Tag: plant-based

Sheet-Pan Tempeh With Red Onion and Sesame-Ginger Sauce

A small plate of roasted tempeh slices with sesame-ginger sauce, red onion, and broccoli in a small plate.

Nutrition Snapshot

  • About 27 grams of protein and 4 milligrams of iron in one small plate, from tempeh, with the broccoli’s vitamin C there to help the iron absorb.
  • Tempeh is fermented whole soybeans, so it keeps the fiber and isoflavones that tofu loses.
  • The trade-off: soy sauce is the salt here, and the card shows the sodium. The plate is small on purpose, at about 318 calories; the notes say how to scale it up.

Two packages of tempeh are sliced half an inch thick and laid on a sheet pan with wedges of red onion and a bag of frozen broccoli. Everything is brushed with a little oil and roasted hot for twenty minutes, until the tempeh is brown and the onion edges char.

A sauce of low-sodium soy, ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, and toasted sesame oil is spooned over as it comes out, with sesame seeds on top. Four small plates, and the tempeh goes first.

Why This Plate Is Great When Seven Bites Is Dinner

On a GLP-1 medication, the stomach empties slowly and fullness arrives early, often after six or seven bites. That is the point of the drug, and it creates a problem. If those bites are rice or bread, the protein on the plate is what gets left behind. Over months the shortfall shows up as lost muscle, hair that thins, and iron that drifts down.

The fix is an order of eating. Protein first, until it is gone. Vegetables second. Starch last, if there is room, and often there is not.

Stop When Full, and Drink Later

Two more habits go with the order. Stop at the first sign of fullness, since the nausea that follows one bite too many on this medication is severe and lasts. And keep the water glass away from the meal, about thirty minutes on either side, because liquid fills the same slowed stomach and pushes food out of it.

This plate is built for all three. About 27 grams of protein sit in the tempeh, which is eaten first. The broccoli and onion follow, there is no starch, and the sauce is a spoonful.

What else to eat and what to skip on the medication is in Eating on a GLP-1: Protein First, Small Volumes, and What to Skip.

Iron on a GLP-1, and the Vitamin C Pairing

Iron slips on a GLP-1 for a plain reason: less food goes in, and red meat, the densest iron source, is often the first thing people stop wanting. Plant iron is non-heme iron, which the body absorbs at a low rate on its own and at two or three times that rate when vitamin C is eaten in the same bite.

Tempeh carries about 4 milligrams of iron in a portion this size, more than tofu, and the broccoli on the same pan carries the vitamin C. Coffee and tea block the pairing and belong an hour away from the plate, which fits the thirty-minute rule already in place. If a blood test shows iron low despite the food, the supplement question is one for the prescriber.

The Order of the Plate

Plate this in the order it will be eaten. The tempeh goes on first, in a row, with the sauce over it. The broccoli and onion go beside it, so the protein is reached first without digging. Anyone at the table without a small appetite gets the same plate with a scoop of rice or a second helping of vegetables, and the tempeh portion stands.

Leftover tempeh keeps four days and is good cold, which makes it the protein-first lunch the next day.

A small plate of roasted tempeh slices with sesame-ginger sauce, red onion, and broccoli in a small plate.
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Sheet-Pan Tempeh With Red Onion and Sesame-Ginger Sauce

Two packages of tempeh sliced thick, red onion wedges, and frozen broccoli roasted on one sheet pan at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes, then finished with a sauce of low-sodium soy, grated ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, and toasted sesame oil, and a scatter of sesame seeds. Four small plates with about 27 grams of protein and 4 milligrams of iron each, plated protein-first.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: dinner, lunch
Cuisine: American, Asian
Keyword: GLP-1 dinner, plant based iron, protein first meal, sesame ginger sauce, sheet pan tempeh, small portion high protein, tempeh recipe
Servings: 4 small plate
Calories: 318kcal

Equipment

  • Large sheet pan
  • parchment paper
  • Small bowl and grater for the sauce

Ingredients

Sheet pan

  • 2 packages (8 ounces each) tempeh sliced 1/2 inch thick
  • 1 large red onion cut in thick wedges
  • 1 bag (12 ounces) frozen broccoli florets
  • 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil

Sesame-ginger sauce

  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1 clove garlic grated
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
  • 2 scallions sliced

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a large sheet pan with parchment.
  • Lay the tempeh slices on one side of the pan and the onion wedges and frozen broccoli on the other. Brush or toss everything with the oil.
  • Roast 20 minutes, turning the tempeh once, until it is browned and the onion edges char.
  • Stir the soy sauce, ginger, garlic, vinegar, and sesame oil together. Spoon it over the hot tempeh and vegetables as they come out of the oven. Scatter the sesame seeds and scallions over.
  • Plate the tempeh first, in a row, with the vegetables beside it. Eat the tempeh first, then the vegetables. Keeps 4 days in the refrigerator; good cold.

Notes

On a GLP-1: eat the tempeh first and the vegetables second, stop at the first sign of fullness, and keep drinks about 30 minutes away from the meal on either side. The plate is small on purpose, at about 320 calories; anyone else at the table adds a scoop of rice or a second helping of vegetables. Iron: tempeh’s iron absorbs better with the vitamin C in the broccoli on the same plate, and coffee or tea an hour away helps too. Lower-sodium version: use 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and double the vinegar and ginger. Tofu works in place of tempeh with about 4 grams less protein and less iron.

Nutrition

Calories: 318kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3.7g | Sodium: 322mg | Potassium: 774mg | Fiber: 3.7g | Sugar: 3g | Calcium: 214mg | Iron: 4.4mg | Magnesium: 127mg | Phosphorus: 387mg | Choline: 19mg

Gluten Free

Tempeh, broccoli, onion, ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, and sesame are naturally free of gluten, but the soy sauce as written is made with wheat. For a gluten-free version, use tamari labeled gluten-free in its place. For people with celiac disease, check the tempeh, since some brands mix barley or other grains into the soybeans. People who avoid gluten by preference can use any soy sauce.

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Kidney Bean and Mushroom Chili

A deep bowl of thick kidney bean and mushroom chili with corn and scallions in a deep bowl.

Nutrition Snapshot

  • About 15 grams of protein and 15 grams of fiber in one bowl, from kidney beans, at about 270 calories that have to be chewed.
  • Kidney beans and tomatoes bring potassium and folate, and the mushrooms bring the savory depth that usually comes from meat.
  • The trade-off: the protein is moderate for a dinner, and the notes say how to lift it. The card shows the figures.

A pound of mushrooms is chopped small and browned hard in a little oil until it shrinks by half and looks like ground meat. Onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, and cumin go in, then two cans of kidney beans, a cup of frozen corn, a large can of crushed tomatoes, and a cup of broth.

