Soy Based Foods

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Are you looking for variety in your soy products? Here are some soy based foods you can make or see in the markets.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, soy is low in saturated fat and contains 6.25 grams of protein per serving.

Numerous studies have shown the benefits of soy and soy products, so markets easily allow you to implement varieties of soy products into your daily diet.

Soy based foods, like soymilk or tofu, are easy to add into your daily diet. They are widely available at many grocery stores.

If you are looking for authentic soy based foods, it is a good idea to check Asian markets, such as Korean, Japanese, Chinese markets, or organic food stores. You will enjoy shopping at Asian markets and will find a wide variety of soy based foods, such as soybeans, tofu, soy paste, soy sprout, and soy flour, etc.

If daily Asian dishes are not what you prefer, then health food markets will provide what you need. They sell more Westernized soy flavors, as opposed to Asian soy flavors, such as soy mayo, soy yogurt, and soy cheese, etc. These soy-based dairy-substitute foods are easy to use, so it is simple to add them into your regular, basic diet.

Below are some soy based foods that can help you get additional ideas about soy and how it can be used to enhance a healthy diet.

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Soy Flour:

Soy based foods like soy flour is a great source to add into your diet. Without roasting beans, regular raw soybeans can be used to make soy flour. You can use soy flour when making soups, soy pasta, breads, noodles, or tortillas. If you want to have some dark tortillas, soaked black bean water will make them an excellent color.

You can use soaked black bean water when mixing all the ingredients for tortillas, noodles, or pastas. The color of black beans is where all the nutrition and amino acids are captured. Using the black soy beans and black beans soaked bean water is a good way to create an organic food. If you make the black bean powder instead of the black bean soup, the color won’t be as dark as you expected.

Click to Watch the Video, How to Make Soy Noodle with SOY Flour

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Roasted Soy Powder or Black Bean Powder:

According to the nutrition chart, when roasting beans, the amount of certain nutritional components and health benefits in soybeans and black soybeans/black beans increases.

Through certain ways of processing soybeans or black beans, soy based foods like soy powder and black bean powder can possibly improve the body’s immunity to disease.

With the growing attention relating to soy foods and its benefits, stores have also started to market more soy-flavored powdered snacks. However, you can also make your own roasted soy powder or black bean powder. Bean powder can also be used for making bean nuggets or rice nuggets.

In addition, next time you make rice crispy treats, you can make roasted soy crispy treats or black bean crispy treats instead. My parents and I used to make bean nuggets. It was a good snack during the wintertime, because you can keep them longer in a cooler area. Fried rice nuggets are good for dipping in sweet and sour sauce. You can also sprinkle soy nuggets on the top of a salad with sunflower seeds, almonds, or walnuts, etc.

How can you make roasted soy or black bean powder?

Once you roast beans, making bean powder is easy. Soy based food like soy/black bean powder is used in many ways, such as in rice cakes, rice balls, and rice nuggets. It also is good for making smoothies or shakes with soymilk or milk.

Going to the gym? Want to build muscle? Use soy or whey protein! Mixing soy or black bean powder into soymilk or milk will increase health benefits and stimulate muscle growth. Soy protein is similar to whey protein in that it is good for building muscle.

Read Benefits of black soybeans and black beans, Anti-Obesity and Hypolipidemic Effects of Black Soybean Anthocyanins, Soy Diet

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Soymilk:

Soy based food like SOYMILK can be the best substitute for milk when milk is called for in a recipe. Commercial soymilk comes in plain, vanilla, chocolate, and carob flavors and in whole, low-fat, and non-fat options.

However, homemade soymilk is another great organic food for a healthy drink. By just adding your favorite flavors, such as vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate, drinking nutritional soymilk will be even more enjoyable and pleasant than drinking store-bought soymilk.

In addition, you can add your favorite vegetables and blend them together. In that way, you can reduce the soy odor and increase the soy flavors.

I personally like to add spinach and make the soymilk a green color. The color of the milk manifests the idea that it is just as healthy as it looks. Adding spinach works really well with homemade soymilk. You can add soymilk into your homemade dishes, desserts, and sauces. You don’t have to drink soymilk all the time by itself. Simply add it into your regular diet by substituting it for milk in recipes. This is a good way to keep your body healthy and strong.

