beets even “bleed.” “And then there’s some smoked
salt in there and a little tamari [a type of soy sauce],
to give it some smoke and umami,” she says.
Don’t overlook umami. One of five basic tastes,
this savory profile comes out especially in cooked
meats. But you can find the same “meaty” chemi-
cals in mushrooms, ripe tomatoes and fermented
ingredients such as miso paste and soy sauce.
Asbell uses nutritional yeast to tap into umami,
too, and cooks with smoke—because “it just
reminds people of meat.”- REPLACE THE REPLACEABLE.
Meals are usually more complicated than just the
meat on the plate. With something like a burger or
lasagna, plenty of other flavors vie for attention,
from sauces and condiments to veggies and noo-
dles. “Make a curry, or make a chili,” Asbell says.
“There are all kinds of really tasty recipes where
[the lack of meat] is hardly even noticeable.” - REMEMBER THE ANCILLARY BENEFITS.
“A lot of times, we get the complaint that eating
healthy costs too much,” Frie says. The animal
protein is often the most expensive thing on your
plate. You can buy fruits and vegetables seasonally
and in bulk, along with whole grains and beans.
Working with vegetables and other substitutes can
cut down on cooking time, too. - KNOW THAT MEATLESS DOES NOT
NECESSARILY MEAN HEALTHY.
Dietary guidelines of variety and portion control still
hold. “Even with something like nuts or nut butters,
that are very healthy items, in too large of quanti-
ties, too much of a good thing isn’t always a good
thing,” Frie says. While building a balanced plate,
vegans and vegetarians might consciously incor-
porate foods rich in iron (like spinach, lentils and
brown rice) and vitamin B12 (like eggs, yogurt and
fortified cereals) typically found in animal proteins. - DROP PRECONCEPTIONS.
“It’s very hard to get over this idea people have
that you structure your meals around meat,” Asbell
says. “But if you’ve ever had a peanut butter and
jelly sandwich, you’re eating a vegan meal. There
are all kinds of food you probably like already.”
PROTEINS
COLNIHKO - ADOBE STOCK
Always consult your doctor if you have health concerns or before
making any major dietary changes.summer 2019 real food 19Beefy Beet
Burgers
MAKES 5 BURGERS
The beet helps us get as
close as we can get to the
bloody beef you crave,
and with a mix of pota-
toes and seasonings, it
can deliver a tasty burger.
Don’t overmix; you want
to have some granularity
left in the potato pulp
and beet shreds to give
it a burger-y feel.canola oil for greasing
1 large (10-ounce) baking potato
½ pound raw beets
1 ½ cups raw walnuts
¼ cup vital wheat gluten
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast- Set up a steamer over a pot of water and bring to a simmer. Preheat the
oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, lightly grease it
with the canola oil, and set aside. - Place the potato in the steamer and steam for 10 minutes, until tender
when pierced with a paring knife. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. - Place a pot of water over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add
the beets and boil for 10 minutes, until tender when pierced with a paring
knife. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. - Peel off and discard the beet skin. Put the shredding blade in the food
processor and put the lid on, then drop the potato and beets through the
feed tube to shred them. Scrape the shreds into a large bowl. - Place the walnuts in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the “S” blade
and pulse until they are minced to the size of cooked ground beef crumbles.
Scrape them into the bowl containing the potato and beet mixture. - In a cup, whisk together the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, agar
and smoked salt. Sprinkle the mixture over the bowl containing the
potato mixture. - In a second cup, stir together the coconut oil, tamari and Kitchen Bouquet
and pour it over the potato mixture. Using your hands, toss the mixture
together, trying not to mash the potatoes too much. - Using a ½-cup measure, form the dough into five patties. Place the
patties on the pan and flatten them to a ¾-inch thickness. Spritz or brush
them with more of the canola oil. Bake for 30 minutes, turning the burgers
once halfway through the cooking time, or until they look toasted and are
firm to the touch. Remove from the oven. Serve hot.
PHOTO AND RECIPE FROM “PLANT-BASED MEATS” BY ROBIN ASBELL
COURTESY OF THE COUNTRYMAN PRESS, A DIVISION OF W.W. NORTON.
PHOTO BY DAVID PAUL SCHMIT¼ teaspoon agar powder
1 teaspoon smoked salt
1 tablespoon refined coconut
oil, melted
1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
½ teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet