Category Archives: protein

The Power Of Mesquite And Hawthorn: Ancient Foods For Modern Health

by baking, gluten free, legumes, protein, questions, sweeteners

Mesquite Flour

My friend Misty recently asked me, “What do you know about mesquite flour?” Mesquite (genus Prosopis) is a deciduous, leguminous tree that thrives in Texas and Mexico, extending as far north as Kansas and westward to Southern California. While many use the wood to impart a flavorful smoke to barbecued meats, mesquite also serves another purpose.

Before moving to Texas, I had heard of people using mesquite flour, which is high in protein and fiber, and was originally part of the Native American diet among Southwestern tribes. Further research revealed that mesquite flour boasts a favorable nutritional profile, rich in calcium, manganese, iron, zinc, and the amino acid lysine. Its high soluble fiber content and low glycemic index make it a potentially good option for diabetics, despite its reported sweet flavor.

Traditionally consumed by the Pima Indians, mesquite flour’s decline in their diet is linked to a rise in diabetes cases among them. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggested that the slow digestion and absorption of starch in traditional foods helped protect susceptible populations from diabetes. These foods included corn, lima beans, white and yellow teparies, mesquite, and acorns. Additionally, an ethnobotanical study highlighted in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology noted mesquite's potential for diabetes treatment.

Given its leguminous nature, mesquite flour lacks gluten, making it suitable for quick breads, cakes, muffins, and cookies rather than yeasted bread. Moreover, the flowers of the mesquite tree are attractive to bees, leading to the production of flavorful mesquite honey, which you can find online along with recipes for using mesquite flour. It seems somewhat similar to another legume flour, carob, which I’ve discussed previously; both are sweet, high in fiber, and provide good protein content.

Hawthorn for Health

In another inquiry, Karen asked, “What do you think about using hawthorn berries to help prevent the flu?” While I’m not an herbalist, I did some digging and can share my insights.

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is a small tree or shrub predominantly found in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Often grown as a hedge, its leaves are edible in salads, and the fruits (berries, known as haws) are commonly used in jams, jellies, syrups, or to flavor brandy for liqueur. Hawthorn’s herbal properties are known to be cardiac, astringent, and diuretic, with the blossoms and berries being the most utilized parts. It’s primarily effective for lowering high blood pressure, aiding diarrhea, and promoting cardiac health. However, I could not find specific information on using hawthorn berries or their powder as a flu preventative.

To avoid the flu, the best methods remain the obvious ones: wash your hands frequently with soap (especially monitoring small kids who may skip the soap), avoid contact with anyone infected, and consume immune-boosting foods like garlic, ginger, cayenne, and vitamin C.

As an interesting side note, I learned that the oldest known hawthorn, the Hethel Old Thorn, is reputed to be over 700 years old and is located in Norfolk, East Anglia, United Kingdom.

Beans and grains for amino acids

What You Need To Know About Amino Acids

by crockpot, grains, health, legumes, protein, recipes, vegetarian

Amino Acids Are The Building Blocks

We don't often think about the amino acids in our food and their impact on our health. But they play a really crucial part to health. This post addresses the important thing that we need to know about amino acids and shares on of my favorite recipes.
 
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and there are twenty altogether. Eight of the twenty are considered “essential amino acids” because we require them but our body cannot manufacture them so we must get them from our food. These eight are phenylalanine, valine, threonine, tryptophan, isoleucine, methionine, leucine, and lysine.
 
Animal products such as meat, dairy, and eggs, contain all eight. But different foods such as legumes, seeds, and grains do not.  Therefore they must be combined to create a complete protein. Legumes are high in the essential amino acid lysine, but they are low in methionine grains have both methionine and cysteine but are low in lysine.  Combining them allows you to get a high-quality protein with all of the essential amino acids. 

Going meatless

There's a lot of media attention to the idea of reducing how much meat we're eating. Including a suggestion for ditching the meat at least one day a week and switching to Meatless Mondays. 

If you are a meat eater who is simply trying to eat less meat, incorporating a vegetarian plan one day a week can be a great way to get started. But it's important that you don't become a carbotarian and simply add lots of pasta or simple carbohydrates for your meatless meals. While getting proper nutrition from vegetarian meals requires a little more thought and effort, it is not difficult.

Amino Acid Food Combinations 

In many cultures there are a lot of recipes that call for a mixture of legumes and grains that then create a complete protein. 
  • a Korean dish called Kong bap is a mixture of seven grains and four beans.  Because this dish contains beans (adzuki beans and green peas) and grains (barley, rice, Job's tears, sorghum, and corn) it provides all of the essential amino acids.  This dish also has soybeans which are considered to be a complete protein by themselves. 
  • South and Central America have many dishes that call for a combination of beans with corn
  • In the Middle East, there is hummus or falafel (made from chickpeas) and whole wheat pita as a common option
  • India brings us dal (lentils) and rice 
Grains and legumes are not the only combinations that make a complete protein.  Nuts and seeds can also be combined with either grains or legumes as a good source of protein.  
 
The idea is to ensure that if you are not eating meat that you are not simply adding legumes to your diet but that you are adding them with whole grains and/or seeds to get proper nutrition.

Delicious lentils for dinner

One of our favorite dinners is a curried crockpot lentil and rice dish.  This recipe originally came from a Lebanese friend of mine and is called M'judra, I've modified it a little over the years and it's one of our regular choices. Especially because the crockpot makes this an easy option.
 
This pairs really well with an Indian spinach dish called Palak and a salad of tomatoes and cucumbers with a spice called Chat Masala.  It's a tasty, healthy and satisfying meal.  I make it with a fair amount of curry powder because that's how we like it, if you need to reduce the curry powder it will still be delicious.
 
Curried Crockpot Lentils and Rice
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Ingredients
  1. 1/2 C. rinsed lentils
  2. 1 C. rinsed red rice (can use brown rice if you prefer)
  3. 1 green pepper, diced
  4. 1 onion, diced
  5. 2 T. curry powder
  6. 1 T. nutritional yeast
  7. 1/2 t. fresh ground black pepper
  8. 3 1/2 C. vegetable broth
  9. 1 T. olive oil
Instructions
  1. Saute the pepper and onions in the olive oil until just starting to soften
  2. Place all dry ingredients into the crockpot
  3. Add broth and stir well
  4. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours (check at 4.5 hours to see if you need a little more water)
  5. Add salt to taste after done cooking
Notes
  1. Note:  Don't add the salt while cooking because it will delay the lentils from softening
The Ingredient Guru, Mira Dessy https://theingredientguru.com/
Check out my other recipes using lentils:

 

Image by carlo sardena from Pixabay