Super soy!
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Soy is just everywhere: soy sauce, soybeans, soymilk, soy flour, soy burgers, even soy cheese.
You probably eat a lot of soy without even realizing it.
Soy is so incredibly good for you, you should consider making a conscious soy-consumption effort. Even though prices are going up a bit, it’s still fairly inexpensive.
Soyfoods are a source of high-quality protein. In addition, consumption of soy protein provides health benefits that may help prevent or treat certain chronic diseases. Currently, a great deal of research is being conducted to investigate possible health benefits of soy.
According to the United Soybean Board of America (soybean.org) any soyfoods are not only good sources of cancer-fighting isoflavones and saponins, but they are high in fiber, and fiber-rich foods have also been associated with lower cancer risk, especially prostate and colon cancers. Soybeans even have omega-3 fatty acids to help with your LDL cholesterol. Some studies say soybeans can help with menopausal symptoms and post-menopausal osteoporosis. Soyfoods have a lower glycemic index, making diabetes much easier to control.
We’ve talked before about eating steamed fresh soybeans, called “Edamame”. We’ve also discussed the various ways you can use tofu to stretch a meal, or be the meal. These recipes call more on soy milk, flour and textured ground soy. They all came from soybean.org, and there are plenty more where these came from!
SOYNUT BUTTER & BANANA SMOOTHIE
2 large bananas
2 cups chocolate soymilk
1/4 cup soynut butter
4 scoops soy protein powder mix
Mix all ingredients in a blender until thoroughly smooth. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Shake well before serving. Makes 4 cups of goodness.
I have read that soy milk can be used as a substitute for dairy milk, and according to silksoymilk.com that is true, with the exception of things that require high saturated fats, like puddings or pie fillings. According to the Web site, “You can bake it, shake it, simmer and sauté it.”
Use soy milk in the same measurement you would cow milk, except for pudding-type items, where they suggest using slightly less milk and mixing in 1/4 cup cornstarch to your cooked pudding recipe to help it set up. I’d try this one out on the family first, then company!
CHERRY ALMOND
MUFFINS
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup soy flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. almond extract
3/4 cup vanilla soymilk
3/4 cup dried cherries
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream sugar and margarine in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with almond extract and soymilk. Stir until combined. Fold in dried cherries. Pour batter into paper-lined muffin cups. Bake 20 - 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Makes one dozen.
This recipe gives you the taste and texture of chicken without the full measure of cholesterol and fat.
CHICKEN SALAD
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups textured soy protein (chunks pounded into smaller pieces) OR use soy chicken veggie strips, diced
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
2 Tbsp. pickle relish
1/4 tsp. dill weed
Salt & pepper to taste
25 white or red grapes, halved
1/2 cup salad dressing or mayonnaise
Bring chicken broth to boil in a large pot. Add textured soy protein. Reduce heat and cook until soy is tender and liquid is absorbed. Let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer textured soy protein to a large bowl and add onion, celery, relish, dill weed, salt and pepper to taste, grapes and salad dressing. Mix well. Chill and serve.
Soybeans come in several different variations, mostly based on color. The brand new beans still in the pod are delicious when steamed. The mature beans, depending on variety, may be white, black or red. This three bean chili takes advantage of that color contrast.
THREE-BEAN CHILI
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 can (15 oz.) white soybeans
1 can (15 oz.) black soybeans
1 can (15 oz.) red beans
2 cans (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. chili powder
Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Cook onions until soft. Drain and rinse three beans and add to onions. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Serve with all the usual chili accompaniments. If you are really daring, try shredded soy cheese on top!
Next week I’ll share with you my latest adventure as a Certified Kansas City Barbecue Society judge! Yes, I went through the training session they had here in Emporia, and I am excited to go to my first competition — on the tasting side. Memories of Memphis in May waft through my dreams — we’ll see if the Sertomas in Lawrence out on as good a show. Let’s get cooking!
Comments
We allow registered users to post comments on this Web site. To learn more about our posting policies please read our User Poster Agreement Policy.
Posted by hjcary (anonymous) on May 15, 2008 at 10:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Then there is the dark side of soy.
http://www.mothering.com/articles/growin...
Post a comment
We allow registered users to post comments on this Web site. Our goal with this feature is to encourage thoughtful discussions about the news stories. Using the comment feature to make random attacks on people is not acceptable. Emporiagazette.com neither endorses nor guarantees the accuracy of any user contribution. Responsibility for what is posted or contributed to this site is the sole responsibility of each user. To learn more about our posting policies please read our User Poster Agreement Policy.
(Requires free registration.)