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Soy Sprout:

Soy based food like soy sprout contains an abundance of Vitamin C and is made of soybean. It is very crunchy, whether or not you cook it. However, it has to be cooked to reduce the soy odor and to destroy the trypsin inhibitors (serine protease inhibitors).

In other words, raw soybeans contain inhibitors that slow down or stop the enzymes and amino acids that are breaking them down in your body. Some people who eat raw soy sprout or soybeans experience dizziness or diarrhea. When cooking it, there is no problem for digestion.

If you want to grow your own soy sprout, you can use regular soybeans or black beans. While soy sprout is growing, it decreases in fat content but increases in the amount of fiber and vitamins it contains. As it grows, it also increases in vitamin C.

Soy sprout is popular in side dishes in Asia, and people usually eat it with rice. Soy sprout is one of great soy based foods that is good in soups, stir-fry, stews, and salads, etc.

In addition, the abundance of Vitamin C in soy sprout helps people who are in intoxicated with alcohol. Soy sprout soup is a special soy food for cleansing your body of alcohol on certain occasions.

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Fermented Soybean Paste/Soy Sauce

In Asia, soybean is a very important soy based foods source that contains complete proteins from plants. Soybeans are used to make fermented soybean paste. People usually preserve fermented soy paste for a year and make a new soy paste every year. Soy paste can be used in many ways and is good for soup in all seasons.

In the traditional soy paste process, before fermented soybean paste is made, soy blocks are prepared, usually at the beginning of winter; this process takes about six months. Soy is boiled for about twelve hours until it is completely tenderized; then it is molded into a block.

Soy blocks go through stages of fermentation while drying inside a warm room. When they start drying, they develop white mold from the outside to the inside as the winter progresses. This process is like the beginning of the natural process of making tempeh, without adding any of the chemical powder used to make tempeh: it is the same process in a natural way.

In this fermentation process, the soy blocks develop a fermented fungus and release essential amino acids as they dry. By the end of the process, the soy blocks have shrunk to half their size.

To make fermented soy paste, soy blocks have to be soaked in salt water for several months, until the beginning of spring. Then soy sauce is also brewed from the water in which the soy was soaked, and the block of soy is preserved in a big ceramic jar outside. The temperature outside furthers the soy paste’s fermentation.

A great soy based food like soybean paste soup has been a traditional food in Korea from generation to generation. My mother used to prepare and make fermented soy paste and traditional soy sauce.

As shown, soy paste needs a lot of work and time until it becomes a finished product. Homemade soy sauce is a lot saltier than the soy sauce that you see at the grocery store.

Commercial soy sauce is brewed in a similar way to homemade soy sauce. Depending on the manufacturer, the soy sauce can vary in terms of color, viscosity, and flavor. Large manufacturers tend to add more flavors when they brew their soy sauce. Because of the long process of making homemade soy sauce, people now usually purchase soy sauce and fermented paste at the store.

However, many people in Korea still make homemade soy paste at home. Because of the long process that is used to make homemade fermented soy paste, some people just purchase soy blocks to save time.

My favorite soy sauce is kelp soy sauce. It is lighter and less salty than other soy sauces. It also contains kelp flavors and is perfect for tofu and other foods. You will find your favorite flavor of soy sauce when exploring their varieties at Asian markets.

One of the great soy based foods is soy sauce. You can use it in many ways, such as marinating meat, stirring fry, or making pickle. Soy sauce is an essential ingredient in Asian dish.

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Tofu:

Soy based food like Tofu is made from soybeans and is a great substitute protein for eggs, cheese, or other animal proteins. You can get firm tofu, which is dense and solid, medium tofu, soft tofu, or extra soft tofu (called pure tofu). Firm tofu holds up well for frying and is good for soups or grilled dishes.

Tofu is low in sodium, has a minimum amount of saturated fat, and has no cholesterol. It contains complex carbohydrates without concentrated sugars and is high in protein. If you worry about intestinal discomfort from eating meat or regular soybeans, tofu is a protein that will digest naturally.

Tofu is a great soy based food that you can eat in a variety of ways. If you are looking for a quick and easy way to eat tofu, Easy Yummy Tofu may save your time.

Deep-frying tofu like tofu fries is a good way to eat tofu; it can be used as an appetizer with sauce or in noodle soup. If you like spicy foods, you can stir tofu in oil and add some spices with vegetables. That is a popular side dish in Asia.

