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Vol. 2, No. 7
August 16, 1997Soyfoods USA...a monthly Email newsletter designed to inform media sources, dietitians, and consumers about the latest soyfoods information. Underwritten by the Indiana Soybean Development Council. Details at end of issue.
CONTENTS
1. Introducing Soyfoods To Family and Friends
2. A New Reference Book On Soybeans
3. Soy Protein Council Web Site
4. Chef Matt Baer Recipes
· Bam Bam Salad
· Ponzu Vinaigrette
· Tempeh Fajita Pita
5. Getting on and off our list.***********************
INTRODUCING SOYFOODS TO FAMILY AND FRIENDSBy Anne Patterson, R.D.
Nutrition AdvantageIt's you and small package of tofu - alone in the kitchen. Suddenly you feel like a kitchen klutz. Take heart, you are not alone. There is help. Cooking with tofu or any soyfood is not difficult, but if it is an unfamiliar food to you, a little practice, patience and a few simple cooking techniques is all it takes. Home cooks who know how professional chefs and cooks introduce new soyfood dishes to their customers can use the same techniques with their family and friends.
According to Matt Baer, Executive Chef of Desert Greens Cafe at Gentle Strength Co-op, Tempe, Arizona, many of their patrons still have trepidation about cooking with soyfoods, especially tofu. An important part of his job is to educate patrons of the food co-op and restaurant. Although the co-op offers a series of cooking classes, it is the free look and taste tests of new recipes that educate more customers. Allowing the customer to first taste and then learn about the ingredients helps to deflect any preconceived negatives. The same can be done in the home kitchen.
Chef Baer loves to use new ingredients; however, he prefers to use them within the context of a recipe familiar to his customers. This helps enlighten people to soy while never intimidating them. For example, using a square of baked tempeh, a fermented soyfood, as a stand alone food on the plate may be unnerving to some. Using it within the context of tempeh fajita pita (recipe below) is much more inviting. Most families have about 12 favorite recipes they use repeatedly. Look for similar recipes which use soyfoods as a key ingredient from cookbooks, soyfood packages, restaurants, deli take out and, of course, at Web sites like the U.S. Soyfoods Directory, where more than 100 new recipes can be found at <http://soyfoods.com/SimplySoy/>.
Chef Baer states that only 30 percent of his customers have a background in vegetarianism and natural food cooking. The remaining 70 percent have many different kinds of eating preferences, some are younger, some older and they represent a variety of occupations. Other popular recipes used at the co-op are cheesecake made with tofu, tofu fries and a breakfast dish called to-foo-yong. All recipes use simple cooking techniques and a minimum of ingredients to provide a clear taste experience.
He prefers using a firm Chinese-style tofu because it holds up better in a variety of cooking techniques. He also believes it is important to press the tofu during preparation because pressing makes the tofu firmer and more absorbent. To press the cake of firm tofu, simply put it between two pieces of parchment paper and between two cookie sheets. Weight the top with a heavy can or whatever is handy. The sides of the cakes of tofu should bulge a little, but not split. Let stand for at least 20 to 30 minutes, remove the press, and pour off the extra water.
Chef Mark Buckley, CEC, of Creative Culinary Consulting, who is also a culinary instructor at Illinois Central College, East Peoria, Illinois, commercial cooking program, believes all soyfood recipes must look so good that family and friends will want to try them. People eat with their eyes first, he says. Gone are the days when professional cooks or home cooks can get by with cooking yellow soybeans and brown rice without color.
Pioneers in the vegetarian culinary world such as Ron Pickarski, CEC, president of American Natural Foods, Inc., Boulder, Colorado, have awakened the professional culinary world to the many possibilities of plant-based foods. Steamed tempeh with red lentil duxelle was one of the many vegetarian gourmet dishes which helped to garner top awards, bronze and gold, at the 1996 International Culinary Olympics in Berlin. Even Master Chefs were curious about Chef Baer's culinary competition winner, Bam Bam Salad (recipe below), which featured tofu at this year's National Restaurant Show.
Today there is an increasing array of soyfoods and soy ingredients from the natural foods industry that are making their way onto the retail supermarket shelf. This makes it easier for the home cook to make a soyfood dish. As consumers become more and more familiar with soyfoods, many food manufacturers will no longer feel the need to bring soyfoods through the traditional route of the natural foods distribution chain. It will be brought directly to the masses via the local supermarket. Many such soyfoods have already arrived. Soy flour, soy nut butter, tofu, frozen vegetables with green vegetable soybeans, soy protein crumbles and soy burgers are just a few examples.
So, don't let the unfamiliarity of soyfoods prevent you from introducing them to your friends and family. Present them in something familiar and you will soon be serving soyfoods regularly.
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A New Reference Book On Soybeans
Soybeans: Chemistry, Technology, and Utilization
Author: Keshun Liu, Ph.D., Project leader, Soyfood Lab. Hartz Seed, A Unit of Monsanto, Stuttgart, AR, USA.
This book provides in-depth and up-to-date coverage of soybean chemistry, nutritional values, assay methodology, and changes during maturation, storage, processing, and germination of each soybean component, including isoflavones. It includes chapters on preparation methods, scientific principles, and processing innovations of traditional and modern soyfoods. In addition, there is information about the role of soyfoods in preventing chronic ailments such as cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis.
There are chapters on modern processing and applications of soybean oil and protein products, as well as information about soybean improvements through plant breeding and emerging biotechnological tools.
This reference book will sharpen the reader's understanding of soybeans and soyfoods, and will promote better utilization of soybeans, according to the author. Readers who will find this book most useful are food technologists, plant scientists, nutritionists, academic and government professionals.
