Chop It Up: How to go flexitarian and save money

It’s hard to describe if you weren’t around in the 1990s, but I remember getting excited for advertising campaigns in a way that doesn’t feel possible during the social media era, where every post from an influencer includes a paid promotion for a cream that removes frown lines derived from consuming said social media. 

There are a lot of national campaigns from then that became popular in the zeitgeist. “Got Milk?” and the Pace Picante Sauce ad that derisively questioned salsa from New York City come to mind, but nothing got me as excited as hearing the opening notes of Aaron Copland’s “Hoedown” and the buttery voice of actor Robert Mitchum saying, “Beef. It’s what’s for dinner.” 

Copland and Mitchum were doing a lot of the heavy lifting, but I remember saying the catchphrase all the time with my parents. It became a meme for us before we knew what a meme was, using it to crack each other up when the conversation wasn’t even about the menu.

The majesty of Copland’s score seemed to signal the arrival of beef to the table—the best possible option for a meal, especially if it is a steak. It’s hard not to think about the success of the beef campaign alongside the National Pork Council’s slogan, “Pork. The other white meat,” which was a cheeky way of avoiding the pesky fact pork is classified as a red meat. The campaigns worked, possibly too well. 

According to the US Department of Agriculture, the average American eats twice as much meat as the rest of the world—almost 40% more than our bodies nutritionally need, according to the agency’s dietary guidelines.

But breaking the “every meal needs to include eight ounces of meat” mentality is extremely liberating. I’ve found that flexitarianism—a diet that is primarily plant-based but includes meat occasionally—isn’t as much about health benefits as it is about recipe and financial freedom.

When you’re used to walking around the supermarket thinking, “OK, I had chicken yesterday and beef the day before, so maybe I’ll go pork today,” it’s easy to fall into a recipe rut. And focusing on incorporating alternative sources of protein into your diet makes it easier to afford the organic, grass-fed and free-range meat that will lead to better taste and health results. 

Taking the veggie leap

A 2021 international study from Oxford University found that consumers in the US, UK, Australia and Western Europe could slash their food costs by a third by going vegan. Switching to a flexitarian diet could cut food costs by 14%, the study said.

Speaking from personal experience with food prices in Oklahoma City, I find that it’s much easier to afford organic, grass-fed and free-range proteins that are approximately $2.50 more than their factory-farmed counterparts when I’m only buying meat once or twice per week. Even though I spend more on free-range chicken breast, for instance, buying less meat has helped me save about 15% overall on groceries each week.

The easiest way for me to break into vegetarian cooking was to think of recipes I already liked and then think about which kind of plant protein would work best to replace the meat. Thick French-style green lentils cooked al dente and sauteed with onion, garlic and fennel seed in a spaghetti sauce is as satisfying as beef, but with less guilt. Lentil sloppy joes are better than their burger counterpart, and the same goes for shepherd’s pie with lentils. 

Looking for protein in all the right places

There’s a whole world of plant-based protein out there that can exponentially increase the size of your recipe repertoire. Protein-packed whole grains like quinoa, farro, barley and millet have received enough marketing and recognition to find their way into everyday grocers over the past decade, and they make for a more nutritious and interesting carb than simple white rice or potatoes. 

Looking to replace a roast or perhaps gyro meat? Seitan was developed by Sixth Century Chinese Buddhist monks looking for a non-soy vegetarian replacement. Made from vital wheat gluten, seitan certainly falls in the tofu level of “minimally processed” options, but it can be made easily at home to avoid the preservatives and up-charge of store bought seitan. 

If you learn anything from my column, please let it be that you should shop at grocery stores that aren’t big national or local chains. If you live in a place with Indian, Latin or Indigenous grocers, they have legume selections that will make your head spin. Only used to seeing brown lentils? Walk down the aisle of an Indian grocery and you can be overwhelmed at the options: Horse gram, yellow split peas, red lentils, black lentils and the list goes on.

Latin groceries will have selections of dry bean varieties that go way beyond black and pinto. The humble tepary bean, which is native to the Sonoran Desert, can be found at many Indigenous wholesalers and grocers. The relatively small white bean packs a nutrient punch, as a quarter cup of tepary beans yield 26 grams of fiber (93% of your daily needed value) and 11 grams of protein. 

Plenty of everyday combinations, like bread and peanut butter, beans and rice, and hummus and pita contain the necessary combinations to get all nine essential amino acids that make a complete protein. Hemp hearts, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat and all soybean products, including tofu, are examples of natural complete proteins. 

Flexatarian Pira Caldo

Pira caldo is a traditional Paraguayan fish soup, but this take substitutes hearts of palm for the fish. (This also works well for vegetarian ceviche and crab cakes.) To amp up the fish flavor, marinate roughly chopped hearts of palm in fish sauce with some leftover cauliflower florets. Chickpeas would also be a nice addition to the marinade if you’re looking for extra protein.

Ingredients:

Aromatics:
1 large onion
2 celery sticks
2 medium carrots
1 leek washed, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 serrano or red jalapeno
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 tsp dried oregano 

Broth:
2 containers (or 8 cups) vegetable or chicken stock
1 can roasted, diced tomatoes
1 can coconut milk
1 cup to 1 ½ cups of white cooking wine

Marinade:
3-4 tablespoons fish sauce
1 can heart of palm, dried and rough chop
1 can or ½ cup cooked chickpeas or cauliflower florets

Garnish:
Chopped cilantro
lime juice
vegan or regular feta cheese

Marinate the hearts of palm with the fish sauce and anything else you’d like to add for at least 2 hours prior to cooking. The amount of fish sauce needed depends on the container you use to marinate. Make sure there is enough to coat everything, but not so much that it’s too salty. 

Add cooking oil to a large stockpot and cook the onion a few minutes before adding the other aromatics. Once all of the vegetables are nice and soft, push the aromatics to the side of the pot to cool and allow the bay leaves and oregano to toast and deepen in flavor as the tomato paste caramelizes, about 2 minutes. Deglaze the bottom of the pot with the white wine, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen all of the brown bits created by the aromatics (AKA the fond) back into the broth. Add the tomatoes and broth. Keep heat on medium high until it reaches a boil and turn it down to medium low for about 10 minutes.

Then add strained hearts of palm into the broth with the coconut milk. Be sure to keep the soup on low once the coconut milk is added. Bringing the coconut milk to too high of a temperature changes coconut milk from good fat (HDL) to bad fat (LDL). Simmer on low for about 5 to 10 minutes or until the flavors have melded. Garnish with cilantro, lime juice and cheese. 

Chop It Up is a monthly column from Jacob Threadgill, a “semi-retired” journalist in Oklahoma City, where he wrote for the alt-weekly Oklahoma Gazette for three years. Prior to the Gazette, he wrote music and lifestyle features for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi.

Streetlight, previously BigIfTrue.org, is a nonprofit news site based in Oklahoma City. Our mission is to report stories that envision a more equitable world and energize our readers to improve their communities. Donate to support our work here.