It simmers twenty-five minutes until thick enough to hold a spoon upright. Four deep bowls, and it is better on the second day.

Why This Chili Is Great When a Smoothie Dinner Does Not Hold

A 300-calorie smoothie and a 300-calorie bowl of chili carry the same energy and do very different things to appetite. Drunk calories pass through the stomach fast, barely stretch it, and set off a smaller release of the gut hormones that signal fullness. Chewed calories arrive slowly, stay longer, and trigger more of those hormones.

In studies where people were given the same food blended or whole, the whole version left them less hungry for hours and eating less at the next meal. The body keeps poor track of what it drinks.

Twenty Minutes of Chewing

This chili is built to be slow to eat. The beans hold their skins, the mushrooms are chopped rather than blended, the corn pops, and the whole thing is thick enough that it cannot be gulped. A bowl takes most people fifteen or twenty minutes to finish, and about 15 grams of fiber go down with it, which slows the stomach’s emptying further.

At about 270 calories, it is a smaller dinner than most and one that holds until morning. Why food with more volume and water per calorie is the reliable way to eat less without hunger is in Energy Density: Eating More Food for Fewer Calories.

Mushrooms as the Second Meat

Chopped mushrooms, browned hard, do most of what ground beef does in a chili: they give the same chew, brown the same way, and carry glutamate, the compound behind savory taste. They do it at about 20 calories a cup where beef carries ten times that.

The trick is to cook them longer than feels right. Mushrooms give up their water first, and the browning only starts once the pan is dry again. Ten minutes over high heat, without much stirring, gets there.

Where the Smoothie Belongs

A smoothie is a fine snack and a poor meal. Between lunch and dinner, when the point is to take the edge off hunger for two hours, its speed is a feature. As a dinner, when the point is to stay full until breakfast, the same speed works against it. Keep the smoothie for the afternoon, and give dinner something to chew.

For more protein in this chili, stir in a cup of cooked lentils or top each bowl with a quarter cup of plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, about 6 grams more either way.

A deep bowl of thick kidney bean and mushroom chili with corn and scallions in a deep bowl.
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Kidney Bean and Mushroom Chili

A pound of chopped mushrooms browned hard, then onion, red bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, and cumin, two cans of low-sodium kidney beans, frozen corn, no-salt-added crushed tomatoes, and low-sodium broth simmered thick. Four deep bowls with about 15 grams of protein and 15 grams of fiber each at about 270 calories.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: dinner, lunch, Soup
Cuisine: American, Tex-Mex
Keyword: bean and mushroom chili, filling low calorie dinner, high fiber chili, kidney bean chili, mushroom chili, vegan chili, weight loss chili
Servings: 4 bowl (about 2 cups)
Calories: 270kcal

Equipment

  • Large pot or Dutch oven
  • Sharp knife
  • Wooden Spoon

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound white or cremini mushrooms chopped small
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 cans (15 ounces each) low-sodium kidney beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1 can (28 ounces) no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt added at the end
  • lime wedges cilantro, sliced scallions, or plain Greek yogurt for the table (optional)

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring only now and then, until their water cooks off and they brown and shrink by half, about 10 minutes.
  • Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook 5 minutes, until soft. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and oregano and cook 1 minute.
  • Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a simmer, partly cover, and cook 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick enough to hold a spoon upright.
  • Taste and add the salt. Serve in deep bowls with lime, cilantro, scallions, or a spoon of yogurt.
  • Keeps 5 days in the refrigerator and freezes 3 months; it thickens further overnight.

Notes

This chili is thick and chunky on purpose: chewed food holds appetite far longer than the same calories drunk, so it is built to take fifteen or twenty minutes to eat. For more protein, stir in a cup of cooked lentils or top each bowl with a quarter cup of plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, about 6 grams more. Canned beans are convenient; dried kidney beans cooked ahead and frozen replace the cans and carry no salt at all. Lower-sodium version: skip the salt at the end and let the lime do the work. A square of dark chocolate melted in with the tomatoes deepens the flavor.

Nutrition

Calories: 270kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 6.1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 543mg | Potassium: 1388mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 14g | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 4.6mg | Magnesium: 90mg | Phosphorus: 345mg | Choline: 90mg

Gluten Free

Kidney beans, mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, corn, tomatoes, and the spices are naturally free of gluten, and this chili is gluten-free as written. For people with celiac disease, check the chili powder and cumin for wheat flour used as a filler, the broth for wheat- or barley-derived flavorings, and the canned beans for wheat-based thickeners. People who avoid gluten by preference can use any brand.

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Roasted Bell Peppers With Seitan and Balsamic Glaze

A plate of roasted bell peppers, seitan, red onion, and white beans with balsamic glaze in a plate.

Nutrition Snapshot

  • About 36 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber in one plate, from seitan and white beans, with enough leucine in one sitting to count for muscle.
  • Red bell peppers bring more vitamin C than an orange, and the olive oil is the only fat, about two teaspoons a plate.
  • The trade-off: seitan is wheat protein, salted at the factory, so this plate contains gluten and carries more sodium than the card shows. The notes say how much.

Two packages of seitan, sliced thick, go on a sheet pan with strips of red bell pepper, wedges of red onion, a can of white beans, olive oil, and a little low-sodium soy sauce. It roasts hot for twenty minutes, until the peppers blister and the seitan browns at the edges.

In the last five minutes, balsamic vinegar is poured over the pan and reduces to a glaze that coats everything. Four plates, and the leftovers are better cold the next day.

Why This Sheet Pan Is Great for Building Muscle on Plants

The old rule was that plant proteins had to be combined at the same meal, beans with rice, to be complete. That rule is gone. The body keeps a pool of amino acids that lasts through the day, so beans at lunch and rice at dinner work as well as beans and rice together.

What has replaced the rule is a different number: leucine per meal. Muscle building switches on when a meal delivers about 2.5 to 3 grams of leucine at once. Most plant foods carry too little leucine per bite to get there in a normal portion.

Where Seitan Comes In

Three plant foods carry enough leucine to reach the number in one plate: soy, lentils in a large portion, and seitan. Seitan, which is wheat protein kneaded and simmered, carries about 25 grams of protein per 3 ounces, more than any other plant food and close to chicken.

A plate of this delivers about 36 grams of protein, and the white beans add the fiber that seitan alone lacks. Which plant foods reach the leucine number, and how much more total protein a plant-based lifter needs, is in Plant Protein That Builds Muscle: Leucine, Pairing, and How Much More You Need.

