The Joy of Cooking … With Soy
By Rita E. Carey, MS, RD, CDE
Today’s Dietitian
Vol. 8 No. 4 P. 48

Simple recipes and cooking tips take the challenge out of adding soy to a client’s diet—and your own.

I remember the first time I ate tofu. The unadorned morsel I sampled was proffered by my vegetarian sister as she prepared a family meal, sans meat. The experience was less than inspiring (my 16-year-old taste buds thought tofu would taste better with ketchup). Nevertheless, it marked the beginning of my own experimentation with the spongy white cakes, as well as with other foods derived from the humble soybean.

The Soy Challenge
Recently, some friends challenged me to come up with easy recipes they could use to add soy to their diets. Over the years, I have prepared (with varying degrees of success) countless meals with soy. However, when pressed for tasty new ways to prepare the wide variety of soy foods now available, I drew a blank. I did most of my experimenting with soy more than 20 years ago. The process of draining, drying, marinating, and stir-frying tofu that I had become accustomed to seemed outdated and too time-consuming to suggest. So, after mumbling something about having some good ideas for them, I hurried off to revisit the foods that were once the staples of my diet.

Not wanting to take on this task alone, I enlisted the help of two friends—both are RDs and one is a certified chef. Together, we pulled out cookbooks and read up on the processes involved in making different types of soy-based ingredients. After some consideration, we decided to limit our recipe search to those that featured only minimally processed soy: green soybeans (edamame), tempeh, tofu, and soy milk. We found that many soy “meat substitutes” contain excessive levels of fat and/or sodium and don’t taste very good. Limiting our quest to recipes that featured only minimally processed soybeans would ensure that the meals would be healthy and, in our opinion, much more palatable.

I had a motivation other than saving face for wanting to experiment with soy foods again. Many people attending the nutrition classes I teach ask me how to prepare tofu, what soy milk tastes like, and whether they should eat the pods of the edamame I bring for them to sample. (Do not eat them!) Many of these clients have heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Tofu and other soy foods are typically low in saturated fat and are healthy sources of protein for many people with chronic diseases. Unfortunately, purchasing and preparing these foods can be intimidating and downright confusing.

Late 70s Tofu
When I first started cooking with soy, only a few products were available at the local health food store. Firm blocks of tofu, dried soybeans, soy sauce, and miso were all that I could purchase. The slightly jaundiced blocks of tofu floating in 5-gallon buckets of water did not look appealing; dried soybeans seemed to take a week to cook thoroughly; and soy sauce and miso were too salty to use other than as condiments, marinades, or soup bases. If I had not been determined to follow a vegetarian diet, I may have given up after a few forays with these unfriendly ingredients.

These days, the soy food choices are varied. There are often several varieties of tofu to choose from—soft, firm, extra-firm, silken-soft, silken-firm, baked, or flavored—in addition to the varieties of tempeh and soy yogurt, wieners, burgers, and beverages filling the shelves. I can understand the trepidation my students feel when facing the wall of soy that now presents itself at the health food store. Even grocery stores now carry basic forms of tofu, tempeh, soy milks, and yogurts.

Many recipes offer soy products as substitutions for meat or dairy ingredients. These substitutions sometimes work, but more often than not, the final dish tastes artificial and contrived. Some of my failed attempts at disguising soy as meat have even become family legends. (It doesn’t seem like Thanksgiving at our house until someone tells the tale of the Thanksgiving soy and gluten “turkey” that bounced when it accidentally fell from its platter to the floor.) In general, I’ve found that tofu and other soy foods taste best when they are allowed to stand on their own. Keeping things simple may also protect you from starring in your own bit of embarrassing family lore.

Processing the Bean
Before trying out any new recipe, it is helpful to know a bit about the nature of the ingredients you are about to utilize. Mature, cooked soybeans taste mealy and bitter; fresh, plain, soft tofu is custardlike in texture and a bit sweet; plain, firm tofu is dense and bland; the flavor of edamame is reminiscent of green beans and fresh peas; and tempeh is meaty with a mild, slightly bitter (when uncooked) flavor that is difficult to describe. The differences in the taste, texture, and palatability of various soy products will become obvious as you experiment with them, but it is nice to have a heads up before you begin. See the sidebar, “Bean Basics,” for descriptions of edamame, tofu, tempeh, and soy milk and the processes used to manufacture them. The information may guide your own recipe selection and experimentation with these foods.

