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Plant-based Proteins Recipes Made Easy-Peasy!

What are protein foods?

Animal-based proteins

Animal-based protein foods come from animal sources such as beef, pork, poultry, milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs, game meat, fish, and shellfish.

Shopping tips

Choose lean meats (such as lean ground beef), poultry (such as chicken or turkey), and fish.

If you are buying prepared or pre-packaged meats, choose products with minimal sodium—remember, on the Nutrition Facts table 5% DV or less is a little and 15% or more is a lot.

When buying dairy products, choose unsweetened options and those lower in sodium and saturated fat (for family members older than 2 years of age).

Prep tips

Have a separate plastic cutting board designated for preparing raw meats and fish to avoid cross-contamination with other ingredients in your meal. Safe food handling tips can be found here: canada.ca/foodsafety

Remove the skin from poultry like chicken and trim visible fat from meats before cooking.

Choose healthy cooking methods like roasting, baking, or grilling.

Plant-based proteins

Plant-based proteins come from plant sources such as legumes, nuts and seeds, and soy products.

Legumes

Examples: Black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, soybeans, edamame, and split peas.

Shopping tips

Dried lentils and beans are less expensive than canned ones and have no added ingredients.

The cooking process of dried lentils and beans is usually longer than canned. Canned lentils and beans are ready-to-eat, but often have added sodium.

Canned and dried lentils or peas have a long shelf-life (up to one year for dried legumes and several years for sealed, canned legumes). You can stock up when these items are on sale.

Try different types of beans, lentils and peas—there are a wide variety of textures and flavours within the legume family. Experiment to find out which ones your family enjoys best.

Prep tips

When using canned beans or lentils, rinse before use to remove excess sodium.

When using dry beans, follow the instructions listed on the package. Generally, you should start by soaking the beans the night before to ensure they are rehydrated and ready for any recipes you have planned. Dry lentils do not need to be soaked overnight.

Store leftover cooked beans in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

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