A plate of roasted bell peppers, seitan, red onion, and white beans with balsamic glaze in a plate.
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Roasted Bell Peppers With Seitan and Balsamic Glaze

Thick-sliced seitan, red bell pepper strips, red onion wedges, and a can of low-sodium white beans roasted on one sheet pan with olive oil and low-sodium soy sauce, then glazed with balsamic vinegar in the last five minutes. Four plates with about 36 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber each.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: dinner, lunch
Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
Keyword: balsamic glaze, plant based muscle meal, roasted bell peppers, seitan recipe, seitan sheet pan, vegan high protein dinner, white beans and peppers
Servings: 4 plate
Calories: 338kcal

Equipment

  • Large sheet pan
  • parchment paper
  • large bowl

Ingredients

  • 2 packages (8 ounces each) seitan drained and sliced 1/2 inch thick
  • 3 red bell peppers cut in 1-inch strips
  • 1 large red onion cut in thick wedges
  • 1 can (15 ounces) low-sodium white beans rinsed and drained
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • fresh basil or parsley (optional)

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 450 degrees F and line a large sheet pan with parchment.
  • In a large bowl, toss the seitan, peppers, onion, and beans with the oil, soy sauce, garlic, black pepper, and oregano. Spread on the pan in one layer.
  • Roast 20 minutes, turning once, until the peppers blister and the seitan browns at the edges.
  • Pour the balsamic vinegar over the pan and roast 5 minutes more, until it reduces to a glaze that clings to the vegetables. Scrape the pan and serve, with basil or parsley if you like.
  • Keeps 4 days in the refrigerator; good cold or reheated, and it packs well over cooked farro or in a wrap.

Notes

Sodium: store-bought seitan carries about 300 to 400 milligrams of sodium per 3 ounces, and the card, which estimates seitan from wheat gluten, understates it; a plate likely runs 700 to 800 milligrams. To lower it, skip the soy sauce and use the lowest-sodium seitan on the shelf, or make seitan at home from vital wheat gluten and broth. Canned beans are convenient; dried white beans cooked ahead and frozen replace the can. For more protein, a fifth of a block of tofu crumbled onto the pan adds about 8 grams a plate. Tempeh replaces seitan for a gluten-free version, with about 6 grams less protein a plate.

Nutrition

Calories: 338kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1.2g | Sodium: 312mg | Potassium: 767mg | Fiber: 6.6g | Sugar: 8.3g | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 5.3mg | Magnesium: 78mg | Phosphorus: 223mg | Choline: 26mg

Gluten Free

Seitan is wheat gluten and cannot be made gluten-free. For a gluten-free version, use two packages of tempeh, steamed 10 minutes and sliced, in place of the seitan, with tamari labeled gluten-free in place of the soy sauce. The protein per plate drops by about 6 grams, and the leucine argument still holds, since tempeh is soy.

Bell peppers, onion, white beans, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar are naturally free of gluten. For people with celiac disease, check the canned beans for wheat-based thickeners.

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Edamame Grain Bowl With Broccoli and Cajun Spice

An edamame and brown rice bowl with Cajun-roasted broccoli in a wide bowl.

Nutrition Snapshot

  • About 28 grams of protein and 14 grams of fiber in one bowl, from a batch of edamame and brown rice cooked once and used all week.
  • Edamame carries heart-protective soy protein and the fat here is olive oil, about a tablespoon a bowl.
  • The trade-off: the Cajun blend is mixed at home so the salt stays low, and store-bought blends are mostly salt. The card shows the figures.

On Sunday, five cups of frozen edamame are boiled five minutes and a pot of brown rice is cooked, and the two are mixed in one big container: the week’s base, five portions.

On Monday one portion goes into a bowl with frozen broccoli that roasted twenty minutes under a salt-free Cajun spice, a spoon of olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon. The other four portions become four other lunches.

Why This Base Is Great for Five Lunches That Do Not Taste Alike

Meal prep fails on Wednesday, when the fourth identical container comes out of the refrigerator and lunch gets bought instead. The fix is to prep a base rather than a meal: a protein cooked in bulk that carries no strong flavor of its own. Each day’s lunch is then the base plus a different set of vegetables, sauce, and spice, assembled in five minutes.

Shredded chicken and a pot of beans are the usual bases, and edamame with brown rice is the plant version.

One Base, Five Directions

Edamame carries about 18 grams of protein a cup, more than any other bean and with the leucine that plant protein usually lacks. It holds its texture for five days in the refrigerator and three months in the freezer.

One portion of the base is about 24 grams of protein before anything is added, so every one of the five lunches starts from a full dose; this bowl lands at about 28 grams with the broccoli.

Which foods freeze and reheat as a base without losing texture or nutrition is in Freezer Cooking That Keeps the Nutrition. Why soy is the plant protein that does the most for muscle is in Plant Protein That Builds Muscle: Leucine, Pairing, and How Much More You Need.

The Base, and the Five Meals

Monday is this bowl, with Cajun-roasted broccoli, olive oil, and lemon. Tuesday, the base goes into a pot of low-sodium broth with frozen spinach and ginger for a soup. Wednesday, it is tossed cold with shredded cabbage, carrots, and a sesame-lime dressing for a salad. Thursday, it is mashed a little with hummus and rolled in a tortilla with greens for a wrap.

Friday, whatever is left is fried in a hot skillet with an egg, frozen peas, and soy sauce. Five lunches, one afternoon of cooking, and no two containers alike.

Cajun Spice Without the Salt

Store-bought Cajun seasoning is often a third salt by weight. Mixed at home from paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, thyme, black pepper, and a pinch of cayenne, it carries the same flavor with almost none, and a jar of it lasts months. Tossed with frozen broccoli and olive oil before roasting, it gives a plain vegetable enough flavor to carry a bowl on its own.

