Vegetarian Meals in the CACFP - | 1.800.232.7634
Vegetarian Meals in the CACFP
Home Study Cycle 2 FY 2013
Informational Pages
What is a vegetarian diet?
Some people follow a "vegetarian" diet, but there's no single vegetarian eating pattern. There are many types of vegetarians:
• Vegan or total vegetarian diet includes only foods from plants: fruits, vegetables, legumes (dried beans and peas), grains, seeds and nuts. A vegan eats no meat of animal products.
• Pesci-vegetarian diet eats fish, no chicken or meat
• Lactovegetarian diet includes plant foods plus cheese and other dairy products.
• Ovo-lactovegetarian (or lacto-ovovegetarian) diet also includes eggs.
• Semi-vegetarians don't eat red meat but include chicken and fish with plant foods, dairy products and eggs.
Are vegetarian diets healthful?
Most vegetarian diets are low in or devoid of animal products. They’re also usually lower than nonvegetarian diets in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Many studies have shown that vegetarians seem to have a lower risk of obesity, coronary heart disease (which causes heart attack), high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus and some forms of cancer.
Vegetarian diets can be healthful and nutritionally sound if they’re carefully planned to include essential nutrients. However, a vegetarian diet can be unhealthy if it contains too many calories and/or saturated fat and not enough important nutrients.
What are the nutrients to consider in a vegetarian diet?
• Protein: You don't need to eat foods from animals to have enough protein in your diet. Plant proteins alone can provide enough of the essential and non-essential amino acids, as long as sources of dietary protein are varied and caloric intake is high enough to meet energy needs.
• Whole grains, legumes, vegetables, seeds and nuts all contain both essential and non-essential amino acids. You don't need to consciously combine these foods ("complementary proteins") within a given meal.
• Soy protein has been shown to be equal to proteins of animal origin. It can be your sole protein source if you choose.
• Iron: Vegetarians may have a greater risk of iron deficiency than non vegetarians. The richest sources of iron are red meat, liver and egg yolk -- all high in cholesterol. However, dried beans, spinach, enriched products, brewer's yeast and dried fruits are all good plant sources of iron.
• Vitamin B-12: This comes naturally only from animal sources. Vegans need a reliable source of vitamin B-12. It can be found in some fortified (not enriched) breakfast cereals, fortified soy beverages, some brands of nutritional (brewer's) yeast and other foods (check the labels), as well as vitamin supplements.
• Vitamin D: Vegans should have a reliable source of vitamin D. Vegans who don’t get much sunlight may need a supplement.
• Calcium: Studies show that vegetarians absorb and retain more calcium from foods than non vegetarians do. Vegetable greens such as spinach, kale and broccoli, and some legumes and soybean products, are good sources of calcium from plants.
• Zinc: Zinc is needed for growth and development. Good plant sources include grains, nuts and legumes. Shellfish are an excellent source of zinc. Take care to select supplements containing no more than 15-18 mg zinc. Supplements containing 50 mg or more may lower HDL ("good") cholesterol in some people.
Any type of vegetarian diet should include a wide variety of foods and enough calories to meet your energy needs.
• Keep your intake of sweets and fatty foods to a minimum. These foods are low in nutrients and high in calories.
• Choose whole or unrefined grain products when possible, or use fortified or enriched cereal products.
• Use a variety of fruits and vegetables, including foods that are good sources of vitamins A and C.
• If you use milk or dairy products, choose fat-free/nonfat and low-fat varieties.
Why do some people want to eat less meat?
For some the reason not to eat meat is ethical, they are opposed to the killing of animals for food. By producing less meat for food, world agriculture could produce more food for hungry people.
• Raising livestock for meat is one of the most inefficient uses of land. One acre of land could produce 50,000 pounds of tomatoes, 40,000 pounds of potatoes, 30,000 pounds of carrots or just 250 pounds of beef.
• To produce a year's supply of beef for a family requires over 260 gallons of fossil fuel, or approximately one gallon of gasoline per pound of grain-fed beef. Finally, it takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef; to produce one pound of wheat requires 25 gallons.
• Eighty percent of the corn and 95 percent of the oats grown in the U.S. is eaten by livestock.
• It is estimated that the cost of meat accounts for about one-third of the average food bill. Most plant foods are less expensive than animal foods.
