BRB w/ Nathan P — Upcycled Ingredients, Creamy Tomato Gnocchi & Mycelium Running
How lost foods are rescued and reinvented, a 20-minute one-pot weeknight dish, and a read on the mycological rescue of our planet (#19).
Hi all,
Welcome back to BRB w/ Nathan P — a weekly newsletter featuring 💥1 Breakthrough, 🥘1 Recipe, and 📚1 Book on food & climate.
Before we get started, here are some highlights of food & climate in the news this week:
One Planet, Two Crises: Tackling Climate Change and Biodiversity in the Fight for Our Future (Scientific American)
France bans short-haul flights to cut carbon emissions (BBC). I prefer taking trains when possible, both for the lower carbon footprint and ease of boarding. What do you think?
💥 Breakthrough: Upcycled Ingredients
Waste can be extremely valuable. I believe that valorizing waste streams should be a tenet of our sustainability mindsets, as we can meet the needs of everyone using the resources we have now.
One-third of the food produced is wasted. Some never leaves the fields; some is separated during processing; some does not meet the beauty standards of grocery stores; some is left unfinished at the table.
Most of food manufacturing today creates by-products we often ignore. Many of these by-products are highly nutritious — upcycling saves these by-products to create healthy and sustainable food ingredients.
Today, I would like to highlight 3 upcycled ingredients that are by-products of foods we all enjoy:
1. 🥛 Whey protein from acid whey
This is an upcycled product you may have already tried.
Our beloved cheeses and greek yogurts generate enormous amounts of a liquid byproduct called acid whey. A single yogurt facility can generate tens of millions of gallons of it a year. It’s too acidic for water treatment or anaerobic digestion, so it’s often sprayed on land or released in waterways.
This acid whey happens to be rich in, you guessed it, whey proteins. Through purification and processing, this waste stream can be transformed into the quality whey protein bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts enjoy today.
2. 🌾 Barley protein from brewer’s spent grain
Brewer’s spent grain (BSG) is the industry term for barley left over from the beer brewing process. After the sugars have been extracted from the malt, a protein- and fiber-rich part of the grain remains.
Historically, BSG goes animal feed, and excess goes to landfill. But with circular design and clever engineering, the spent grain can be separated in a process called fractionation into protein and fiber ingredients to make a variety of applications.
And hence, upcycled barley protein is born. It is the lowest carbon plant protein available on market, and can add a creamy and subtle malty taste to products.
The market is young and the possibilities are exciting. EverGrain is including its barley protein in better for you nutrition beverages, ReGrained is using its flour in protein bars and snacks, and Susgrainable is making tasty baking mixes.
3. 🧈 Okara from tofu production
Soy milk and tofu production also leaves behind a protein- and fiber-rich soy pulp called okara. It is consumed in many Asian countries like Japan, and is starting to trickle into American products.
Per cup, okara has 47g more fiber than white flour, more protein, and less carbs. It has all 9 essential amino acids, and impressive levels of glutamine to support body recovery and performance.
I like thinking of this food as “lost” instead of “wasted.” “Wasted” implies guilt and responsibility, while “lost” indicates perfectly good food can be rescued and rejuvenated.
Consumers are increasingly aware of the toll our food system is taking on the planet. According to a Drexel study, customers are not only willing to try upcycled ingredients, they may also prefer them over virgin ingredients.
The benefits of upcycling are far-reaching: less methane emissions from food waste, lower virgin food production needs, and healthier people and communities. Upcycled ingredients are crucial part of turning our linear food system into a circular one.
🥘 Recipe: Creamy Tomato Gnocchi
Everyone has some version of this dish. And if not, you should.
This is the irresistibly creamy gnocchi with sun-dried tomatoes, heavy cream, spinach, pecorino, and chicken. It’s as delicious as it sounds — and it can be made in one pot in just 20-minutes.
Are you ready for your next go-to weeknight dinner? Scroll down for the recipe.
If you make it, please send pictures :)
📚 Book: Mycelium Running
Paul Stamets started out as an amateur mycologist out of passion. He is now a world leading mycologist with dozens of patents, multiple companies, defense contracts, and the best-selling mushroom supplement products in market.
He is also a firm believer we can heal our planet by growing more mushrooms. His TED talk, 6 ways mushrooms can save the world, has nearly 9 million views. After listening to his talk and reading this book, I do, too.
In Mycelium Running, Paul Stamets dives into the power of mycoremediation — the mycological rescue of our planet. He explains how:
Oyster mushrooms can clean diesel-contaminated soil
Garden giants can bring new diversity to our gardens
Mycelium extracts can prevent Bee Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)
Agarikon mushrooms’ anti-virals can prevent epidemics
Mycorrhizal fungi can produce better food and increase the survival rates of planted trees
Paul Stamets also provides detailed instructions on how we can inoculate and grow many of these beneficial mushrooms ourselves. Some parts are technical, yet it remains an approachable read. If you enjoy the TED talk above, or Fantastic Fungi on Netflix, you would enjoy this book.
Some quotes as food for thought:
I believe that the mycelium operates at a level of complexity that exceeds the computational powers of our most advanced supercomputers. I see the mycelium as the Earth’s natural Internet, a consciousness with which we might be able to communicate. Through cross-species interfacing, we may one day exchange information with these sentient cellular networks.
If you were a tiny organism in a forest’s soil, you would be enmeshed in a carnival of activity, with mycelium constantly moving through subterranean landscapes like cellular waves, through dancing bacteria and swimming protozoa with nematodes racing like whales through a microcosmic sea of life.
Mycelium steers the course of ecosystems by favoring successions of species. Ultimately, mycelium prepares its immediate environment for its benefit by growing ecosystems that fuel its food chains.
Thank you for reading - BRB next week ✌️
🥘 Recipe: Creamy Tomato Gnocchi
Ingredients (2-3 servings)
1lb or 454g of gnocchi
1 chicken breast (optional, can swap for vegetable options as well)
150g or 1 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
50g or one large handful of spinach
4 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 tbsp of paprika
1 tbsp of thyme
1 tbsp of garlic powder
30g butter
250mL heavy cream
100mL of water
100g pecorino romano, grated
Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions (20 mins)
Cut the chicken into 1” cubes and season with the paprika, thyme, garlic, and salt. Set a pan on medium-high heat and add in half the butter. Sear the chicken cubes for a few minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Set aside in a bowl.
While still on medium-high heat, add the other half of the butter. When melted, add in the finely diced garlic and stir until fragrant and golden. Add in the sun-dried tomatoes and continue stirring.
Add in the heavy cream and water, and stir until bubbling. Add in your gnocchi and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the chicken back in, then the pecorino Romano and spinach. Stir then leave to cook for 5 minutes with a lid.
Salt and pepper to taste, and add some more grated pecorino for garnish. Enjoy :)
About Me
Hi there! My name is Nathan Paumier — I’m an avid reader, food enthusiast, and climate optimist. I started this newsletter after frequent questions on food tech, reading recommendations, and my secret recipes.
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