An edamame and brown rice bowl with Cajun-roasted broccoli in a wide bowl.
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Edamame Grain Bowl With Broccoli and Cajun Spice

A Sunday base of five cups of edamame and a pot of brown rice, cooked once into five portions, with one portion served as a bowl with frozen broccoli roasted under a salt-free Cajun spice, olive oil, and lemon. The rest becomes a soup, a salad, a wrap, and a fried rice across the week; about 29 grams of protein a bowl.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: dinner, lunch
Cuisine: American, Cajun
Keyword: batch cooking lunches, brown rice and edamame, cajun roasted broccoli, edamame grain bowl, five lunches one base, meal prep base, vegan meal prep
Servings: 5 portion (one fifth of the base, here as the Cajun broccoli bowl)
Calories: 514kcal

Equipment

  • Large pot for the rice
  • Medium pot for the edamame
  • Sheet pan
  • Large storage container

Ingredients

The week’s base (5 portions)

  • 1 1/4 cups brown rice (about 3 3/4 cups cooked)
  • 5 cups frozen shelled edamame

Cajun broccoli bowl (for one portion of the base)

  • 1 cup frozen broccoli florets
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil for roasting
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon each garlic powder onion powder, dried oregano, and dried thyme
  • a pinch each of black pepper and cayenne
  • a pinch of salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil for the bowl
  • 1 lemon wedge

Instructions

  • Cook the brown rice in a large pot by the package directions, about 40 minutes. Cook the edamame in boiling water 5 minutes and drain. Mix the two in a large container; this is the base, and it keeps 5 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen in portions.
  • For the bowl, heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the frozen broccoli with the roasting oil and the spices on a small sheet pan. Roast until browned at the edges, about 20 minutes, turning once. (Roast the whole bag at once and keep the rest for the week if you like.)
  • Put one portion of the base, about 1 cup edamame and 3/4 cup rice, in a bowl, warm or cold. Top with the broccoli, a drizzle of olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon.
  • Use the other four portions of the base for the meals in the notes across the week.

Notes

The other four meals from the base: a soup (base simmered 5 minutes in low-sodium broth with frozen spinach and grated ginger), a salad (base tossed cold with shredded cabbage, carrots, rice vinegar, lime, and a teaspoon of sesame oil), a wrap (base mashed lightly with hummus, rolled in a whole-wheat tortilla with greens), and a fried rice (base fried hot in a skillet with an egg, frozen peas, and a tablespoon of low-sodium soy sauce). Each uses one portion of the base and carries about the same protein as this bowl. Store-bought Cajun blends are mostly salt; the home mix keeps for months in a jar. Frozen cauliflower or green beans roast the same way.

Nutrition

Calories: 514kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 3.2g | Sodium: 188mg | Potassium: 1162mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 4.8g | Calcium: 179mg | Iron: 7mg | Magnesium: 213mg | Phosphorus: 530mg | Choline: 135mg

Gluten Free

Edamame, brown rice, broccoli, olive oil, lemon, and the spices are naturally free of gluten, and this bowl is gluten-free as written. For people with celiac disease, check the spice jars for wheat flour used as a filler. Two of the five meals in the notes need swaps: a gluten-free tortilla for the wrap, and tamari labeled gluten-free in place of soy sauce in the fried rice.

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Tempeh Taco Salad With Olive-Oil Chipotle-Lime Dressing

A tempeh taco salad with black beans, corn, tomatoes, and chipotle-lime dressing in a wide plate.

Nutrition Snapshot

  • About 30 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber in one plate, from tempeh and black beans, in a dinner sized for weight loss that still carries a full protein dose.
  • Olive oil is the fat in the dressing, about a tablespoon a plate, and the tomatoes, corn, and romaine bring polyphenols and volume for few calories.
  • The trade-off: canned beans and the taco spices make this a moderately salty plate. The card shows the amount, and the notes show how to lower it.

Two blocks of tempeh steamed, crumbled, and browned in a skillet with cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, and garlic until it looks and tastes like taco meat. It goes over a big plate of chopped romaine, black beans, corn, and halved cherry tomatoes, with a dressing of olive oil, lime juice, chipotle, and a little water shaken in a jar.

Four full plates, and the tempeh crumbles keep for four days of lunches.

Why This Salad Is Great for Losing Fat Without Losing Muscle After 40

Every pound lost on a scale is part fat and part muscle. The share that is muscle depends mostly on two things: how much protein is eaten during the loss, and whether the muscles are being used. After 40, both matter more, because muscle lost then is harder to rebuild than muscle lost at 25, and a good deal of it never returns.

A weight-loss plan that cuts calories by eating smaller portions of the same food cuts protein along with everything else, and the scale rewards it while the gym numbers quietly fall.

Lose the Fat, Keep the Dose

The fix is to hold the protein dose steady while the rest of the plate shrinks, and to keep lifting. This plate does the first half: about 30 grams of protein at around 480 calories. The volume is vegetables and beans rather than starch, so it is filling at a weight-loss calorie count.

Why the dose is about 30 grams after 40, and what happens to muscle when a meal falls short, is in How Much Protein in One Meal Builds Muscle After 40.

Why the Muscle Does Not Come Back

Muscle lost in a young body returns within weeks of eating and training normally again. Muscle lost after 40 returns slowly and incompletely, because the muscle’s response to protein and to training is weaker with each decade, and because most people who regain weight regain it as fat.

Studies of repeated dieting in midlife find people ending each cycle with a little less muscle and a little more fat than they started with, at the same weight.

Protecting the muscle during the loss is far easier than rebuilding it afterward. How to lose weight on food that is filling rather than small is in Energy Density: Eating More Food for Fewer Calories.

Tempeh as Taco Meat

Tempeh, a firm cake of fermented soybeans, is one of the most protein-dense plant foods, at about 20 grams per 100 grams. Crumbled and browned with taco spices, it does what ground meat does on a taco salad. A ten-minute steam first takes away its slight bitterness. Ground turkey or chicken works in its place at about the same protein, and the salad is then no longer vegan.

A tempeh taco salad with black beans, corn, tomatoes, and chipotle-lime dressing in a wide plate.
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Tempeh Taco Salad With Olive-Oil Chipotle-Lime Dressing

Steamed and crumbled tempeh browned with cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, and garlic, over chopped romaine, low-sodium black beans, thawed frozen corn, and halved cherry tomatoes, with an olive oil, lime, and chipotle dressing. Four plates with about 30 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber each.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: dinner, lunch, Salad
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: chipotle lime dressing, high protein salad, protein after 40, tempeh crumbles, tempeh taco salad, vegan taco salad, weight loss dinner
Servings: 4 plate
Calories: 474kcal

Equipment

  • Steamer basket or pot with a lid
  • Large skillet
  • Jar with a lid for the dressing

Ingredients

Tempeh crumbles

  • 2 packages (8 ounces each) tempeh
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons water

Chipotle-lime dressing

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder or 1/2 teaspoon chili powder plus 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons water

Salad

  • 2 hearts of romaine chopped (about 8 cups)
  • 1 can (15 ounces) low-sodium black beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup frozen corn thawed under cold running water
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 3 scallions sliced
  • cilantro and lime wedges (optional)

Instructions

  • Steam the tempeh blocks over simmering water 10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and crumble finely with your fingers.
  • Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tempeh crumbles, cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic, and salt and cook, stirring, until browned and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Add the water and stir 1 minute to moisten.
  • Shake the dressing ingredients together in a jar.
  • Divide the romaine among 4 plates. Top with the beans, corn, tomatoes, scallions, and a quarter of the warm tempeh. Spoon the dressing over and add cilantro and lime wedges.
  • Tempeh crumbles keep 4 days in the refrigerator and reheat in a skillet or the microwave.

