 5 ounces and between 5.5 and 6 ounces for men.
Because they are so versatile, Chillies combined with protein rich non-meat ingredients provide an easy and delicious way of maintaining the amount of protein you need on a vegetarian diet.
The top providers of non-meat proteins are eggs, cheese, seitan, Soya products like texturised Soya protein, tofu and tempeh, nut butter, beans, pulses like chickpeas and vegetables.
In some dishes, two or three (or even more) of these proteins can be combined for some great tasting dishes. Grilled Halloumi or paneer skewers can, for example, be served with Satay (peanut sauce), eggs served with cheese in omelettes and eggs, beans, cheese in Huevos Rancheros. Other examples include Seitan combined with satay sauce or Chickpea curry with cheese.
Combining high protein non-meat ingredients into one dish is a great way to get more protein into your vegetarian diet in one meal. With a bit of planning, you can ensure that at least one of your meals is very rich in proteins, and the others are supplementary to making up the recommended amount for a healthy diet. Doing this with Chillies is not only easy, because they are so tasty, but they are also great for our health.