Tuesday Tucker! · Plant Positive

Jun 11 (edited) in 30 Day Jumpstart (OCTOBER)

Tuesday Tucker!

You've likely heard, or said: “I could be vegan - except for cheese - I can’t live without cheese!”

So what is it with cheese? Is it really that addictive? Is it just the perfect mix of fat and salt? Or could it be an example of ‘UMAMI’ the 5th taste?

The cravings we often associate with cheese might very well be cravings for a sort of taste / experience / essence in foods imparted by high levels of the amino acid glutamate. Discovered and coined ‘umami’ over 100 years ago by a Japanese researcher this fifth taste is a welcome addition to: sweet, sour, bitter and salty.

A compelling theory regarding the strong appeal of umami is that, since breast milk is high in glutamate, humans might develop a desire for this taste that lasts a lifetime and begin just hours after birth. Thankfully cheese is not the only source of umami. I was not the least bit surprised to hear that nutritional yeast is chocka with umami.

There’s so much more vegan umami to enjoy though. For example:

Fermented foods such as wine (woohoo!), tempeh, tamari, and miso.
Sea vegetables like kelp.
Ripe tomatoes and concentrated tomato products like ketchup, tomato paste, and sun-dried tomatoes.
Vegemite, mushrooms, olives, balsamic vinegar, dried mushrooms, and sauerkraut.
Roasting, caramelising, browning, and grilling are cooking techniques that impart umami flavours.

This honestly feels like an epiphany moment to me! Here are just a few suggestions to help you get your umami on!

✅ At Breakfast: Add sea vegetables like spirulina to your smoothies or try scrambled tofu mixed with mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and olives.

✅ At Lunch: Roast or grill veg to add to your leafy salad and top with edamame before dressing with balsamic. Enjoy tofu / tempeh burgers and caramelised onions served between grilled portobello caps dressed with ketchup or sauerkraut.

✅ At Dinner: Cook tempeh mince on mass (trying to find my recipes for later this week!) which includes mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and canned tomatoes and serve with BBQ’d / grilled veg like zucchini, capsicum and eggplant washed down with a cheeky glass of red wine!

Today's recipe is Umami Rich Tofu Ricotta:

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