9 Great Ways to Use Hemp Protein Powder

For over 12 000 years, humans have cultivated Hemp for both food,  fibre and oil.

The seeds of the hemp plant were used by ancient cultures as a source of nutrition and healing, a practice now catching on in the western world following multiple scientific studies confirming hemp’s benefits.

Hemp protein powder is made by grinding hemp seeds, into a fine powder. This makes incorporating hemp into the diet easy and convenient.

What Makes Hemp Protein Powder So Good For You?

Let’s start with its pure nutritional facts. It’s called a protein powder because of the incredibly high protein content found in hemp seeds.

Hemp Protein contains all 20 known Amino Acids, including the 9 Essential Amino Acids (EAAs) our bodies cannot produce. Proteins are considered complete when they contain all 9 Amino Acids in a sufficient quantity and ratio to meet the body’s needs.

Hemp Protein is free of Tryspin inhibitors that block Protein absorption and oligosaccharides which cause stomach upset and gas.

Approximately 65% of the Protein in Hemp Seed is made up of the globulin Protein Edestin which is found only in Hemp Seed. Edestin aids digestion, is relatively phosphorus-free and is considered the backbone of the cell’s DNA. The other third of Hemp Seed Protein is Albumin, another high quality globulin Protein similar to that found in Egg Whites. Moreover, hemp protein contains a litany of vitamins and minerals that promote good health, including:

Chlorophyll, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Thiamine, Niacin, Vitamin B-6, Riboflavin, Folate,  Phosphorous, Potassium, Iron, Zinc, Magnesium, Beta Carotene and more.

If you wish to learn more about the benefits of hemp as a food and food supplement, please read this post.

Now that you know all the good things hemp protein can do for you, let’s talk about nine great ways to use hemp protein powder.

How to use Hemp Protein Powder – click on the links to take you to some recipes that include Hemp Protein Powder

Smoothies and Shakes

Incorporating hemp protein powder into your favourite blended drink is a straightforward and portable option for any time of the day.

Cereal

While cereal can make a quick and easy meal at any hour, there’s no doubt that it provides a much-needed boost at breakfast time.

Hemp protein powder can be mixed into any traditional cereal to provide extra protein for your busy day, but here is a home-made cereal that packs a real nutritional punch.

Protein Bars

Protein bars are another convenient way to get nutrition on the go. Unfortunately, too many processed protein bars you find in the stores have ingredient lists more like candy. The good news is that making your own healthy energy bars is straightforward and doesn’t even require baking.

Oatmeal/Porridge

Few things can hit the spot like a bowl of warm oatmeal porridge on a cold morning. The heat and the health benefits both flow throughout the body, providing comfort and nutrition. By adding hemp protein powder, this wholesome traditional meal offers even more goodness.

Muffins

Perfect for breakfast, brunch, dessert, or even parties, muffins are some of the most versatile baked goods you can make. This recipe provides a tasty way to get some extra protein, fiber, vegetables, and fruit.

Ice Cream

Sometimes you just crave a sweet treat, and ice cream is as smooth and tempting as it gets. By adding some healthy ingredients, you can dive right in without any guilt. The best part? You don’t even need a fancy ice cream machine.

Brownies

Ice cream isn’t the only sweet treat that can be transformed with hemp protein powder. Hemp protein can replace flour in baked goods since flour is just ground grain protein. Unlike regular baking flour, hemp protein retains its other nutrients.

Pancakes

Pancakes have made a huge comeback in recent years. Once quaint breakfast relics of small town diners, or cursed frozen toaster blocks, pancakes and flapjacks have grown up and become a welcome addition to any meal. And now, they can even be healthy.

Cooking With Hemp Protein Powder

If you’ve never used hemp protein powder before, one of the first things you’ll notice is that it tends to give foods and drinks a slight green colour. This is due to the rich amount of chlorophyll present. This green tinge is completely natural, so don’t let it scare you off.

Hemp protein powder has an earthy and nutty flavour .

Like anything, some people like it more than others. If you don’t particularly care for its taste, there are a couple of ways you can still take advantage of it.