The book contains 11 chapters (including three contributing chapters by Dr. Mark Messina, and Dr. Andrew Proctor), 6x9, 560 pp, 138 figures and 66 tables.
Publisher: Chapman & Hall, New York, Email: order@chapman.com. To order by phone, call 1-800-842-3636. Price $89.95.
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SOY PROTEIN COUNCIL WEB SITE
The Soy Protein Council now has their own Web site. The Council's primary purpose is to promote the growth and interests of the soy protein industry and broaden the acceptance of soy products as key components of the worldwide food system. Their Web site includes information about the characteristics, nutritional aspects and utilization of soy protein products.
<http://www.spcouncil.org/index.html>
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DESERT GREENS CAFE RECIPES
By Executive Chef Matt BaerBam Bam Salad
Culinary competition winner, 1997 National Restaurant Show1 cup carrots, florettes
1 cup shitaki mushrooms, quartered
1 cup asparagus, cut on the bias
1 cup beets, gophrette
13 ounces jicama, diced (7 ounces for millet)
1/2 pound tofu, extra firm
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon tamari
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 ounces green leaf lettuce, use baby greens if possible
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/3 cup millet
1 white onion, grated
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1-1/2 cups water
3 ounces mushrooms, enoki for garnish
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper1. Prep all vegetables according to recipe requirements.
2. For the tofu: Combine sesame oil, tamari, garlic powder, and paprika in a small mixing bowl. Place the tofu on a pan with another pan on top of the tofu (to press the tofu). Leave pressed until water is removed. When all water is removed, slice into battonettes (small baton shapes). Place tofu into marinade, then put on parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees for 17 minutes or until crispy.
3. For the millet: Bring 1-1/2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan with a pinch of sea salt. When water starts to boil add the millet and reduce heat. Cook on heat for about 5 minutes, then remove from the stove and allow mixture to steep. After 5 minutes, place in a mixing bowl and add grated onion and grated jicama to the millet. Product will be soft. Form millet into discs and place on greased parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-25 minutes.
4. For parmesan ring: Cut parchment paper into 2-1/2 x 9-inch sheets. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray parchment with vegetable spray and graciously sprinkle parmesan cheese on the paper. Bake for 7 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the stove quickly and form ring around any size can. Size will be based upon personal preference. When ring cools remove parchment paper and product will be self standing.
5. Finally, toss salad with remaining vegetables and place in parmesan ring. Add tofu and millet discs to your plate, then drizzle 1 ounce of ponzu vinaigrette (recipe follows) over the top of the salad.
Serves 4
Nutrition information per serving: 296 calories, 3 grams saturated fat, 9 grams total fat (28% of calories), 16 grams protein (21% of calories), 38 grams carbohydrates (51% of calories), 8 mg cholesterol, 3 grams fiber, 1,019 mg sodium.
Ponzu Vinaigrette
3 cups rice vinegar
2 cups tamari
2 tablespoons fresh ginger root, minced
1-1/2 cups scallions, chopped
1/2 cup lemon juice
1-1/2 cups fructose
1 cup water
1-1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 tablespoons arrowroot
4 tablespoons water
1/2 cup beetsCombine all ingredients, excluding arrowroot, in a small saucepan. Bring sauce to a low simmer and allow to cook for 5 minutes. In a side bowl mix arrowroot with 4 tablespoons of water. Slowly drizzle arrowroot mixture into simmering sauce. Strain and allow vinaigrette to cool before serving. Drizzle 2 ounces over top of salad and around border of plate.
Serves 36
Nutrition information per serving: 56 calories, 0 grams saturated fat, 0 grams total fat, 2 grams protein (11% of calories), 13 grams carbohydrates (89% of calories), 0 mg cholesterol, 0 grams fiber, 747 mg sodium.
Tempeh Fajita Pita
2 pounds tempeh
1 cup red onion, julienne
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup green bell pepper, julienne
4 Roma tomatoes, sliced lengthwise
3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1-1/3 tablespoons garlic, minced
1-1/3 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup tamari
1/3 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
3 teaspoons black pepper
4 pita pockets, split in half
1-1/3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup sunflower sprouts
1/2 cup waterPrepare tempeh first by marinating with cilantro, vinegar, tamari, orange juice concentrate, garlic, salt, black pepper, olive oil and water for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the mushrooms, red onions and green peppers, and make a nice macedoine (mixture). Leave the tomatoes out. Remove tempeh from the marinade; slice lengthwise about 1/4-inch thick and put back in marinade. Layer tempeh out on a sheet pan with parchment paper and bake in a convection oven at 300 degrees for 15 minutes, then flip strips and cook for additional 10 minutes (or cook in a conventional oven at 350 degree for 15 minutes for each side). Remove the pan from the oven and let tempeh cool.
Serves 8
Nutrition information per serving: 320 calories, 3 grams saturated fat, 9 grams total fat (28% of calories), 16 grams protein (21% of calories), 38 grams carbohydrates (51% of calories), 8 mg cholesterol, 3 grams fiber, 1,109 mg sodium.
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Permission is granted to reprint this information, as long as credit is given to the Indiana Soybean Development Council <http://stratsoy.ag.uiuc.edu/~in-qssb/welcome.html>
Send comments or requests for information about Soyfoods USA to the editor, Roger Stevens, <info@soyfoods.com>
Back issues available at <http://www.soyfoods.com/newsletter/old/OldSUSA.html>
More information about soyfoods can be found at the U.S. Soyfoods Directory <http://soyfoods.com>
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Copyright 1997
Indiana Soybean Development Council
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