There are also environmental reasons, meat production produces more greenhouse gasses than cars or trucks. Livestock’s water needs are tremendous compared with those of vegetables.
Some religious groups have traditionally been vegetarian.
Important Nutrients and Their Sources
Protein
Beans
Grains
Tofu (not creditable on the CACFP)
Meat analogs
Nuts and nut butters (not creditable for children under age 3 on the CACFP)
Dairy products
Eggs
Protein needs can be easily met if children eat a varied diet.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D fortified foods (cow’s milk, soymilk* or rice milk*, orange juice, ready-to-eat cereals)
Eggs
Skin exposure to sunlight
Calcium
Fortified soy or rice milk*
Fortified orange juice
Milk and yogurt (not creditable for infants 12 months & under)
Green leafy vegetables (broccoli, kale, bok choy)
Almonds and almond butter (not creditable for children under 3 on the CACFP)
Iron
Whole or enriched grains
Dried fruits
Fortified cereals
Beans
Green leafy vegetables
Include a source of vitamin C (bell peppers, tomatoes, citrus fruits) with meals to increase iron absorption.
Vitamin B12
Fortified soymilk*
Some meat analogs
Vitamin B12-fortified nutritional yeast
Fortified ready-to-eat cereals
Eggs
Dairy products
Zinc
Whole-grain products
Wheat germ
Fortified cereals
Nuts (not creditable for children under 3 on the CACFP)
Beans
* Non-dairy milk substitute has to be nutritionally equivalent to fluid milk. Providers are required to submit the nutrition information for what the parent wants the child to have to CDHN for approval.
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Maybe you've wondered how much protein you need each day. In general, it's recommended that 10–35% of your daily calories come from protein.
|Recommended Dietary Allowance for Protein |
| |Grams of protein |
| |needed each day |
|Children ages 1 – 3 |13 |
|Children ages 4 – 8 |19 |
|Children ages 9 – 13 |34 |
|Girls ages 14 – 18 |46 |
|Boys ages 14 – 18 |52 |
|Women ages 19 – 70+ |46 |
|Men ages 19 – 70+ |56 |
Here are examples of amounts of protein in food:
• 1 cup of milk has 8 grams of protein
• A 3-ounce piece of meat has about 21 grams of protein
• 1 cup of dry beans has about 16 grams of protein
• An 8-ounce container of yogurt has about 11 grams of protein
Added together, just these four sources would meet the protein needs of an adult male (56 grams). This doesn't count all the other foods that add smaller amounts of protein to his diet.
Rather than just focusing on your protein needs, choose an overall healthy eating plan that provides the protein you need as well as other nutrients.
Animal and Plant Protein
Complete proteins are from animal sources and have all essential amino acids—the building blocks of all our cells. Plant protein sources do not have all the essential amino acids in each food, but are easily combined to make a complete protein.
You don’t need to combine proteins together at every meal. As long as you get a variety of proteins throughout the day, you’ll get ample amounts of each amino acid.
Let’s talk about Legumes
Legumes are plants with seed pods that split into two halves when ripe, Edible seeds from plants in the legume family include dried beans, dried peas, lentils, soybeans, and peanuts.
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Here are some combinations that would make complete protein dishes:
• Grains with Legumes - sample meal: lentils and rice with yellow peppers.
• Nuts with Legumes - sample meal: black bean and peanut salad.
• Grains with Dairy - sample meal: white cheddar and whole wheat pasta.
• Dairy with Seeds - sample meal: yogurt mixed with sesame and flax seeds.
• Legumes with Seeds - sample meal: spinach salad with sesame seed and almond salad dressing.
Note: nuts and peanut butter are not creditable on the CACFP for children under 3 years old due to choking hazard.
Canned Beans-- Most canned beans are packed in a thick, salty liquid that adds unwanted texture and taste to a dish. Like many other canned foods, beans also contain a popular color preservative called calcium disodium EDTA.
It is recommended that canned beans be rinsed before using them. To wash canned beans, just pour them in a colander, rinse well with cold running water, and swish the beans around until most of the water drains off. If you don't use the whole can, toss the remaining beans with a splash of vinegar to preserve them longer. Store them in an airtight container (not the can) in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Dry Beans
How To Store Dried Beans
Dry beans should be stored at room temperature in covered containers. They will keep almost indefinitely. Do not keep dry beans in the refrigerator. If stored incorrectly, the beans may absorb water and spoil before you have a chance to use them.
