Where do you get your protein from?

If I had a nickel for every time I was asked "So, like, if you don't eat meat, how do you get protein?" Arg, such a silly question! Depending on my mood, I may give a "nice" response, or I many not ;) Most of the time, I try to give the nice answer... "Nuts, seeds, beans, tofu (yes it can be made to taste delicious), soy milk, etc." And then there are days where I'm feeling sassy and I give the response: "The same place where that cow that you're eating got it's protein!" 

The reason I don't give the sassy answer all the time is because I too have asked the question "where do you get your protein from?" I only just stopped eating meat in the last 4 years and I was an ignorant carnivore in my younger years (totally not proud of that). The first time I met a vegan (a past coworker) I was shocked to hear that people actually ate like that! I always considered myself health conscious, but veganism had never made it onto my radar until then. I wish I had kept in contact with that coworker so I could tell her that I actually believe that animals should be equal to humans and that we should help protect them (because we have the intelligence to do so) and not eat them! She would be ecstatic! 


Anyways, enough with my life story! Here's a recipe for the yummy protein-filled quinoa salad that I made.

Quinoa Salad (vegetarian)


1 C quinoa - rinsed and cooked in 2 C water (didn't have veggie broth on hand)
1/2 C red kidney beans (chickpeas would be yummy too)
1 small yellow pepper - chopped
1 small head of broccoli - cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 C sundried tomatoes packed in oil
1/2 C marinated artichoke hearts - drained and chopped
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 eggs - scrambled
1 T soy sauce
Sriracha to taste
Pepper to tasted


Prepare the quinoa according the package directions. I wish I had veggie broth on hand when I was making this. While quinoa is cooking, chop up all your veggies and rinse your beans really well if they are from a can. When quinoa is cooked, put it in the fridge to let it cool. When quinoa is cool, add veggies, nutritional yeast and pepper. You can eat the salad as is - delish! I took about half of the salad to make a "fried quinoa." I cooked two eggs in a non-stick pan, then I added in the quinoa salad, soy sauce and sriracha. Yummy and full of protein!


How often does someone ask you where you get your protein? What is your favorite way to get protein?