Sounds amazing, doesn't it? Curried tuna, carrot and hummus couscous. The mouth waters just thinking about it.

But wait -- there's more. This healthy recipe's got a couple of sources of lean, complete protein: tuna and hummus. Its overflowing with nutrition from veggies too, like carrots, garlic, red pepper, onions and greens (rocket or arugala). And the health benefits of the turmeric in curry are plentiful.

The fun begins, though, when you start imagining all of the ingenious substitutions you could make to boost the nutrition and healthfulness of this recipe. Join me after the jump for some specifics.

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I recently wrote about how much protein we need to get each day to eat a nutritious diet. And while getting our protein fix isn't difficult for those of us who eat some sort of meat with most of our meals, it's a bit harder for someone who doesn't eat meat -- or dairy either. Vegan protein sounds like an oxymoron to some people, but it's really not. Fitsugar recently compiled a list of the top 5 vegan proteins:

• Tempeh: (like tofu but different -- read more here). There's 22 g of protein in 4 oz of tempeh.
  
• Tofu: It has 19.9 g of protein per 1/2 cup.
  
• Seitan: (a form of wheat gluten.) There's 19.9 g of protein for each 3oz.
  
• Soy Milk: (the plain variety). It has 11 g of protein for each cup.
  
• Edamame: Eat half a cup and you'll get 10 g of protein.
  
  

Any vegans out there want to share their main sources of protein?

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Soy products are a great way to incorporate lean protein into your diet, and you don't have to be vegetarian to appreciate the benefits. However, while many people are familiar with tofu, I get a lot of puzzled looks when I mention tempeh. While both are made from soybeans, they're as different as salmon and steak.

This chart breaks down the differences between tempeh and tofu, and basically it makes the conclusion that tempeh is less processed than tofu, contains more protein and fiber, and therefore is somewhat better for you. And, to be honest, I actually prefer the taste and texture of tempeh to tofu. However, if you're used to cooking with tofu, you can't just substitute tempeh instead.

Click through the gallery for some recipes including tempeh. If you have a favorite recipe of your own, be sure to leave a comment!

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Protein is an important part your diet, but protein can also be the most unhealthy part of your diet, particularly if your main protein sources include bacon double cheeseburgers. Mark's Daily Apple has put together this list of bad and good protein choices:

• Instead of hamburger meat, choose grass-fed beef
• Instead of frozen chicken, choose organic chicken
• Instead of farmed salmon, choose wild salmon
• Instead of fish sticks, choose tuna
• Instead of regular eggs, choose organic DHA-enhanced eggs
• Instead of regular yogurt, choose organic or Greek yogurt
• Instead of tofu, choose Tempeh
• Instead of regular beans, choose high-protein legumes and quinoa
  
• Instead of peanuts and peanut butter, choose almonds and almond butter

What do you think about these choices? I agree with most of them, but I still think that tofu, beans and natural peanut butter can be a good addition to your diet.

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