Perfect Pairings

Perfect Pairings

By Ann Thelen

Mixing and Mingling Wholesome Proteins for Flavor and Flair

There’s science and art to creating delicious food. Whether it’s a farmer raising healthy livestock, a chef turning foods into plated art or a home cook experimenting with flavorful new recipes. A common element is often a passion for the way meals bring people together by pairing wholesome proteins with the flair of seasonal, imaginative and sustainable ingredients.

Lauren Grant-Vose, a food scientist, and Aaron Holt, a self-taught chef and farmer, are two central Iowans who believe there is a space and a place on every plate for a variety of foods. Inspired by fresh ingredients, including seasonal vegetables, microgreens and edible flowers, and the flavors, textures and nutrition of animal- and plant-based proteins, Grant-Vose’s and Holt’s culinary conceptsencourage thinking beyonda one-size-fits-all approach.

Lauren Grant-Vose creates recipes using wholesome ingredients

Center of the Plate: Wholesome Ingredients

While diet fads are coming and going, eating healthy doesn’t necessarily mean cutting out food groups or choosing one type of protein source over another.

“In the food industry, many people profit from restrictive diets,” explains Grant-Vose, who as an entrepreneur has worked for countless food magazines and test kitchens, including Better Homes and Gardens and Cuisine at Home. “I believe in creating meals around a spectrum of foods. Just because someone likes vegetarian meals from time to time doesn’t mean they don’t also love a delicious steak.”

Through her nationally known blog, Zestful Kitchen, Grant-Vose delights followers with recipes packed with vibrancy, textures and ingredients that bring out the best in food.

“I create recipes around getting back to the basics with wholesome ingredients that are as good for us as they taste,” she explains. “My recipes use a lot of vegetables, meats, fish and healthy fats, letting nature add the sweetness.”

Pairings Create Savory Benefits

It’s common for cooks and chefs to pair many animal-based proteins together, such as eggs and pork in omelets or quiches, beef and dairy in beef stroganoff or cheeseburgers, and pork and turkey for a sandwich or casserole. Pairing plant- and animal-based proteins might feel less common, yet it’s an easy way to boost variety and nutrition in meals.

A common food in Grant- Vose's kitchen is tofu, which she loves using alongside shredded chicken or pork and broccoli in a stir-fry. Tofu, made from soybeans, is a good source of a complete protein – meaning that it has a well-balanced amino acid profile – in addition to fiber, potassium, magnesium, iron, copper and manganese. Combined with meats, dairy or eggs, which also boast beneficial vitamins, minerals and protein, it elevates the nutritional profile of recipes.

Grant-Vose pairs edamame with bacon for a savory and protein-rich dish

“When cooking with tofu, it’s not so much about adding flavor to a dish, but rather adding more nutrition and texture. Tofu soaks up many flavors from the other ingredients and holds onto the sauce, especially when it’s crumbled instead of cubed. It works beautifully when paired with other proteins,” Grant-Vose says.

“Tofu also helps meat go further. Crumbling tofu in with ground beef can economically turn a meal for four into a meal for six,” Grant-Vose says. Or it’s a perfect texture to add to egg salad.

She recommends thinking about each food’s flavor profile when pairing proteins. Chicken and edamame might not be the most natural pairing because they are both pretty mild. So add herbs, spices and vegetables for more texture and flavor. Beef and pork can be excellent with soyfoods.

“The beef or pork can drive the main savory flavor, and then tofu or edamame can be a supporting player. Or, if you want tofu to be the main player in a burger, try adding bacon on top,” she says.

Fried Rice with Tofu

Makes 5 ½ cups.

• 14-ounce package extra-firm tofu

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil, divided

• 1 ¼ cup diced carrots

• 1 ¼ cup green peas

• 1 cup sliced green onions

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 2 teaspoons minced ginger

• 3 cups cooked brown rice, cooled

• 3 tablespoons lowsodium soy sauce,

• 1 tablespoon vegan mushroom sauce or oyster sauce

• 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce

• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar or white vinegar

• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

• Sesame seeds, to serve, optional

Cook brown rice according to package instructions. Set aside.

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut tofu horizontally into 3 planks, wrap tofu in a clean absorbent kitchen towel and set something heavy on top (like a cast iron skillet), let tofu press for 15 minutes.

Dice tofu into ½-inch cubes; toss with 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil to coat; arrange in a single layer on prepared baking sheet and season with salt. Bake tofu until golden brown and firm to touch, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a 12-inch sauté pan or castiron skillet over medium-high. Add 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil and swirl to coat; once shimmering add carrots, peas and half of the green onions; cook until carrots are tender, about 5 minutes; season lightly with salt and black pepper. Transfer vegetables to a bowl.