Notes

This plate is sized for weight loss at about 480 calories and still carries a full protein dose; the volume comes from vegetables and beans rather than starch. Lower-sodium version: skip both salts and use no-salt-added beans, which cuts the sodium by about a third; the lime carries the flavor. Canned beans are convenient; dried black beans cooked ahead and frozen replace the can and skip the can lining. The 10-minute steam matters; it removes tempeh’s bitterness. Ground turkey or chicken works in place of tempeh. A quarter avocado a plate adds fullness and about 60 calories.

Nutrition

Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 457mg | Potassium: 1195mg | Fiber: 8.9g | Sugar: 4.1g | Calcium: 216mg | Iron: 6.9mg | Magnesium: 151mg | Phosphorus: 460mg | Choline: 40mg

Gluten Free

Tempeh, romaine, black beans, corn, tomatoes, olive oil, lime, and the spices are naturally free of gluten. For people with celiac disease, check the tempeh, since some brands mix barley or other grains into the soybeans. Check the chili powder and cumin for wheat flour used as a filler and the canned beans for wheat-based thickeners. People who avoid gluten by preference can use any brand.

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Tofu and Kale Bowl With Maple Mustard Dressing

A quinoa bowl with crisp tofu, kale, and maple mustard dressing in a wide bowl.

Nutrition Snapshot

  • About 26 grams of protein and 921 milligrams of calcium in one bowl, from calcium-set tofu and kale, with no dairy in it.
  • Kale and quinoa bring about 7 grams of fiber, and the protein and fiber together slow the quinoa’s carbohydrate, which keeps blood sugar level after the meal.
  • The trade-off: the dressing carries about a teaspoon of maple syrup a bowl. The card shows the figures, and the calcium in tofu varies by brand, so the label is the number to trust.

A block of firm tofu, pressed and cubed, crisped in a hot skillet, and a bag of frozen kale cooked down in the same pan with garlic. Both go over quinoa that was cooked earlier in the week, and a dressing of Dijon, cider vinegar, olive oil, and a little maple syrup goes over everything. Four bowls in twenty-five minutes.

Why This Bowl Is Great for Calcium in a Dairy-Free Pregnancy

A pregnancy builds a skeleton out of about 30 grams of calcium, and if the mother’s food does not supply it, her own bones do. Dairy is the way most people get calcium without thinking about it. Without dairy the mineral takes planning, because most plant foods carry little and some, like spinach, carry calcium the body cannot absorb.

Three dairy-free foods carry a real amount: fortified plant milks, canned fish with bones, and tofu that has been set with calcium.

This bowl is built on the third. Tofu is made by setting soy milk into a curd, and the setting agent decides its calcium. A block set with calcium sulfate carries several times the calcium of one set with magnesium chloride, called nigari, and the ingredient list says which. Kale adds calcium in a form the body absorbs well.

A bowl carries about 921 milligrams by the USDA figure, roughly three glasses of milk, along with about 26 grams of protein. The quinoa’s carbohydrate arrives with that protein and fiber, the pairing that keeps blood sugar level, which matters more in pregnancy than at any other time.

Which nutrients are hardest to get in pregnancy, dairy or not, and which foods carry them, is in The Pregnancy Plate: Choline, Iron, Folate, and DHA From Food. How pairing protein and fiber with carbohydrate works at every meal is in The Blood-Sugar-Friendly Plate: Pairing, Order, and Portion.

A quinoa bowl with crisp tofu, kale, and maple mustard dressing in a wide bowl.
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Tofu and Kale Bowl With Maple Mustard Dressing

Pressed calcium-set tofu crisped in a hot skillet, frozen kale cooked down with garlic in the same pan, both over cooled quinoa with a Dijon, cider vinegar, olive oil, and maple dressing. Four dairy-free bowls with about 26 grams of protein and about three glasses of milk’s worth of calcium each.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: dinner, lunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: calcium-set tofu, dairy free calcium, maple mustard dressing, pregnancy dinner, tofu and kale, tofu bowl, vegan quinoa bowl
Servings: 4 bowl (with 1/2 cup quinoa)
Calories: 440kcal

Equipment

  • Large skillet
  • Two clean kitchen towels for pressing the tofu
  • Jar with a lid for the dressing

Ingredients

Bowl

  • 1 block (16 ounces) firm or extra-firm tofu set with calcium sulfate (check the ingredient list), pressed 10 minutes and cut in 3/4-inch cubes
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
  • 1 bag (12 ounces) frozen chopped kale
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 cups cooked quinoa cooked ahead and chilled, reheated
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • black pepper to taste

Maple mustard dressing

  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons water

Instructions

  • Shake the dressing ingredients together in a jar.
  • Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu cubes in a single layer with the salt and leave them alone 4 minutes, until deep brown underneath. Turn and brown another 4 minutes. Move to a plate.
  • Add the frozen kale and garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring, until thawed, hot, and the water has cooked off, about 5 minutes. Add pepper.
  • Divide the warm quinoa among 4 bowls. Top with the kale and tofu and spoon the dressing over. Keeps 3 days in the refrigerator; dress at the table.

Notes

The label matters: tofu set with calcium sulfate carries several times the calcium of tofu set with magnesium chloride (nigari), and the ingredient list says which. The USDA calcium figure is high for calcium-set tofu; brands vary, so the number on the package is the one to trust. Frozen collards work in place of kale and carry more calcium; spinach carries calcium the body cannot absorb well. Pressing the tofu is what makes it brown. For more protein, a cup of edamame stirred into the kale adds about 4 grams a bowl. A glass of fortified soy milk with the meal adds another 300 milligrams of calcium.

Nutrition

Calories: 440kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 3.6g | Sodium: 265mg | Potassium: 748mg | Fiber: 7.2g | Sugar: 4.7g | Calcium: 921mg | Iron: 5.4mg | Magnesium: 146mg | Phosphorus: 393mg | Choline: 24mg

Gluten Free

Tofu, kale, quinoa, garlic, olive oil, cider vinegar, and maple syrup are naturally free of gluten. For people with celiac disease, check the quinoa for a gluten-free label, since some is processed on shared lines, and the Dijon mustard for malt vinegar or wheat. People who avoid gluten by preference can use any brand.

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Edamame Wrap With White Beans and Cherry Tomatoes

An edamame and white bean wrap cut in half with cherry tomatoes and spinach in a plate.

