Dish It Up: Meatless Monday Powered by Plant-based Protein

Meatless Mondays. This global campaign was launched by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health urging the public to keep meat off their plate. Not only does Meatless Mondays have a nice ring to it, but Monday is also viewed to be the start of a new beginning – a day in which we tend to give up a bad habit or start a new diet.

We’ve been conditioned to believe that meat is our only source of protein which is simply not true. Many foods provide protein including vegetables, beans, and rice…well, certain types of rice. Let us explain.

Vegetables such as spinach, kale, and broccoli contain nearly 50% protein; while legumes such as edamame, lentils, black beans, and chickpeas have almost 10 grams of protein per serving. Plus, vegetables and beans are packed with nutrients our body needs to thrive such as fiber, B-vitamins, iron, calcium, and more. But what about the rice? Glad you asked because not all rice is created equal.

Cahokia Rice, a non-GMO product grown in southern Illinois, is naturally high in protein and gluten-free. Cahokia Rice is loaded with five grams of protein, plus calcium, zinc, iron and more. But how can Cahokia Rice be naturally higher in protein and be non-GMO rice? It’s because our rice was developed through traditional breeding with no foreign genes or DNA.  Although we don’t recommend rice to be your only source of protein, you can dish up a pile of Cahokia Rice accompanied by wonderful vegetables on Meatless Monday and pair it perfectly with chicken, seafood or beef on any other day of the week.