Alternative healthy protein

Everybody knows that too much meat is not good for your good health,
so it's important to find other sources of protein in your diet.
Substitute meat with fish,legumes, eggs and soy.
A tasty soy product is tempeh.
Tempeh is made from cooked and slightly fermented soybeans formed
into a patty, similar to a very firm veggie burger.
One serving of tempeh (100 grams) provides around 200 calories,
18.2 grams of protein (that's even more protein per gram than tofu!),
and 10% of the RDA of both calcium and iron.
Tempeh is a naturally cholesterol-free food, as are all vegan foods.

I want to share with you a delicious recipe(created by chef Melanie Ferreira)
from my Academy of Healing and Nutrition manual:

TEMPEH SCALOPPINI WITH MUSHROOMS

Ingredients for 4 people:
1 (8 ounces) package of tempeh
(you can find it in the fridge of Health Shops or at Trader Joe)
1/4 cup of soy sauce or shoyu
4 cups of water or enough water to cover tempeh
3 slices of ginger
1 clove of garlic
1 short piece (2") of kombu

unbleached white flour for dredging
6TBS extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup white wine or rice wine
1 package od shiitake mushroom and 5/6 cremini mushrooms
1tsp chopped basil
1tsp chopped oregano
1TBS lemon juice
1TBS chopped parsely to garnish

Add shoyu, water, ginger, garlic and kombu into a pan with the piece of tempeh.
Cook tempeh for 20 minutes, drain water, reserving 1 cup of liquid, and cool tempeh.
Cut tempeh on a diagonal in 1" slices. Dredge each slice in flour, shaking off excess flour.
In a medium frying pan heat oil and fry tempeh till golden on both sides.
Add wine and reserved liquid and bring to boil.
Add sliced mushrooms, reduce heat and cook untill mushrooms release juices and become tender.
Add herbs and cook untill liquid thickens.
Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and parsely.
Serve it with basmati rice.

SUMMER FENNEL SOUP

During summer I usually don't prepare soups, but as we enter Fall,
I start to crave them.
To anticipate the soup season, today, I made a fennel soup.
Fennel is a refreshing summer vegetable that has many benefits.
It's good for anemia, indigestion, constipation, heart problems and
it is full of antioxidants, vitamin C and potassium.

Here is the recipe!


FENNEL SOUP

Ingredients:
2 cups fennel, chopped (2 bulbs)
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 Italian squash (zucchini)
2 TBS chopped parley
2 cups of vegetable stock or water
2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
sea or Himalayan pink salt, to taste

1 small potato, peeled and diced (optional)

In a large pot, heat oil over a medium heat and saute' all vegetables
till tender.
Add vegetable stock (it must cover ingredients), parsley and salt.
Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Pour the soup into a food processor or use a hand blender
(a must have in the kitchen) to puree untill smooth.
Serve the soup, warm or cold, into bowls and garnish with sprigs of fennel leaves.