Nutrition Snapshot

  • About 18 grams of protein in one wrap, most of it from edamame, one of the four plant foods that are dense in protein rather than mostly starch.
  • Edamame, white beans, spinach, and the whole-wheat tortilla bring about 9 grams of fiber, and the olive oil and tahini carry the fat.
  • The trade-off: canned beans and the tortilla make this a moderately salty lunch. The card shows the amount, and the notes show how to lower it.

A cup and a half of frozen edamame, cooked four minutes, goes into a food processor with a can of white beans, lemon juice, garlic, tahini, and olive oil. A few pulses make a thick, rough green spread. It goes onto four warm whole-wheat tortillas with baby spinach and halved cherry tomatoes, and each is rolled tight and cut in half.

Ten minutes, four lunches, and the spread keeps for the week.

Why This Wrap Is Great for Knowing Which Plants Carry the Protein

Most plant foods called high in protein are mostly carbohydrate with some protein along for the ride. A cup of cooked white beans carries about 17 grams of protein and 45 grams of carbohydrate. A cup of quinoa carries 8 and 39, and two slices of whole-wheat bread with peanut butter carry 15 and 40.

Meals built from these reach the day’s carbohydrate long before they reach the day’s protein, which is the puzzle behind a plant-based total that never adds up.

Four plant foods are different: tofu, tempeh, lentils, and edamame carry protein as a large share of their calories, edamame most of all, with about 18 grams of protein to 14 grams of carbohydrate in a cup.

This wrap is built on it. The edamame carries most of the protein, and the white beans are there for body, fiber, and creaminess rather than as the protein source. Together they put about 18 grams in a wrap that is still a wrap.

Which plant foods are protein-dense, and how much more total protein a plant-based eater needs, is in Plant Protein That Builds Muscle: Leucine, Pairing, and How Much More You Need.

An edamame and white bean wrap cut in half with cherry tomatoes and spinach in a plate.
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Edamame Wrap With White Beans and Cherry Tomatoes

Cooked frozen edamame and a can of white beans mashed with lemon, garlic, tahini, and olive oil into a thick green spread, rolled in warm whole-wheat tortillas with baby spinach and halved cherry tomatoes. Ten minutes, four wraps, about 18 grams of protein each; the spread keeps 5 days.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time4 minutes
Total Time14 minutes
Course: dinner, lunch
Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
Keyword: edamame spread, edamame wrap, high protein vegan lunch, meal prep wrap, plant-based lunch, vegan wrap, white bean wrap
Servings: 4 wrap
Calories: 410kcal

Equipment

  • Food processor
  • Small saucepan or microwave for the edamame

Ingredients

Edamame spread

  • 1 1/2 cups frozen shelled edamame
  • 1 can (15 ounces) low-sodium white beans rinsed and drained
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons water

Wraps

  • 4 large (10-inch) whole-wheat tortillas
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • hot sauce or red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

  • Cook the edamame in boiling water or the microwave until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain.
  • Put the edamame, white beans, lemon juice, tahini, oil, garlic, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse to a thick, rough spread, adding water a tablespoon at a time; it should hold together and spread, with some texture left.
  • Warm the tortillas 20 seconds in the microwave. Spread a quarter of the edamame mixture down the center of each, top with spinach and tomatoes, and add hot sauce if you like.
  • Fold in the sides and roll tight. Cut in half. Keeps wrapped in the refrigerator 2 days; the spread alone keeps 5 days.

Notes

For more protein, stir 1/2 cup of hemp seeds into the spread, about 5 grams a wrap more, or use two tortillas’ worth of spread in one wrap. Lower-sodium version: use no-salt-added beans, which cuts the sodium by about a quarter; the lemon carries the flavor, and salt at the table is optional. Canned beans are convenient; dried white beans cooked ahead and frozen in 1 3/4-cup portions replace the can and skip the can lining. The spread is also a dip for raw vegetables and a sandwich filling. Frozen peas work in place of edamame with about half the protein.

Nutrition

Calories: 410kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2.4g | Sodium: 492mg | Potassium: 806mg | Fiber: 9.2g | Sugar: 2.9g | Calcium: 189mg | Iron: 6.8mg | Magnesium: 119mg | Phosphorus: 291mg | Choline: 37mg

Gluten Free

This wrap uses whole-wheat tortillas and is not gluten-free as written. Gluten-free tortillas, warmed so they roll without cracking, or large lettuce leaves make it so; edamame, white beans, tomatoes, spinach, tahini, lemon, garlic, and olive oil are naturally free of gluten. For people with celiac disease, also check the canned beans for wheat-based thickeners and the tahini for a gluten-free label.

People who avoid gluten by preference can use any gluten-free tortilla.

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Tempeh Patties With Butternut Squash

Three tempeh patties over roasted butternut squash with tahini drizzle in a plate.

Nutrition Snapshot

  • About 33 grams of protein and 3 milligrams of zinc in one plate, from tempeh, a fermented soybean cake whose minerals absorb better than a plain bean’s.
  • Tempeh, oats, and squash bring about 4 grams of fiber, and the fermentation that makes tempeh also makes it easier on the gut than whole soybeans.
  • The trade-off: tahini and oil make this a higher-fat plate, about 30 grams, most of it unsaturated. The card shows the figures.

Two blocks of tempeh are steamed for ten minutes, crumbled, and mixed with rolled oats, eggs, scallions, garlic, cumin, and a spoon of soy sauce. The mix is pressed into twelve small patties and browned in a skillet until crisp on both sides, while a bag of frozen butternut squash roasts on a sheet pan.

Three patties go over a pile of squash on each plate, and a drizzle of tahini thinned with lemon and water goes over both. Four lunches, and the patties keep for the week.

Why This Tempeh Is Great for Zinc on a Plant-Based Plate

Zinc is the mineral behind wound healing, immune defense, and the sense of taste. It is one of the two or three nutrients that come up short most often on a plant-based pattern of eating.

Plants carry plenty of zinc; beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts, and seeds all have it. The catch is that the same foods carry phytate, a compound that binds zinc in the gut and carries it out unabsorbed.

Soaking, sprouting, and fermenting break phytate down, and fermenting does it most thoroughly. Tempeh is soybeans that have been fermented for a day or two with a mold culture until they knit into a firm cake, and the fermentation frees the zinc that whole soybeans would hold onto.

The Same Bean, More of It Absorbed

Gram for gram, the body takes up substantially more zinc from tempeh than from cooked soybeans, and more iron as well. This plate carries about 3 milligrams of zinc, and because it is fermented, most of that is available.

Tempeh also brings about 20 grams of protein per 100 grams, making it one of the most protein-dense foods on a plant-based plate. Why soy is the plant protein that comes closest to matching meat is in Plant Protein That Builds Muscle: Leucine, Pairing, and How Much More You Need.

