SoyMilk Crossroads

One of the biggest reasons that people resist making their own soy milk is the taste. Since homemade soy milk is not as sweet as the commercially prepared kind, a lot of soy milk drinkers don’t think that the homemade variety would be good for drinking.

Leave the Sugar Out

Many commercial soy milks use the kind of unhealthy sweeteners that health-conscious people try to avoid. If only it were possible to make soy milk at home that tastes like the kind you get in the stores.
 

Don’t worry! There’s a simple way to make your homemade soy milk sweeter, naturally and without the use of refined sugar.

An Easy, Sweeter Soy Milk

After you’ve made a fresh batch of soy milk, let it cool for a few minutes. Then drop in 6-8 pitted, unsulfured dates. Let it sit for around 30 minutes. Then pour the soy milk and dates into a blender and whir it all together until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator until cold, then shake well before serving.

Naturally Sweet is Great for Drinking

The dates add a delicious sweetness to homemade soy milk while also making it thicker. While this naturally sweetened soy milk is great for drinking, it may be too sweet for cooking or baking with. To get around this problem, keep a jug of plain soy milk and a jug of sweetened soy milk in your fridge. That way you’ll always have the perfect soy milk whenever you need it!

I’m a burger lover from way back, so giving up red meat put a real dent in my meal schedule.  Therefore, I’m constantly on the lookout for a good non-meat burger.  This is one my favorites.
 

If you’re not already, start saving the soybean curd (okara) from the milk screen of your soymilk maker.  It’s a great source of fiber and it’s loaded with protein.  You’ll get around 1/2 cup of okara from each pot of soymilk that you make.  So, two pots will give you enough for this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup okara
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup gated carrot
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 tsp curry powder
1 Tbsp soy sauce
Sprinkle of pepper
Oil for deep-frying

For those of you who are strict vegans, sorry about the egg.  You can make this without the egg, I like it for the texture factor of holding it together.  But a touch of liquid of any kind will do the trick.
 

I don’t always have whole-wheat flour in the house, but oatmeal make a great substitute.  I just mill some old fashion oats into a flour.  And for the pepper, I like the added zip that cayenne gives.
 

Combine the ingredients, mix well and shape into patties.  You should 4 or 5 out this depending on how big you make them.  You can deep-fry these in a wok.  Heat the oil to 350 degrees, drop the patties in until golden brown.  This will give you a crisp burger.  You can also fry them in a skillet or put them under the broiler. Give this recipe a try, I think you’ll enjoy the flavor.

Dieting can be a boring thing.  So adding some zip to salads is always a must.  If you enjoyed the Tofu Italian dressing, I’m sure you’ll really like this one.  And it’s even faster and easier to make.  And you’ll add around 3 grams of protein to your salad, but less than 70 calories. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb soft tofu
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 2 Tbsp vinegar
• 1 Tbsp mustard
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Blend everything together in a blender until it’s smooth and creamy.
 

Once again, I’m pretty loose with these ingredients.  I vary the type of vinegar.  I generally use olive oil, but would use something else if the olive was gone.  The mustard, I’ve used yellow, but think I prefer dijon.  I didn’t have any onion powder the last time I made this, so I just minced up some onion and threw it in the blender.
 

If you’re making soymilk but haven’t taken the next step to making tofu, save the bean curd (okara).  You can use it in place of the tofu.  It won’t be quite as creamy, but it’ll have a lot more fiber and even higher protein.
 

So, play with this recipe, find your own special formula.  Enjoy!

After you make a batch of soymilk, you’ll notice that some wet soybean pulp has collected in your soymilk maker. You may simply throw it away when you’re done - but if you do, you’re missing out on a unique and nutritious food.

A Fiberlicious Food

That pulp is known as okara, and it is a rich source of protein. It also offers an amazing 32 times the amount of fiber in tofu!  Okara can be used in many ways when cooking, similar to tofu.

Be Creative with Okara

Also similar to tofu, okara has little to no taste on its own. To experience the nutrition benefits of okara, use it in a recipe with other ingredients. You can make delicious soups or soy patties, or use okara as a substitute for scrambled eggs. You can even stir in some okara when making baked goods to add some protein and fluffiness. Japanese cooking commonly uses okara, and there are some truly creative ways out there to use this valuable food.

More than Just a Byproduct

Okara is not simply a byproduct of soymilk production. It’s a highly nutritious food that lends itself easily to many uses. The next time you make a batch of soymilk, hold onto that mushy pulp and enjoy its health benefits by adding it to some of your favorite recipes.

When you’re cooking or baking without dairy, it’s not always easy to find suitable substitutions. Even if the grocery store has the dairy free alternative you need, you don’t always want to buy a whole container for just one serving. So what do you do when you want just a little of something?

Use What You Have

You can get creative in the kitchen and substitute things you already have on hand. If you’re making tacos or baked potatoes and want a non-dairy sour cream, mix a spoonful of plain soy yogurt with a drop or two of lemon juice.
 

When you want to make pudding from a mix, using soy milk will prevent the pudding from setting properly. Use less soy milk and add 1/4 cup of cornstarch to make the pudding set correctly.
 

Want a creamy salad dressing that’s free of dairy? Blend a block of tofu with an envelope of onion soup mix (make sure the soup is non-dairy) and enjoy on your favorite veggies. And when you’re making a dip that calls for cream cheese, tofu is a great substitute.
 

Blended tofu, added to vegetable broth, makes a delicious non-dairy cream soup base. Plain, unsweetened soymilk makes excellent creamy mashed potatoes.

