Vegetable ProteinFCS 175- Lab # 11Jacki Raivo 11/14/11Introduction: Semi-Vegetarian: No red meat but fish, eggs and dairy are okPesco Vegetarian: “A pesco-vegetarian is a vegetarian who includes fish in their diets, but no other forms of meat.”(vegetarian.lifetips.com)Lacto-ovo Vegetarian: “People who do not eat beef, pork, poultry, fish, shellfish or animal flesh of any kind, but do eat eggs and dairy products” (vegetarian.about.com)Lacto Vegetarian: No animal products except dairyOvo Vegetarian: No animal products except eggsVegan: no animal products or by products. No meat, eggs or dairy…ect.Methods and Results: In lab legumes and alternative ways to get daily amounts of protein other than animal products were discussed. Aloo Gobi, black bean burgers and stuffed peppers were prepared. The stuffed peppers were stuffed with rice and veggies. The veggies were chopped and sautéed in olive oil, then dry rice was added and tomato stock and water. I made my own spice blend to add more flavor to an otherwise bland and very tomato-y tasting dish. It would have worked better if the rice was parboiled beforehand because it wasn’t done all the way and still had a noticeable crunch. The Aloo Gobi was sweeter than expected, rather dry from the potatoes and overpoweringly curried. The black bean burgers I didn’t try because they contained bread crumbs but my lab partners described them as very beany and dry with an overpowering taste of the spices used.Discussion: To get a complete protein from plant based products, they need to be paired according to what the other lacks. For instance, rice and beans are a complete protein. Most paired vegetable proteins consist of a cereal grain and a legume. Quinoa and Tofu are complete proteins alone, however. Legumes have low biological value. Tofu can be used many different ways according to the firmness of the block. Silken is best for smoothies or blended things like soups. Soft is then next in firmness, followed by firm and extra firm, which can be cut and fried like chicken or used as meat substitute. Beans contain raffinose, which is an insoluble fiber that causes gas. Toots! There anti-nutritional qualities in legumes to consider when preparing them. Beans contain endogenous toxins in the raw form that can inhibit growth and nutrient absorption as well as causing red blood cells to clump. The good news is that the cooking of beans destroys all those toxins making them safe to consume.Summary: From this lab, I gathered that I need to eat more beans. I’m a Vegetarian of opportunity, I suppose, I eat meat but only occasionally and lead a mostly Vegetarian diet, which is lacking in the protein department. I’m trying to go more Vegan because I believe the body runs more vigorously when animal products are cut out and I don’t approve of the mass production treatment of livestock, but I like cheese too much. I could eat grapes and cheese for days. Anyway, I love Quinoa, obviously for the gluten free products made from Quinoa but also by itself and I prefer stuffing my peppers with that rather than rice.