What Fermenting Does to a Bean

Fermentation is digestion done ahead of time by a culture. In tempeh, the mold breaks down phytate, softens the fibers that make whole soybeans hard to digest, and produces the compounds that give tempeh its nutty, mushroom-like taste. The result is a food that feeds the gut’s own bacteria and sits more comfortably than a bowl of beans.

Soaking dried beans overnight and sprouting grains do a smaller version of the same thing. That is why an old-fashioned soak is worth the time even when a pressure cooker makes it unnecessary for softness.

Tempeh for People Who Have Not Cooked It

Tempeh is sold in the refrigerator case near the tofu, as a flat block about the size of a paperback. Steaming it for ten minutes before anything else takes away its slight bitterness and makes it take up flavor. It is the step most first-time cooks skip, and then they wonder why they did not like tempeh.

Crumbled and bound into patties, it browns like a burger and holds its shape, and the patties freeze for two months.

Three tempeh patties over roasted butternut squash with tahini drizzle in a plate.
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Tempeh Patties With Butternut Squash

Steamed and crumbled tempeh bound with rolled oats, eggs, scallions, garlic, cumin, and soy sauce, pressed into twelve patties and browned in a skillet, served over roasted frozen butternut squash with a lemon-tahini drizzle. Four plates, about 33 grams of protein each; the patties keep 5 days or freeze.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: dinner, lunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: fermented soy recipe, high protein vegetarian lunch, plant-based zinc, tempeh and butternut squash, tempeh patties, tempeh recipe, vegetarian patties
Servings: 4 plate (3 patties with squash)
Calories: 560kcal

Equipment

  • Steamer basket or a pot with a lid
  • Large skillet
  • Sheet pan

Ingredients

Patties

  • 2 packages (8 ounces each) tempeh
  • 3/4 cup rolled oats
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 scallions sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil for the pan

Squash and drizzle

  • 1 bag (20 ounces) frozen cubed butternut squash
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons tahini
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons warm water

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the frozen squash with the oil and salt on a sheet pan and roast until tender and browned at the edges, about 20 minutes, turning once.
  • Steam the tempeh blocks over simmering water for 10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes, then crumble it finely into a bowl with your fingers or a fork.
  • Add the oats, egg, scallions, garlic, cumin, soy sauce, and pepper. Mix well and let sit 5 minutes so the oats soften. Press firmly into 12 patties about 3 inches across.
  • Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties until deep brown and crisp, about 4 minutes a side, pressing gently with the spatula.
  • Stir the tahini, lemon juice, and warm water together until smooth and pourable. Serve 3 patties over a quarter of the squash with the tahini drizzled over.

Notes

Vegan version: replace the eggs with 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed stirred into 6 tablespoons water and left 5 minutes; the patties are a little more fragile. The 10-minute steam matters; it removes tempeh’s bitterness and helps it take up flavor. Patties keep 5 days in the refrigerator or 2 months frozen and reheat in a skillet. Frozen sweet potato works in place of butternut. Lower-sodium version: skip the salt on the squash and use 2 teaspoons soy sauce. For more protein, a spoon of hummus beside the squash adds about 3 grams.

Nutrition

Calories: 560kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 6.1g | Sodium: 308mg | Potassium: 1094mg | Fiber: 4.4g | Sugar: 4.9g | Calcium: 314mg | Iron: 8.2mg | Magnesium: 183mg | Phosphorus: 531mg | Choline: 82mg

Gluten Free

This recipe uses regular soy sauce, which is brewed with wheat, and rolled oats, which are often milled alongside wheat, so it is not gluten-free as written. Tamari labeled gluten-free and oats labeled gluten-free in the same amounts make it so.

Tempeh, egg, squash, scallions, tahini, and lemon are naturally free of gluten. For people with celiac disease, also check the tempeh, since some brands are made with barley or other grains mixed into the soybeans, and the label will say.

People who avoid gluten by preference can use the soy sauce and oats as written.

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Tofu and Edamame Wrap With Cabbage Slaw

A tofu and edamame wrap cut in half showing the cabbage slaw filling in a plate.

Nutrition Snapshot

  • About 32 grams of protein in one wrap, from tofu and edamame, the two plant proteins closest to meat in leucine.
  • Cabbage, edamame, and the whole-wheat tortilla bring about 9 grams of fiber, and the sesame oil and tofu carry heart-protective fats.
  • The trade-off: soy sauce and the tortilla make this a moderately salty dinner. The card shows the amount, and the notes show how to lower it.

A block of extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut into strips, crisped in a hot skillet with a splash of soy sauce, and a cup of frozen edamame warmed in the same pan. The slaw is shredded cabbage and carrot tossed with rice vinegar, lime, sesame oil, and a little ginger. Both go into a warm whole-wheat tortilla with a spoon of the slaw’s dressing, rolled tight, and cut in half.

Four wraps in twenty-five minutes, and they hold together cold for tomorrow’s lunch.

Why This Wrap Is Great for a Plant-Based Athlete

Muscle rebuilds after training in response to a dose of protein, and the size of the response is set mostly by one amino acid, leucine. Plant proteins carry less leucine per gram than meat, eggs, or dairy, and less of their protein is absorbed.

So a plant-based athlete needs about 20 to 30 percent more total protein at a meal to trigger the same rebuilding. A dinner that would be enough for a meat eater at 25 grams needs to reach about 30 to 35 grams on a plant-based plate.

Soy is the plant protein that comes closest to closing the gap on its own. Tofu and edamame carry more leucine than beans, lentils, or grains, and their protein is absorbed nearly as well as milk’s. This wrap uses both, in a larger amount than a recipe would usually call for, and lands at about 32 grams a wrap.

A second wrap, or a glass of soy milk with it, brings a bigger athlete to the full dose.

How much more protein a plant-based athlete needs, and which plant foods carry the most leucine, is in Plant Protein That Builds Muscle: Leucine, Pairing, and How Much More You Need.

