Sunday Football Lunch: Quorn Vegan Burger and Alexia Organic Crinkle Cut Fries

I've written before about my favorite vegetarian and vegan football eats, and I thought it would be fun to see what I eat on game days throughout the 2012 season.

Last week, I went to Rhino, which is DC's Eagles fan HQ.  They've changed up their menu (though the website doesn't reflect it), and added a veggie burger that's made with grains veggies and black beans.  It's a bit dry and was lacking garnish, so if I order it again, I'll remember to ask for some fixins and douse it in ketchup. 

Today, since the Eagles are televised and we're headed to Erev Rosh Hashanah services right after the game, I'm at home and thus able to prepare my own football food.  Since last week's burger was lackluster, I decided to prepare my own.

Quorn now has a vegan burger.  It's soy free and the texture isn't bad.  Husband was in the kitchen and helped prepared my lunch (it is unwise for me to be near hot ovens and sharp knives unsupervised during an Eagles game), and he thought that it smelled like barbeque.  I topped the burger with daiya, and garnished it with raw kale, grape tomatoes, red onion and german mustard.  Since our local market didn't have good vegan whole grain bun options, I ate it on Spring Mill Bread Company whole grain bread.

For a side, I tried Alexia Organics Salt and Pepper Crinkle Fries.  I was happy with the seasoning level and didn't feel the need to add any additional salt.

Quinoa Pasta with Quorn, Brussels Sprouts and Carrots

Since I know so many folks with gluten intolerance, I like to play around with various gluten free pastas.  Also, since I don't like to eat a lot of things made with refined white flour, I find that some of these pastas are good options in lieu of traditional boxed pasta.

Tonight, I decided to play with Ancient Harvest's Quinoa Shells.  The shells are actually a blend of quinoa and corn.  They're a little brighter yellow than your average pasta, but otherwise, the texture doesn't differ greatly, especially in a sauce.  I bet they'd be good in a soup, so I may try and make minestrone with the rest of the box.

For tonight's meal, I started with a sauce.  It was a shallot, soy-free Earth Balance and garlic base, which I deglazed with vegetable broth.  I then added the Quorn grounds.  Quorn does contain a trace amount of egg, so it's not suitable for those following a strict vegan diet.  So, if you prefer to make this dish purely vegan, but don't have a soy allergy like yours truly, any textured vegetable protein (TVP), such as Smart Ground, would be a good substitute.

I then added in some brussels sprouts I roasted yesterday, along with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.  When I mixed the pasta in, I decided it needed a pop of color, so I added some shredded carrot to the pan.

I think I undercooked the pasta shells a bit, but I liked the contrast of the meatiness of the quorn with the carrots & brussels sprouts.  It also had a nice kick due to the healthy shakes of red pepper flakes I put in.
 

Fruit-Tastic Dinner

It was 98 today in DC.  Outside, I don't mind the heat so much.  But, after watching three trains pass me by in an overcrowded Metro station and half an hour in a metro car where the air was barely blowing, I felt more than a bit wilted, and the last thing I wanted was a hot heavy meal.

This is where my fruit-tastic dinner came in.  Fruit makes a great component to a summertime meal.  Not only do you have a lot of variety to choose from, but the high water content and the vitamin content help me feel replenished after a hot day.  Also, if you eat it raw, it's just prep and serve, no waiting for the oven to heat up (or make your apartment stifling).

Tonight in addition to some not heated leftover couscous and a Quorn patty*, I enjoyed some fresh raspberries and green grapes, as well as a little salad of ripe avocado, cherry tomatoes, lime juice and salt and pepper.  It filled me up, but also helped me cool down on such a hot day.

Most people think of oranges when it comes to Vitamin C, but raspberries are also a good source of C, with 47% of the RDA.  And while some people are scared off by the fat and calorie content of the avocado, this fruit means you're getting fiber, potassium and the healthy fats that help your body absorb nutrients.

*Yes, I know . . . it was only a few days ago I was promising to back away from the fake meat.  After today's lousy commute, I thought I'd cut myself some slack.

Quinoa Cakes with Tomato "Meat" Sauce

One of the ways I like to use leftover quinoa is to make quinoa cakes.    To make the cakes, I mixed about two cups of cooked quinoa with two beaten eggs.  Normally, I'd like there to be less egg and more quinoa, but one egg wasn't quite enough.  I formed the quinoa into four cakes and put the cakes back into the fridge to chill.

While the cakes were chilling, I made a sauce with a can of Muir Glen tomatoes, Quorn beef-style grounds, garlic, green onion, fresh thyme, salt, pepper and oregano.

Once the sauce was ready, I heated up a flat grill pan and put on the quinoa cakes.  Once they were browned on the bottom, I flipped them over so they could cook on the reverse side.  We served them topped with the sauce, with daiya on mine and parmesan on the fiance's, and both of us had a side of leftover roasted Brussel sprouts.

Adventures in Faux Chicken

Even in my pre-vegetarian days, I was not a big chicken fan.  I actually disliked chicken so much, that, if legend is to be believed, I even made it inedible for my mother when she was pregnant with me.  Sure, I ate it when it was served to me, but I never really liked it.  And if you tried to reheat leftover chicken and serve it to me again, just forget it.

My one exception to my feelings about chicken was what I call the fried chicken object.  Not actual fried chicken.  I'm talking the frankenfood extruded kind that, knowing all the additives and chemicals and gobbledly gook involved in making them, I'd run screaming from today.  Things like chicken nuggets, Weaver chicken tenders, Crispy Chicken sandwiches, etc.  Basically, something far removed from the actual animal, with breading to further disguise it's natural chickenness.

So, if I haven't completely grossed you out yet, my childhood fondness for the fried chicken object led me to try the Quorn Chik'n Patty as a treat.  Compared to a traditional breaded chicken patty, the Quorn product is not a bad choice.  It has 150 calories, compared to 250 for the actual chicken kind.  The overall fat, saturated fat and cholesterol content is lower, and the protein is essentially equivalent.  And, it has the "taste" I remember enjoying when I was a kid as well.

I heated my patty in the toaster and ate it on a whole-wheat pita with baby spinach, grape tomatoes and soy-free vegan mayonnaise, with some pineapple wedges on the side.  I have a second sandwich for lunch tomorrow as well.  I'll still try to eat more "whole" foods as a regular routine, but this is nice to have in a pinch (or when I am weirdly craving the fried chicken object).

Quorn with quinoa, arugula, and tomatoes

I've mentioned Quorn before as a meat substitute.  It comes in a variety of forms - patties, grounds, tenders, etc.

Quorn is primarily mycoprotein.  According to the Quorn website:

Mycoprotein is the main ingredient in all Quorn products. It's made from a member of the fungi family, which includes mushrooms and truffles, and is a high-quality meat-free protein that's naturally low in fat with very few calories. Mycoprotein also is high in dietary fibre, which is important for your digestive system, and has the essential amino acids your body needs, with no cholesterol or trans fats. 

There are egg whites in quorn, so it's not vegan.  But it is meat-free, so if you are a lacto-ovo vegetarian like me, I encourage you to check it out. It's also soy free, which means I can eat it without having an allergic reaction.  And, with 10 grams of protein per serving, you're getting 20% of your DV on a 2,000 calorie diet.  

Tonight, I threw together a super quick meal using the Chick'n Tenders.  I sauteed the tenders in olive oil, and gradually added chopped onion, tomato chunks, pre-cooked quinoa and arugula.  I seasoned it with cumin, garlic powder and freshly ground pepper, and stirred in some mozzarella style Daiya.  The tenders are spongier than chicken, but it's a texture I prefer to actual chicken.