Culinology - December 2021 - 14

INGREDIENT trends
Suntuna collared
green wrap
Source: Plant Food is
Medicine
seasonings into a tuna salad-like consistency.
Quinoa, also a complete protein, may be
prepared with seasonings and used as a
complement to many plant-based dishes.
Ms. McKeon, for example, cooks quinoa with
turmeric and olive oil and uses it to fill collard
green spring rolls. Compared to other leafy
vegetables, collard greens are packed with
nutrients, including protein, albeit incomplete.
" I love collard greens, so many nutrients
and so few calories, " Ms. McKeon said.
" Select large, fresh collard leaves. The bigger
the collards, the easier to use for wraps.
Wash and soak the collards in warm water
with some lemon juice. This helps soften up
the leaves and makes them pliable enough
to roll.
" Place the washed collard greens on a
cutting board and cut off the large stems at
the base of the leaf. Then use a knife to thinly
shave along the rib of the stem, starting at
the base and moving up toward the top. After
the collards are cleaned and soaked, and
the stem and rib are removed, you are ready
to roll. "
Oyster mushrooms are another of her
favorite whole food (incomplete) plant
proteins, as they may be prepared to
resemble tender, seasoned strips of meat,
such as carnitas.
" Oyster mushrooms are a rich source
of protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber and
antioxidants, " she said. " They are low in
calories and fat free, cholesterol free, gluten
free and very low in sodium. "
Oyster mushrooms provide only six of
the nine essential amino acids in sufficient
quantities. They are lacking in leucine, lysine
and methionine. When served in a burrito
14 | Culinology | DECEMBER 2021
or wrap application, the dish may become
a complete protein when other proteins are
added, for example, a chipotle cheese-style
sauce.
Ms. McKeon likes to use cashews, also a
source of incomplete protein, as a base in
many of her " cheesy " sauces. She renders
them complete proteins through the addition
of nutritional yeast, which also provides
desirable cheesy, umami flavor notes.
When it comes to making vegan sushi rolls,
whole vegetables are used to simulate various
types of fish. To make the rolls a complete
source of protein, Ms. McKeon recommends
using seasoned quinoa.
" People always ask me what I use to make
'tuna' and it's way simpler than you think, "
she said. " I hate to sell it short by saying 'it's
just tomato' but the truth is, 'it's just tomato.'
The magic comes from the preparation. The
tomatoes need to be boiled, peeled, filleted
and marinated for hours prior. This process
is what gives the tomatoes a resemblance
in taste and texture to its fishy counterpart,
minus the fishy taste. "
She developed several flavorful salad
toppers, with some serving as a way to
provide a complete protein. The " parmesan "
combines raw Brazil nuts, raw cashews,
raw hemp seeds with nutritional yeast and a
touch of salt and garlic powder. The mixture
should be pulverized into a granular texture.
Overprocessing will result in a nut butter
consistency.
Chickpea croutons are made by seasoning
then baking fully cooked garbanzo beans.
She includes nutritional yeast with the herbs
and spices. You won't find any protein in her
vegan " bacon " topper, but the liquid smoked
Culinology - December 2021

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