Everyday Food: Nutrition Expert Marjo Rantapusa Replaces Cheese and Cold Cuts with Homemade Spreads

Nutrition expert Marjo Rantapusa, a leading specialist at Marttaliitto, advocates for simple, homemade spreads as a healthier alternative to common store-bought options like cheese and cold cuts. She emphasizes that preparing these spreads is surprisingly easy, often using ingredients readily available in most kitchens, and can even be made without a blender.

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I get protein for the spread by using canned beans, for example.

Rantapusa frequently uses canned goods and frozen vegetables to create her spreads. "I get protein for the spread by using canned beans, for example," she notes. Frozen peas are another favorite, being a domestic product that Rantapusa finds superior to any store-bought pea spread. She suggests that these versatile peas can be incorporated into numerous dishes.

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They are domestic and incredibly good. They can be slipped into absolutely everything, and I haven't found a product to match homemade pea spread in stores.

The article provides two recipes: a pea spread and a bean spread. The pea spread, taking about 10 minutes to prepare, involves blending thawed frozen peas with toasted sunflower seeds, lemon juice, and oil, seasoned with salt and pepper. For the bean spread, which takes about 15 minutes, it combines white and brown beans with garlic, spices like coriander, cumin, and chili flakes, lemon juice, oil, salt, and pepper. Both recipes highlight the ease of preparation, with a fork being a viable tool if a blender or immersion blender is unavailable.

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Garlic adds flavor to the spreads, like a couple of pieces of sun-dried tomato.

Flavor can be easily enhanced with various additions. Rantapusa suggests garlic, sun-dried tomatoes (especially for bean or chickpea spreads), and olives. Nutritional yeast flakes can add depth. She also incorporates seasonal fresh products, such as nettles and ground elder in spring, and utilizes the colors and flavors of root vegetables in autumn. To achieve a better consistency and incorporate essential soft fats, Rantapusa recommends adding rapeseed oil, and water can be used to adjust the texture further, ensuring the spreads are not too dense.

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I might not put sun-dried tomatoes in peas, but they go wonderfully with canned beans and chickpeas. Sun-dried tomatoes have a lot of umami. The taste is mild and suitable for children too.