A major new report by IPES-Food, The Politics of Protein: Examining claims about livestock, fish, ‘alternative proteins’ and sustainability, sheds light on misleading generalisations that dominate public discussion about meat and protein, and warns of the risks of falling for meat techno-fixes.
With the climate crisis and threats to food security mounting, meat and protein are firmly in the spotlight.
Big meat, dairy and seafood companies are fast rolling out a range of technologies - such as plant-based alternatives, lab-grown meat, and precision livestock and fish-farming - with the backing of governments worldwide.
But IPES-Food warns that a number of misleading claims dominate public discussion about meat and protein, leading to a disproportionate focus on ‘protein’, a systematic failure to account for differences between production systems and world regions — and ultimately to the wrong solutions.
So we need to take those arguments in consideration when talking about meat alternative. It appears that they are not sustainable if the business is limited to big corporations: this can be a wake up call that we have to be careful about the products we consume, even if they are plant based.
I'm not saying that live stock is by any mean a solution, but don't let the discussion simply switch to how bad fake meat are. Let's take in consideration that it may be not a so good solution.
But we never needed those products to being with. Most of the fake meat products are not designed for vegan. We are not a big enough market share. Maybe we just need to be more conscious about how bad they are, but this doesn't change the fact that we need to stop consuming animal products.
This is an easy and flavourful dish that keeps well as leftovers. The coconut milk allows the sun-dried tomatoes to really shine and creates a depth of flavour.
I usually serve this over plain rice with a side of roasted sweet potato (seasoned with cumin, chili powder, tumeric, and salt, roasted at 425 for 15-20min).
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons oil
1 small yellow onion, sliced
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped *
4 large cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
1 hot red pepper, or pinch red pepper flakes
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas
1 pound baby spinach
1 (13 to 14-ounce) can coconut milk
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
Fresh cilantro leaves (optional garnish)
Directions:
Heat the oil or ghee in a large, deep Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until the onion is beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
Add the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, fresh ginger, lemon zest, and red pepper, if using. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the chickpeas and cook over high heat for a few minutes, or until the chickpeas are beginning to turn golden and are coated with the onion and garlic mixture.
Toss in the spinach, one handful at a time. This will take about 5 minutes; stir in a handful or two and wait for it to wilt down and make room in the pot before adding the next handful.
When all the spinach has been added, add the coconut milk, lemon juice, ground ginger, and salt. Bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat and cook until the chickpeas are warmed through, about 10 minutes.
Taste and season with more salt and lemon juice if needed.
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