Why choose a Plant-Based Mix?

Dec 21, 2021 by Chef David

By Chef David

As a kosher consumer, it is nice to select plant-based options and take advantage of the health benefit of consuming whole grains, vegetables, and protein. While JADA is marketed as being plant-based porkless, to the kosher consumer fake pork offers our palate a new variety of tastes, spices, and textures.  JADA actually sells several plant-based mixes (Porkless, Mediterranean, and Chick’N) as well as five Vegan Chicken Salts — original, three reduced-sodium varieties Lime, Red Pepper, and BBQ (with half the sodium content as in the original) and Turmeric Salt. JADA products are vegan, parve, and certified by the OU. So, what’s the harm in tasting?

The JADA Story

JADA was created by two friends, Khasha Touloei and Maynard Okereke, who met at the University of Washington in 2002 and dreamed of creating a business together to make a positive impact on the lives of others. They began by gathering facts and discovered that a large portion of the American population is classified as being obese.  In addition according to the American Heart Association, 70% of Americans get their sodium from prepackaged foods. So, they decided to find a way to improve the American diet.

While studying to be a physician, Touloei developed a vegan version of Australia’s popular spice, chicken salt. His version is parve, and lower in salt. This was the beginning of JADA’s turmeric-based seasonings, positioned as a healthy way to make food flavorful. They went on to create innovative plan-based mixes, growing the JADA brand.

Touloei and Okereke began by selling their Vegan Chicken Salt to the vegan community, traveling across the country for two years. Their big break came in November 2020, when they appeared on ABC’s Shark (season 12 – episode 4). The Sharks liked their Vegan Chicken Salt and Chick’N mix so much that Barbara Corcoran commented “Let me tell you guys, this tastes exactly like chicken!”.  Corcoran offered them funding of $250,000 for a 33% stake in the business, and they accepted.

Turmeric is the JADA Differentiator

Touloei grew up in Australia where chicken salt is a popular seasoning used on just about everything. Chicken salt was developed to season rotisserie chicken, but its main use is for adding flavor to potato products such as fries. Touloei changed the ingredients to create JADA’s vegan chicken salt, positioning it to become a healthful lower-salt substitute. His formulation used turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder, and unrefined sea salt. The turmeric flavor became the JADA differentiator.

Turmeric is the magic behind the JADA taste as well as contributing healthful properties. Turmeric contains curcumin, a known anti-depressant that helps fight inflammation and keeps blood sugar levels steady, it is used to treat Type 2 diabetes and infection. Studies are underway to determine its ability to lower cholesterol, contribute to heart health, and fight cancer.  Turmeric contributes has a distinctive, bold taste and vibrant orange-yellow color profile, commonly found in Middle Eastern cuisine.

I tested the Turmeric Salt, adding it to soups and vegetables to spark their flavor. Tumeric Salt contains sea salt, turmeric, spices, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and calcium stearate (to prevent caking). ¼ teaspoon contains 282 mg of sodium (12% of the required daily value).

JADA Mix

JADA mixes are sold dry, which makes them ideal to travel with or store. They are easy to use.  Just add water, oil, and seasonings. Each box makes 4 servings of 1/2 cup size (35 grams). Portions contain 20 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, and 120 calories. There are no unhealthy additives, no added sugar, no saturated or trans fats. JADA has iron, calcium, vitamin B12, and potassium.  Their salt content is 7% of the daily value, which compares favorably with other veggie burgers (that range between 11% to 17%).

Read the label, the ingredients may surprise you. The porkless mix contains textured wheat protein, pea protein, methylcellulose, yeast extract, beet juice powder for color, added iron, and B12.

Experiment and Enjoy

I experimented, cooking a batch of JADA porkless mix, following the directions on the box.  I selected a recipe (from the JADA website) for the maple vegan breakfast sandwich and enjoyed the flavor. Instead of forming patties and making a sandwich, I used the crumbly property to create a single-pan meal, which was filling, healthy, vegetarian, and tasty.

In my cooking, I try to limit my use of salt. I rely on natural flavors coming directly from herbs and spices, one of which is often turmeric. For the typical kosher cook, weaning away from salt can be difficult. JADA spices provide a flavor-equivalency that is full-bodied, without being too sharp or spicy. Substituting JADA chicken salt for traditional salt is one way to lower your sodium intake while adding flavor.

Healthy food does not need to be tasteless, using kosher vegan mixes can simplify prep time and allow us to try different flavors. The JADA brand reminds us of the importance of making smart eating choices.

It is exciting for kosher consumers to have more kosher plant-based mixes to select from, including Vegan Burger and now JADA!

Recipe – Maple Vegan Breakfast Sandwich from the JADA website

Ingredients:

• • 1 package of Porkless Mix
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 tbsp. oil (plus more for cooking)
  • ½ tsp Garlic powder
  • ½ tsp. Onion powder
  • ¼ tsp. Ground sage
  • ¼ tsp. Dried thyme
  • ½ tsp. Black pepper
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • ¼ tsp. Nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp. Paprika
  • 3 tbsp. Maple syrup

Method:

1. 1. In a medium mixing bowl, pour Porkless Mix
   2. Add 1 cup of water and 1 tbsp. of oil
   3. Mix until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes
   4. Add seasonings and maple syrup into the Porkless mix
   5. Shape into patties or links or crumbles
   6. Cook with oil over medium heat until golden brown
   7. Serve on an English muffin (optional)