

I spent a lot of my teens and twenties rolling my eyes over people’s “concerns” about whether I was getting enough protein in my diet. And let’s be honest—a lot of people who question whether you’re getting enough protein as a vegetarian are trying to imply that not eating meat is wrong, that you’re unhealthy, and that really, you should just go eat a hamburger because you probably don’t know what you’ve been missing. Right? We all know those people.

However! As I reached my thirties, I came to realize that it really is important to get enough protein each day (something we’ve posted about here and here)—and it’s not enough to just be getting protein, you need to get protein from a variety of sources so you get the amino acids you need.



Whole Protein Vegetarian by Rebecca Miller Ffrench is a cookbook based around this idea. By eating plant-based meals with legumes, nuts, grains, and greens throughout the day, you’ll get the protein you need and you’ll cover all your amino acid bases. The recipes in this book are simple, full of fresh ingredients and packed with flavor (and protein, naturally!).

These Spinach and Chickpea Spoon Fritters are in the snack chapter, but we had them as a main dish for dinner with steamed green beans on the side. They’re almost like falafel, so they’d also be perfectly at home nested inside a warm pita with lettuce and diced tomatoes, then drizzled with the Creamy Cilantro Avocado Sauce.

Purchase Whole Protein Vegetarian on Amazon.com