Be Brave and Discover New Soy Substitutes

Experimenting with tofu, soy milk, and soy yogurt in recipes is the best way to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Don’t be afraid to try new things and discover how great dairy-free tastes!

We have this small raspberry patch in our back yard.  It’s going crazy this year, we’ve never seen it produce so many raspberries.  So we’re doing raspberries on our cereal, in pancakes, on yogurt, they are everywhere. 
 

My favorite use for them is in my smoothies.  This isn’t the greatest picture.  I took it fast so I could get on with making my breakfast.
 

Next to the glass of raspberries is a jar of plain soymilk yogurt.  I make a new batch of yogurt each week. Mostly so I can add them to my smoothies.  They are loaded with all those wonderful bacteria cultures.  And of course, the banana.  I prefer my mine on the rip side, thus the development of dark spots on the skin.  Then the large container is what’s left of my soymilk.  Time to make another quart.
 

So, I pour about one cup of soymilk into the blender, throw in the other three items and blend away until I have a smooth drink.  If I want it a little colder and with some crunch, I’ll add 3 or 4 ice cubes.
 

Every once in a while I’ll be evil and sneak in a little chocolate to the mix.  Everyone knows how well raspberries and chocolate goes together! 

If you enjoyed the Homemade Grilled Tofu but it wasn’t such a hit with the younger members of your family, there’s a simple way to make tofu chunks look more like the junk food that most kids love.
 
After pressing your tofu to remove excess liquid and cutting it into 2″ chunks, dip it into a bowl containing a beaten egg. If you don’t eat eggs, soy milk works well also. Immediately roll the chunks in seasoned bread crumbs, taking care to coat them well.
 
Meanwhile, heat some cooking oil in a heavy skillet. When it has reached cooking temperature, carefully place the breaded tofu chunks in the skillet. Cook until brown on one side, then flip and cook the other side until brown.

A Simple, Tasty and Nutritious Lunch

Fried tofu is less healthy than grilled tofu, but as a once-in-a-while treat it’s delicious and kids love it. You can serve fried tofu chunks just like chicken nuggets. Dip them in honey, barbecue sauce, or ketchup. Add a side of baby carrots and broccoli florets for a filling and nutritious lunch your kids will gobble up.

Tempeh/Tempe is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form.
 

It originated from Indonesia, invented by the Javanese, where it is most popular, although it is common in other parts of Southeast Asia as well, introduced by migrated Javanese.
 

It is especially popular on the island of Java, where it is a staple source of protein. Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but tempeh is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities.
 

Tempeh’s fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean give it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber and vitamins compared to tofu, as well as firmer texture and stronger flavor.
 

Tofu, however, is thought to be more versatile in dishes. Because of its nutritional value, tempeh is used worldwide in vegetarian cuisine; some consider it to be a meat analogue. Even long before people found and realized the rich nutritional value of tempeh, tempeh was referred to as “Javanese meat.”

This quick, easy, kid-friendly vegetarian tofu recipe is a sure way to get your kids or anyone else to eat tofu. Tofu burgers are a favorite with all our family and friends.
 
Half the tofu burger recipe if you’re a small family, or save the leftover mix for sloppy joes, or scambled tofu. Improvise freely with the seasonings and the grains. But if you want onions, use them on the outside, not the inside - too wet.
 

Add all your favorite veggie burger fixings, fries, corn on the cob, whatever you like. Or go healthy, and serve the patties with steamed veggies and brown rice.
 

Ingredients:
1 lb tofu
1/4 c each whole wheat flour, corn flour, & rolled oats
1/2 c parsley tops or fresh basil leaves, washed & dried
1 tsp each paprika, coriander, cumin
1/2 tsp dried basil or thyme
1/4 tsp ginger
pinch cayenne
1/2 tsp salt and/or 1 Tbsp liquid aminos or soy sauce
 

Instructions:
Heat a non-stick frying pan on medium with olive oil, or your favorite cooking oil. I add a pinch of asefetida (hing) to the oil for extra flavor. Garlic works too if you like it.
 

Cut tofu into 1 inch chunks, and add to food processor. If you don’t have one, mash by hand or with a potato masher, and finely chop the parsley or basil first.
 

Throw in everything else and mix well by hand, or on low in the food processor just until it all clumps up.
 

Form into thin patties, and fry in small amount of oil, on medium heat, 5-7 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

I made a block of soft tofu yesterday and decided to try out this recipe that was passed along to me in an email.  I just put all of these ingredients into a blender and let it run on the medium setting until it looked smooth and creamy.  Then transferred it to a container and put it in the frig to chill until supper salad time.

• 1/2 lb. tofu
• 1/2 cup oil
• 3 Tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp sweet pickle relish with juice
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Now, I’m not real big on following recipes to the tee.  So, my batch was give and take on these amounts.  For the oil, I use Olive.  For the vinegar, this time I used white, next time I might try apple cider.  And I didn’t have any red pepper flakes, so I just sprinkled in some cayenne pepper (which I love and use on a multitude of foods).
 

I didn’t measure my tofu either.  I just threw in the block that I made.  But if you’re making your own and want to know how much you have, here’s a little trick you can do if you have a 4 cup measuring cup.  Or use a bowl and make note of where 3 cups and 4 cups would be on it. 
 

Fill it with water up to 3 cups and float the block of tofu in it.  The water level will read 4 cups when you have a 1/2 lb of tofu.  In this case, since you’re blending it anyway, just crumble it into pieces.  When you fill 1 cup, that equals 1/2 lb of tofu.
 

Anyway, this dressing tastes great.  And it adds some wonderful protein to the veggie salad of your choice.