Add remaining tablespoon grapeseed oil to now empty sauté pan over medium heat and heat until shimmering, add garlic and ginger and cook 15 seconds until fragrant. Stir in rice, breaking up any clumps, and press into an even layer; cook, without moving, for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir rice, scraping bottom of pan as needed, reduce heat to medium, and stir fry until rice is golden brown, 4–5 minutes.

Stir in tofu, cooked vegetables, soy sauce, oyster sauce, chili garlic sauce and vinegar and fry for 2 more minutes. Off heat, stir in sesame oil and remaining scallions; season with additional soy sauce and oyster sauce to taste.

Finish with sesame seeds and serve with extra chili garlic sauce or sriracha. Or add an over-easy egg to each serving for extra protein.

Pairings Rooted in Fresh, Thoughtful Cuisine

Aaron Holt’s passion for pairing proteins with gardenfresh ingredients stems from his childhood and cooking made-from-scratch meals with his mom. As a fourthgeneration farmer, he owns Doolittle Farms in Story City, a 53-acre farm featuring a 1905 house built by his maternal great-grandfather. Today, he and his wife Amber are raising their daughters Olivia and Josephine as the fifth generation on the family farm aptly bearing his mom’s maiden name. They grow a variety of fruits and vegetables.

“Sustainability is the most important factor for me when it comes to food,” Holt explains, whose love of food drew him into the food industry at 15 years old, working his way up from a dishwasher to restaurant general manager to award-winning chef. Initially studying architecture at Iowa State University, he eventually left college to pursue his passion for cooking, creating memorable meals and sustainable farming.

Aaron Holt is a fourth-generation farmer and award-winning chef

His motto is creating the farm your great-grandparents would recognize. He does this by using time-tested practices as part of his focus on sustainability and preserving the farm for the next generation and beyond.

“The way previous generations survived was by growing and raising nearly everything they ate; canning, curing and fermenting foods; and reducing waste by using every component of the animal,” he explains.

Part of his mission of sustainability includes mixing plant-based foods with meat. For example, he enjoys creating a burger that is half beef and half sauteed and chopped mushrooms.

Aaron Holt's finesse for agriculture and crafting thoughtful cuisine marries the best of both worlds

Named the Iowa Restaurant Association’s 2018 Chef of the Year, Holt’s finesse for agriculture and crafting thoughtful cuisine marries the best of both worlds. His day job is serving as a consultant for Sysco Foods, helping open restaurants and providing counsel for people to be successful in the industry.

As a creative outlet, Holt hosts farm-to-table and private in-home dinners where guests are immersed in delightful creations, such as Iowa beef short rib with a sweet potato hash, spring toast with a beet-cured deviled egg or seared duck with fall risotto.

Always in Style: Fresh and Simple

Holt is deliberate in how he pairs foods. Many feature ingredients grown seasonally on his farm, such as fruits, vegetables, microgreens

and edible flowers. He recently planted an orchard, which will eventually provide pears, peaches and apples. In the spring, he forages through the wooded area on the farm, finding mushrooms, mulberries or wild blackberries. The foods add interest and flair to a canvas of a delicious protein.

“When I’m pairing foods, I might have a strictly vegetarian dish to introduce people to a new way of cooking or eating that particular food,” Holt explains. “And I often do the same with a meat-based dish. It’s all about creating an appreciation for food.”

Experimenting with foods and flavors with imaginative twists feeds Holt’s passion as a chef. But he always remains steadfast with his motto, “It will always be trendy to do ‘the right thing’ with food, and it’s keeping it fresh and simple.”

Sausage Kale White Bean Soup

Makes 12 cups.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 yellow onion, diced

• Kosher salt

• Crushed red pepper flakes

• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage, hot or mild

• 2 fennel bulbs, fronds reserved

• 4 large cloves garlic, chopped (2 tablespoons)

• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

• 1 small bunch Tuscan kale, stems removed, leaves torn into bite-size pieces (about 9 cups)

• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

• 2 cups whole milk, warmed

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Parmesan toast

• 6 thick-cut slices wholewheat or sourdough bread

• 1 cup shredded Parmesan

Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium.

Add onion, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes; cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add sausage and cook, crushing with a wooden spoon, until cooked through and browned, 6 – 8 minutes. Drain all but 2 tablespoons drippings from pot.

Meanwhile, quarter fennel bulbs lengthwise, then slice into ½ inch-thick slices (you should get 4 – 5 cups). Add fennel and garlic to pot and cook 2 minutes.

Add broth, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer over medium and cook until fennel is nearly tender, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile make Parmesan Toasts. Heat broiler to high with rack set 6-inches from element. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and broil until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Flip bread and top with Parmesan, dividing cheese evenly between toasts. Broil toasts until Parmesan is melty and starting to brown, 2 – 3 minutes; set aside.

Stir kale, beans and milk into soup; cook until kale is wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in vinegar and season with additional salt, red pepper flakes and vinegar to taste.

Serve soup with Parmesan toast and reserved fennel fronds.