The plastic bags beans are packaged in are good for storage if they are airtight. Once opened, the bag may be reclosed with a twist tie. For the longest storage life, keep beans in a glass or plastic container with a tight fitting lid.
Sorting
Sorting means picking over the beans before cooking them. Remove small rocks, pieces of dirt, beans with holes or cavities, badly misshapen or wrinkled beans and those greatly undersized or discolored.
Rinsing
Washing is not part of the packing process because water would rehydrate the beans. Do not rinse beans until you are ready to soak or cook them. Even then you do not have to rinse beans if you’re going to soak them. Any field dust will be removed and discarded with the soak water. If you cook the beans without soaking, rinse them after sorting.
Soaking
Soaking is not an essential step in bean preparation. The purpose of soaking is to begin rehydration before cooking, thereby reducing cooking time. Unsoaked beans take longer to cook and require more attention so they won’t cook dry.
During soaking, beans make up their lost water, increasing up to twice their dried size. Enough water must be used to keep the beans covered while soaking. Once rehydrated, beans cook in 1 to 3 hours, depending on the type of bean.
There are basically two methods for soaking: long-soak and quick-soak. Both work equally well and differ only in the amount of time required to rehydrate the beans. Choose the one which best suits your time and schedule.
Long-soaking takes time and some advance planning, but needs very little effort. First, cover the beans with water at room temperature. Soak them overnight or for 8 to 10 hours. Keep the beans covered by water while soaking. Be sure the soak water is at room temperature. Hot water may cause the beans to sour. Cold water slows rehydration and the beans will take longer to cook.
Cooking time will also be longer if beans are not soaked long enough – at least 8 hours. Beans soaked longer than 12 hours can absorb too much water and lose their characteristic texture and flavor. If you plan to cook beans for dinner and you want to use the long-soak method, start soaking in the morning. To cook beans for lunch, you’ll have to soak them overnight.
Quick-soaking rehydrates dried beans in little more than 1 hour. For most cooks, this is the most convenient method. Bring the beans and water for soaking to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove the beans from the heat and cover the pot. Let the beans stand in the soak water for 1 hour. At the end of the hour, discard the soak water and cook the beans.
Cooking Without Soaking
Beans don’t have to be soaked before they are cooked. Soaking merely shortens cooking time. Because unsoaked beans have to cook longer, they require more energy from your stove.
To cook beans without soaking, use twice the amount of cooking water specified in the recipe. Combine the water and rinsed beans in the pot and bring to a boil. Some cooks like to bring the water to a boil first, then drop in the beans a few at a time so the boiling doesn’t stop. Either method will cook the beans satisfactorily. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. The beans rehydrate while cooking so you will have to watch them carefully and add more water whenever necessary to keep them covered. Cooking time for unsoaked beans can vary up to 2 hours. Most beans will be tender in 2 to 3 hours.
Why Not Try Some Vegetarian Recipes
Now that you know it is healthy and actually costs less the meat!
Chunky Vegetarian Chili
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Preparation:
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell peppers, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add sugar and remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.
8 servings for 3-5 year olds 1 cup serving = 1 ½ ounce meat/alternate and 1 vegetable serving at lunch/supper
Scrambled Egg Burrito
Preparation:
1. Whisk the first 5 ingredients (through pepper) in a medium bowl.
2. Coat a medium nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and melt butter over medium heat. Add the egg mixture, and stir with a heatproof rubber spatula to scramble.
3. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese down the center of one tortilla; top with half of the scrambled egg, 2 tablespoons tomato, and 1 tablespoon chunky salsa.
4. Roll up burrito-style (fold bottom up and sides to center). Repeat with remaining ingredients.
2 servings for 3-5 year olds= 1 meat alternate (1 egg) and bread/alternate for lunch/supper
Vegetarian Sloppy Joe
Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
• 1 red, green, or yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 (21-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• Salt and pepper
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced fire roasted or chunky-style crushed tomatoes
• 1 rounded tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (see Note) or vinegar, any kind
• 1 lime
• 4 crusty rolls, split and lightly toasted
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. To the hot oil, bell peppers, onions, and garlic and cook until tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Fold in the black beans, cumin, and coriander and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, brown sugar, and Worcestershire or vinegar and simmer the mixture for a few minutes to combine the flavors. Squeeze the lime juice into the pan and stir. Serve the joe mixture on buns.