Processing soybeans into a vast array of products makes the beans palatable and more nutritious. Mature, unprocessed soybeans are, first and foremost, the most difficult legumes to digest. The large amounts of fiber and oligosaccharides in soy block our digestive enzymes like no other bean; thus, their consumption can produce a lot of gas. Soybeans are also very high in protein and low in starch, which makes it impossible to get them to cook—like other beans—to a soft, creamy state. They also smell and taste unpleasant because of several qualities: high fat content; the presence of enzymes in the beans, which break down the fat when they are cooked; and high concentrations of isoflavones. Harold McGee, in his book On Food and Cooking, describes the aroma of cooked soybeans as being reminiscent of grass, paint, cardboard, and rancid fat. Doesn’t exactly inspire a trip to the bulk bins at the health food store, does it?

Super-Easy Soy Recipes
Part of the challenge of incorporating soy into an everyday Western diet is making it easy and appealing. Chunks of sauteed tofu on a mound of Chinese vegetables may not appeal to most Western palettes or to the soy novice. Thus, the following ideas feature soy foods in a somewhat disguised role. If you or your clients haven’t experimented much with these foods, this may be a good place to start.

Cream of Anything Soup
Serves 4

Classic cream of vegetable soups taste rich and velvety because of the large amounts of heavy cream traditionally added in the final stages of preparation. Make creamy soups with much less fat by replacing all or some of the cream (or milk) with soft tofu. If you’ve never cooked with tofu, start with a small amount in your soup. The more tofu you add, the more you will detect its distinct flavor.

I find that adding a medium potato to the vegetables produces more of a creamy texture when they are pureed. Garnishing your soup with something sour or pungent also helps balance its creamy flavor and that of the tofu blended into it. The following is my favorite version of homemade cream of tomato soup. To make this soup with any vegetable, simply replace the tomatoes with an equal amount of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, or whatever you have on hand and add a medium peeled, chopped potato to the mix.

Ingredients:
1 T olive or canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
4 cups chopped, fresh tomatoes or canned, with juices included
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/2 cup silken soft tofu
Salt, pepper, and brown sugar to taste
Optional garnishes: plain yogurt and chopped chilies, fresh sage leaves lightly sauteed in olive oil and feta or goat cheese, or fresh chopped herbs such as thyme and/or basil, with grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onion, carrot, and a little salt and saute on medium heat until onion and carrot are soft. Add the tomatoes and saute until the tomatoes start to melt into the onion and carrot. Add the stock and thyme and simmer soup until all the vegetables are well cooked.

Place the milk and tofu in a blender and puree until smooth. Remove the thyme sprigs and slowly add the soup to the blender and combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning, adding salt, pepper, and a little brown sugar if the tomatoes are acidic. Strain soup if it is not smooth enough for your taste.
Reheat, if necessary, and serve.

Southwestern Edamame and Corn
Serves 2 to 4

Edamame and corn mix well together. Fresh corn shaved off the cob tastes better than frozen corn in this dish. To make this a meal, add a little crumbled Mexican cheese and serve in a tortilla with some scrambled eggs and salsa.

Ingredients:
1 cup shelled, frozen edamame
1-2 cups freshly shaved corn kernels
1 T olive or canola oil
1 T finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 Serrano or jalapeño chili, finely chopped
Lime juice, salt, pepper, and chili powder to taste

Directions:
Steam the edamame and corn until warmed. Toss with remaining ingredients.

Soy Hot Cocoa
It doesn’t get any easier than this: Prepare hot cocoa as directed from a mix. Substitute plain, vanilla, or chocolate soy milk for regular milk or water.

Egg-and-Soft Tofu Migas
Serves 4

Migas are traditionally made with eggs, vegetables, and tortilla chips. They are served with corn or wheat tortillas. Here, we substituted soft tofu for some of the eggs and added a little turmeric for color. You could omit the eggs altogether and add a bit more turmeric to make this a vegan meal.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup soft tofu, slightly mashed
1 T olive or canola oil
1 pinch of turmeric
1 small onion, chopped
1 jalapeño chili, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 cup chopped, fresh, or canned tomatoes, drained of juices
3 eggs
1 heaping cup of baked tortilla chips, crumbled
1/2 cup low-fat Monterey Jack, Cheddar, or Mexican cheese, such as Queso Seco
Garnishes: salsa and chopped cilantro
Corn or wheat tortillas

Directions:
Crumble or mash the tofu and let it sit on a paper towel for a few minutes. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed or nonstick skillet. Add the tofu and saute gently for a few minutes. Add the turmeric, onion, chili, and garlic and saute until the onion is slightly softened. Add the tomatoes and saute for one to two minutes. Add the eggs and cook until they are as well done as you desire. Toss in the crumbled tortilla chips and cheese.