The first is to use it in recipes alongside ingredients with intense flavours, like those above that use chocolate, dates, and bananas.

All the recipes provide using unflavoured, original flavour Hemp Protein Powder.

Summary

As you can see, hemp protein powder is a remarkably versatile ingredient. It can be added to raw foods and beverages or used in cooking or baking. It’s an all-day companion that goes as well with breakfast as with dessert and is ideal for portable energy snacks or smoothies.

Hemp protein powder can be a valuable ally for your health, for basically every part of your body from your skin to your inner organs, your digestive system to your brain.

We hope you enjoyed these recipes and that they got your imagination fired up thinking of other tasty things you can make with hemp protein powder.

 

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Hemp Tofu

As a vegan, it’s easy to eat A LOT of soy. Actually, these days, it’s easy to eat a lot of soy even if you’re an omnivore. It’s in so many things.

A popular source of protein for vegans and vegetarians is, of course, tofu. And while I love tofu and all varieties of it, I am trying to be very conscious of the amount of soy I take in. I know the topic of the health and environmental impacts of soy is controversial and people stand on opposite sides of the issue (and a lot depends on the form of soy in question). But I don’t like to overdo anything and I say, “better safe than sorry.” Plus, I love a culinary challenge and welcome as many ways to take in my protein as possible.

I have become kind of obsessed with hemp seeds lately. They contain all essential amino acids and fatty acids and are therefore a complete source of protein. In addition, hemp is not a common allergen, like soy or nuts. And, most importantly, they are delicious. They have a nutty, creamy taste. I put spoonful’s on my coconut yogurt in the morning. I make fresh hemp milk. So, I figured, why not make some hemp tofu? Hey, the Italians already do it commercially!

I got inspiration for this recipe from a few sources, mainly from a forum member on Post Punk Kitchen, named “vegimator” who makes tofu out of pumpkin and hemp seeds and from a Finnish blog named Mammi who calls the finished product “hefu.” I took their advice, combined it with my knowledge of tofu-making and started experimenting.

This recipe yields a more crumbly tofu than soy tofu. Soy tofu is usually made after straining liquid from the pulp (or okara). I tried this technique with hemp and not enough solids were left in the strained out liquid to coagulate. Using the milk as is, straight from the blender, did work (and a Vitamix helps create a very smooth milk). Hemp tofu is great seared, for a scramble, or a stir-fry, if you don’t mind having rustic, non-cube chunks. Or do what I did: simply drizzle with some sweet soy sauce (equal parts soy sauce and sugar, simmered until thickened) and sprinkle with nori strips. The sweet soy sauce and nori goes great with the creaminess and earthiness of the hemp!

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: a few blocks, depending on size of tofu mould

 

Ingredients

2 cups shelled hemp seeds

4 cups water

1 1/2 Teaspoons powdered nigari, which will be dissolved in 1 additional cup of water (Note: I have seen recipes for hemp tofu where a coagulant is not even used, so feel free to skip this part. Although, you may get a more crumbly result.)

 

Instructions

 

Blend hemp seeds with water for one minute at high speed (I used a Vitamix) to make hemp milk.

Put hemp milk in a pot and, partially cover it and bring to a boil. You’ll start to seeing curds forming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When it reaches a low boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and boil the milk for four minutes, stirring constantly to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, dissolve the nigari in a cup of warm water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove the pot from the stove, wait until the temperature reaches 155F. Add half the nigari solution and stir briskly for a few seconds. Wait until the liquid stops moving. Then add the rest of the nigari solution and gently stir a few times. Let sit 15 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Place a cheesecloth over a colander and strain the curds out.

Take an amount of curd that will fit in your press (this recipe makes a good bit of curd), place in another piece of cheesecloth and twist to get ALL of the liquid out. If it’s too hot to squeeze, you can try squeezing with tongs.

Place the ball of curd, still in the cloth, into a tofu press/mould and press the curd down. Stack a few bottles or cans on top as a weight. [I bought a cheap wooden press for four dollars at Daiso in Japantown, but I think I’m going to invest in a TofuXpress so that I don’t have to worry about stacking cans on the press.]