Note: Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies, if you follow a strict vegetarian diet you might prefer to substitute vinegar.
6 servings for 3-5 year olds= 1 meat alternate and bread/alternate for lunch/supper
Veggie burgers
½ cup bulgur
1 can (15.5 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup grated cheese
½ cup finely grated carrots (from 2 medium carrots)
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Course salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 buns
Sprouts or lettuce, for serving
Avocado slices, for serving
Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine bulgur and 1 cup boiling water. Cover tightly and let sit until bulgur is tender, 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing to remove liquid, then return bulgur to bowl. In a food processor, pulse pinto beans until coarsely chopped. Add beans to bulgur, along with Swiss cheese, carrots, scallion, and egg. Season with salt and pepper; mix well.
2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Add 1/2 cup bean mixture and press lightly with a spatula to flatten. Make 3 more patties, working in batches if necessary (add more oil for second batch), and cook until browned and cooked through, 3 minutes per side. Serve burgers on buns with sprouts and avocado slices.
4 servings for 3-5 year olds=1 meat alternate and bread/alternate for lunch/supper
30 second vegan chili "cheese" dip
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Provider Name: _________________________ EEC License #__________
Please Print
If assistant please indicate provider’s name above and your name below (Certificate will be made out in your name) Your name: ______________________________________
Please complete this home study and send it in with your next claim. Keep the white information sheets. This will meet the 2 hours of training that is required for participation in the CACFP by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
1. What is a vegetarian? ____________________________________________________________________________
2. Describe two reasons why someone would choose a vegetarian diet.
1. _____________________________________________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________________________________________
3. Name and describe 3 types of vegetarian diets.
1. ______________________________________________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________________
4. Name six non-meat sources that are creditable on the Child & Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
1. _____________________ 2. ___________________________ 3. ________________________
4. ______________________ 5. ___________________________ 6. ________________________
5. Do plant protein sources have all the essential amino acids in each food? θ Yes θ No
6. Can you combine plant protein sources to make a complete protein? θ Yes θ No
7. Name 3 non-meat combinations that would make complete protein dishes.
1. _______________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________
8. What are the recommended Grams of protein needed each day for Children ages 4 – 8? ______ grams
9. Why is rinsing canned beans recommended?
________________________________________________________________________________
10. What is the purpose of soaking dry beans before you cook them?
__________________________________________________________________________________
11. Describe how dry beans should be stored.
____________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
12. If a parent requests that you not serve their child milk because they are vegan, describe the process that is required by CDHN and the ESE.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
13. Try one of the meatless recipes listed in the informational pages or one of your own, indicate the name of the recipe and describe how the children liked it.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
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The legume family is the third largest among flowering plants. It is also the second most important to the human diet (grasses, such as rice, are first).
Legume seeds have twice as much protein as grains. Legumes are also high in iron and B vitamins. Grains and legumes are called complementary proteins because when you combine them, you get all of essential amino acids. Nuts and seeds are also complementary to legumes to provide essential amino acids.
Ingredients:
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 (16-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
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Makes 2 servings (serving size: 1 burrito) Just increase the amounts for more children
Ingredients:
• 2 large eggs, or equivalent egg substitute
• 1 tablespoon 1% low-fat milk
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• Dash of coarsely ground black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 teaspoon butter
• 4 tablespoons reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 2 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas, heated
• 4 tablespoons chopped seeded tomato, divided
• 2 tablespoons bottled chunky salsa, divided
Please note this is the quiz to use if you want to print it and send. To take the quiz online go to training tab and take the online quiz.
Vegetarian Meals in the CACFP
Home Study Cycle 2 FY 2013
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Tofutti brand cream cheese is a vegan cream cheese substitute that is fairly easy to find in most health foods stores and well stocked grocers.
Prep Time: 1 minute
Ingredients:
• 1 14.7-ounce can vegetarian chili (Try Amy's or Hormel brand vegetarian chili)
• 1 8-ounce container non-dairy cream cheese (try Tofutti or Follow Your Heart brand)
Preparation: Open can. Open cream cheese. Combine well. Serve with pita bread chips or bagel chips. It couldn't be simpler and it couldn't be tastier.
10 (1/4 cup) servings for 3-5 year olds= 1 meat/alternate at snack
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