Serve with garnishes and eat with tortillas.

Additional Recipes
I prefer meals that allow the qualities of soy foods to shine on their own. The following recipes feature undisguised tofu and tempeh. The recipes are simple and easy to prepare and will appeal to individuals who enjoy the soft texture of tofu and the slightly meaty nature of tempeh.

Firm Tofu Glazed With Sesame-Ginger Sauce
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 carton firm tofu
1 T grated fresh ginger
1 T chopped scallions
1 T lime juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 T brown sugar
2 T toasted sesame oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 T peanut oil

Directions:
Drain tofu, cut in half horizontally, and then cut into the size cubes you desire. Place on a kitchen towel until you are ready to use.

Mix the next seven ingredients together, adjusting seasonings to taste. It should be a nice balance of salty, sweet, sour, and pungent (hot).

Heat peanut oil in a nonstick skillet and add the tofu. Cook on medium-high heat and brown on all sides. Add the marinade to the pan and toss with the tofu. Reduce heat and cook until the sauce is thick and the tofu well glazed.

Serve with steamed or stir-fried vegetables and rice.

Tempeh Reuben
Serves 4

Although it has a distinct, subtle flavor, tempeh is quite bland, so it goes well with strong-flavored sauces, marinades, and condiments. This recipe is a 70s throw-back. I love tempeh reubens. Try them and you may, too.

Ingredients:
1 package tempeh, any variety
1 T canola oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 cup sauerkraut, heated
4 ounces sliced Swiss cheese
Horseradish, to taste
8 slices thick, whole grain bread

Directions:
Cut tempeh in half horizontally and vertically. Place in a steamer basket and saucepan and steam for five to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, slowly saute the onion and oil in a nonstick saucepan. Let them slowly brown and caramelize for the best flavor. Add the tempeh and allow to brown on both sides. Place one slice of cheese on each piece of tempeh, lower heat, and cover pan until cheese melts.

Spread bread with horseradish. Add tempeh and top with onions and sauerkraut.

— Rita E. Carey, MS, RD, CDE, is a clinical dietitian and diabetes educator at Yavapai Regional Medical Center and the Pendleton Wellness Center in Prescott, Ariz.

Bean Basics
Green soybeans are known as edamame in Japan and mao dou in China. They are a special variety of soybean that is picked when 80% mature. These beans retain some of their starch and are, consequently, sweeter than mature soybeans. Their taste is reminiscent of fresh peas and green beans. They are usually frozen and can be purchased in their pods or shelled.

Edamame are often served as appetizers in Japanese restaurants. Steam them in their pods and toss with lemon juice and sea salt for a great snack or side dish to an Asian meal. They can also be tossed into salads or soups.

Soy milk is made after beans are soaked, cooked, ground, and strained of solids. It is a popular alternative to cow’s or goat’s milk and is low in saturated fat. Calcium is added to soy milk to make it equal in content to cow’s milk. There are many brands of soy milk available and each differs slightly in taste. None taste like cow’s milk, so expect something different if you haven’t tried it before. Plain soy milk can be substituted for cow’s milk in most recipes. Plain or flavored soy milk may also be taken as a beverage or mixed into a fruit shake, hot cocoa, tea, or coffee.

Tofu is made when soy milk is coagulated with calcium or magnesium salts. Firm and extra-firm tofu is created when the resulting curd is placed in molds and pressed for a period of time to remove water. Soft and silken tofu is coagulated in its packaging and is not pressed. This allows it to retain its soft and delicate texture. Firm and extra-firm tofu is solid enough to withstand frying, browning, stir-frying, and stewing. Soft or silken tofu is best used in purees, shakes, and sauces.

Tempeh is made by pressing cooked soybeans into a cake and fermenting them with the mold, Rhizopus oligosporus. It has a yeastlike aroma and can taste a little bitter when eaten straight out of the package. Tempeh is best when steamed and pan-fried or grilled and topped with a flavorful garnish or sauce. It also takes marinades well. Try marinating tempeh in an Italian or Asian-style sauce, then cut it into chunks and grill it with vegetables on a kebab.

— REC