Let the press stay for 30 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

Then unmould the hemp tofu and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reblogged from : http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2012/01/31/hemp-tofu/

Baked Kale Chips

Fresh Summer Mango Coconut Salad

The Nude Mushroom

With a sunny weekend in the forecast, it’s the perfect opportunity to enjoy a beautiful summer salad. I am sharing with you a fresh coconut salad, inspired by the flavours of India!  Chop, mix, serve and enjoy this delightful summer creation!!

Ingredients:

1 coconut

2 red peppers

4 punetts cres

1 bunch spring onions

2 ripe mangos peeled

Dressing:

1 thumb size ginger piece peeled

zest and juice of 3-4 limes

7-8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Crack the coconut and grate meat finely in a bowl. Cut mangos and red pepper into strips.  Chop punnets and spring onions. Grate ginger and mix dressing ingredients in separate bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Combine salad and dressing together, plate and enjoy!

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Orange and Vanilla Hemp Shake

Serves 1

1 Large Navel Orange, Skin Cut Off And White Rind Removed

1 Large Banana

2 Cups Hemp Milk

Seeds From 1/2 Vanilla Bean, Scraped Out, Or 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

2 Tbsp Hemp Protein Powder

4 Large Kale Leaves, Tough Stems Removed

 

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender till smooth. Can serve one or two, depending on appetite!

Some notable health benefits of this smoothie/shake include Vitamin C from the orange, Omega-3 fatty acids and protein from the hemp milk and hemp protein, natural energy from the sweetness of banana and orange, Vitamin A, iron, and calcium from the kale, and a bundle of phytonutrients. Plus the deliciousness that is fresh vanilla!

Blueberry Hemp Shake

 Serves 1

1 Cup Frozen Blueberries

3 Heaped Tbsp Hemp Seeds

2 Tbsp Hemp Protein Powder

1 Cup Hemp Milk

2 Pitted Dates

1 Cup Spinach

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1 Tsp Maca*

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender. Add more almond milk if the texture is too thick. Enjoy!

*Maca is an herbaceous plant native to the high Andean Mountains of Bolivia and Peru. It is one of the only food plants in the world able to thrive at such a high altitude. Maca, and more specifically the root of the plant, has a long history as a superfood. The maca root was prized throughout the Incan empire for its adaptogenic-like qualities that enable it to nourish and balance the body’s delicate endocrine system, and to help cope with stress. It also energizes naturally, without the jitters and crashes of caffeine, and it can aid in reproductive function, helping to balance hormones and increase fertility. 

To-Die-For Rosemary & Thyme Cracker Recipe (Gluten-Free)

These delicious little treats are my latest obsession.

They’re a cinch to put together and taste absolutely divine.

I often have a few as a midday snack, and also serve them at cocktail parties with olive tapenade or organic goat cheese.

Hemp flour is a great gluten-free alternative to regular flour. You can also use Almond Flour. I like to remind people that eating a few tablespoons of it is just like eating handful of seeds or almonds; a small serving goes a long way to filling you up.

Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

Makes about 20 crackers

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups hemp flour or blanched almond flour

2 tablespoons shelled hemp seed

1 tablespoons fresh rosemary + 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped (or any other combination of herbs)

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon hemp seed oil

1 egg (preferably free-range + local and/or organic)

2 teaspoons purified water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180C. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the oil, egg and water to combine. In a larger bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients into a uniform dry mixture.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir well to combine. Once the dough comes together, use your clean hands to mix well and ensure a uniform mixture.

Place the dough between two sheets of wax paper and roll out to 1/8 inch thickness. Peel off the top sheet of parchment paper and place the bottom sheet with dough onto baking sheet.

Cut into 2-inch squares and bake 12-15 minutes until lightly golden around the edges. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Store in the refrigerator for up to one week, or at room temperature up to two days.

Cook’s notes:

If you live in a more humid climate, you may not need to add the 2 teaspoons of water – experiment.

Thin dough (1/8 inch) makes crispier crackers; thicker dough (1/4 inch) makes softer, more chewy crackers.

I used rosemary and thyme here, but two tablespoons of any combination of fresh finely chopped herbs can be used.