A tofu and edamame wrap cut in half showing the cabbage slaw filling in a plate.
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Tofu and Edamame Wrap With Cabbage Slaw

Pressed extra-firm tofu crisped in a skillet with soy sauce, frozen edamame warmed alongside, and a sesame-lime cabbage and carrot slaw, rolled in warm whole-wheat tortillas. Four wraps in 25 minutes, about 32 grams of protein each, good cold the next day.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time27 minutes
Course: dinner, lunch
Cuisine: Asian-American
Keyword: cabbage slaw wrap, edamame wrap, high protein vegan dinner, meal prep wrap, plant-based athlete dinner, tofu wrap, vegan wrap
Servings: 4 wrap
Calories: 531kcal

Equipment

  • Large skillet
  • Two clean kitchen towels for pressing the tofu
  • Box Grater

Ingredients

Slaw

  • 4 cups shredded green cabbage
  • 1 carrot grated
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Tofu and wraps

  • 1 block (16 ounces) extra-firm tofu pressed 10 minutes and cut in 1/2-inch strips
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil or canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
  • 4 large (10-inch) whole-wheat tortillas
  • sriracha or hot sauce (optional)

Instructions

  • Toss the slaw ingredients together in a bowl and set aside; it softens a little while the tofu cooks.
  • Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu strips in a single layer and cook without moving them until deep brown underneath, about 4 minutes. Turn and brown the other side, 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Add the edamame and the soy sauce and toss for 2 minutes, until the edamame is hot and the tofu is glazed.
  • Warm the tortillas in a dry pan or the microwave for 20 seconds so they roll without cracking.
  • Lay a quarter of the tofu and edamame down the middle of each tortilla, top with a quarter of the slaw and a spoon of its dressing, and hot sauce if you like. Fold the sides in and roll tight. Cut in half. Keeps wrapped in the refrigerator 2 days.

Notes

For a bigger dose, eat two wraps or add a glass of soy milk, which adds 8 grams of protein. Lower-sodium version: use 1 tablespoon soy sauce and skip the salt in the slaw, which cuts the sodium by about a third. Pressing the tofu is what makes it brown; skip it and the strips steam. Frozen edamame straight from the bag works; it thaws in the pan. Cabbage slaw keeps 3 days on its own and is the side for the next night’s dinner.

Nutrition

Calories: 531kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 3.9g | Sodium: 738mg | Potassium: 941mg | Fiber: 9.2g | Sugar: 4.3g | Calcium: 862mg | Iron: 6.7mg | Magnesium: 122mg | Phosphorus: 399mg | Choline: 33mg

Gluten Free

This wrap uses whole-wheat tortillas and regular soy sauce, which is brewed with wheat, so it is not gluten-free as written. Two swaps make it so: a gluten-free tortilla or a large cabbage leaf, and tamari labeled gluten-free in place of the soy sauce.

Tofu, edamame, cabbage, carrot, rice vinegar, lime, sesame oil, and ginger are naturally free of gluten. For people with celiac disease, also check the rice vinegar for added malt.

People who avoid gluten by preference can use any gluten-free tortilla.

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Cottage Cheese Toast With Broccoli Slaw on Whole-Grain Bread

Two cottage cheese toasts topped with broccoli slaw and pumpkin seeds in a plate.

Nutrition Snapshot

  • About 29 grams of protein in two toasts, most of it from cottage cheese, a complete protein rich in leucine.
  • Whole-grain bread, broccoli, and carrots bring about 7 grams of fiber, and the cottage cheese brings about 328 milligrams of calcium.
  • The trade-off: cottage cheese is salty, and this lunch carries a good share of a day’s sodium. The card shows the amount, and the notes show how to lower it.

Two slices of whole-grain bread are toasted dark and spread thick with cottage cheese. On top goes a pile of broccoli slaw: shredded broccoli stems and carrot tossed with Greek yogurt, lemon, and a little olive oil. Toasted pumpkin seeds go over it for crunch and a grind of pepper. Ten minutes, no stove.

Why This Toast Closes the Vegetarian Protein Gap at Lunch

A vegetarian lunch of grains, vegetables, and a little cheese often carries 10 to 15 grams of protein, and most of it comes from plants. Plant proteins are lower in leucine, the amino acid that signals muscle to rebuild, and less of their protein is absorbed.

So a person eating mostly plants needs about 20 to 30 percent more total protein to build the same muscle as someone eating meat. The lunch that was already short falls further behind.

Cottage cheese fixes both problems in one ingredient. It is a complete protein with more leucine per gram than almost any other food, and a generous half cup carries about 18 grams. On top of whole-grain bread and a vegetable slaw, it turns a 12-gram lunch into a 29-gram one without changing what the lunch is.

How much more protein a plant-based eater needs is in Plant Protein That Builds Muscle: Leucine, Pairing, and How Much More You Need.

Two cottage cheese toasts topped with broccoli slaw and pumpkin seeds in a plate.
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Cottage Cheese Toast With Broccoli Slaw on Whole-Grain Bread

Whole-grain toast with a thick layer of cottage cheese and a crunchy broccoli-carrot slaw dressed in Greek yogurt, lemon, and olive oil, finished with toasted pumpkin seeds. Ten minutes, no stove, about 30 grams of protein.
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Breakfast, lunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: 10 minute lunch, broccoli slaw, cottage cheese toast, high protein vegetarian lunch, no cook lunch, whole grain toast
Servings: 2 serving (2 toasts)
Calories: 431kcal

Equipment

  • Toaster
  • Box grater or food processor (skip if using bagged slaw)

Ingredients

Broccoli slaw

  • 2 cups broccoli slaw (bagged or 1 broccoli stalk and 1 carrot, peeled and shredded)
  • 3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • black pepper to taste

Toast

  • 4 slices whole-grain bread
  • 1 1/4 cups 2 percent cottage cheese
  • 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds toasted in a dry pan 2 minutes
  • red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

  • Toss the slaw with the yogurt, lemon juice, oil, and pepper. Let it sit 5 minutes to soften a little.
  • Toast the bread until dark and crisp. Spread each slice with a thick layer of cottage cheese, about 5 tablespoons.
  • Pile the slaw on top, scatter the pumpkin seeds over, and add pepper or red pepper flakes. Eat right away, while the toast is crisp.

Notes

Lower-sodium version: choose a no-salt-added cottage cheese, which cuts the sodium by more than half. To pack for work, carry the slaw and cottage cheese in a container and toast the bread there. Shredded cabbage works in place of broccoli. Whipped cottage cheese, blended smooth for 30 seconds, spreads like cream cheese for anyone who dislikes the curds. For more protein, a fried egg with a set yolk on top adds 6 grams.

Nutrition

Calories: 431kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 4.2g | Sodium: 776mg | Potassium: 729mg | Fiber: 6.7g | Sugar: 12g | Calcium: 328mg | Iron: 3.1mg | Magnesium: 127mg | Phosphorus: 528mg | Choline: 63mg

Gluten Free

This toast is built on whole-grain wheat bread and is not gluten-free as written. A gluten-free whole-grain bread in the same amount makes it so; cottage cheese, yogurt, broccoli, carrots, lemon, and pumpkin seeds are naturally free of gluten.

For people with celiac disease, check the cottage cheese for modified food starch and the pumpkin seeds for a gluten-free label, since some are roasted on shared lines. People who avoid gluten by preference can use any gluten-free bread.

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