Tofu is also good in soup. It is tender and soft, so both seniors and kids will enjoy eating it as well. If you love dumplings, you can make tofu dumplings by mixing tofu with meat and vegetables. I sometimes use tofu when making dumplings at home.

Another way that you can enjoy tofu is by dipping it in barbecue sauce or spicy soy sauce after boiling the tofu in hot water or baking in a oven or frying pan; this is especially good when using homemade tofu. There is just so much flavor in this kind of tofu.

If you really love tofu, you can create your own smoothie with soy protein powder, tofu, fruit, and some ice. The soft silken tofu is good for smoothies, strawberry soy ice cream, or shakes.

In addition, if you like chips, a healthy snack like tofu chips can be a great authentic snack if you love eating chips.

See Homemade Tofu Recipes

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Fried Soybean Curds:

Soy based food like fried soybean curds can be found at many sushi restaurants. Rice in the form of a rice ball is put inside the curd. The ingredients of the rice are a mixture of vinegar, sugar, and salt.

You can also put seaweed or dried vegetables in the rice and mix them before putting them inside the soy curd. It is popular for pregnant women because of its sweet and sour qualities. If you’ve lost your appetite, you can try these soy based foods, and your appetite will come right back.

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Fresh Green Soybeans: Edamame

You probably know the Edamame, which mean fresh green soybeans in Japanese.

The green soybeans are fully grown before becoming ripe. You can eat the green soybeans this time. However you can also steam and eat the tender leaves. Steamed soy leaves are good with soy paste soup and rice.

When you go to Japanese restaurant, you can eat it by opening the soy peas. You can also buy them at health food stores or Costco. You just boil or steam them with a little bit of salt. Green soybeans are FAT FREE snacks and good for all your family, even kids can eat it.

You can also bake them in the oven with salt and olive oil. It tastes better if you like Westernized flavors. Also, you can make powder with green soybeans. You just roast green soybeans or green soybean peas with soybeans without oil and grind them just like soy powder and add it into soymilk or milk.

Chung-guk-jang (Korea)/NATTO (Japan):

How do Japanese people eat “Natto"? They mix it with beaten eggs and soy sauce before putting it over rice. Another good way to eat natto is to mix it with mayonnaise and soy sauce. They don’t usually eat Natto in a soup.

However, Korean people usually eat it in a soup.

OR you can add it to scrambled eggs or vegetables and then fry it. You can also add it into your favorite pizza recipes. This way, it may taste better, and you will still reap the health benefits. You can also use it when making Soy Burgers or tofu lasagna.

Soy Cheese:

One of the Westernized soy based foods is Soy cheese. Soy cheese is made from tofu, soymilk, a combination of soymilk and tofu, or soy protein isolates. Soy cheese comes in a variety of hard and soft forms, like regular cheese. It is a good idea to check natural markets to see if soy cheese is available in blocks or slices. You can use soy cheese like regular cheese when cooking.

Soy Sour Cream:

Soy sour cream is made from soymilk. Soy sour cream is a great substitute for sour cream when eating chips, quesadillas, or seven-layer dip, etc.

To see How to Use Soy Sour Cream.

Soy Cream Cheese:

You can also make your own flavored soy cream cheese by adding chopped chives, basil, green onions, or fruit.

Soy cream cheese mixed with dried cranberries also has a great flavor when spread on a slice of bread, a tortilla, or a bagel.

You can use it in all types of recipes that call for cream cheese. It is very pliable and stretches well in low cooking temperatures.

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Cube Soy Cheese:

Soy based food like cube soy cheese is good when making a cheese or pasta salad.

• Cheese salad:
Prepare the soy cheese as the main ingredient and add cherry tomatoes, pesto sauce (basil, garlic, olive oil, green peppers, salt, and pepper: blend together), olive oil, and chopped basil. Sprinkle some pepper and salt on the top and mix. This cheese salad is great for a party on any occasion.


• Pasta salad:
Boil the pasta and then add halved cherry tomatoes, sliced olives, and a little bit of soy cheese with salt and pepper. You can mix in Italian dressing or pesto sauce with olive oil.

Soy Yogurt:

If you like soy based foods that are just daily products, soy yogurt may be your favorite soy food. Soy yogurt is a creamy, pudding-like substance, similar to other regular yogurts, with many flavors. When making fruit smoothies, you can add soy yogurt before blending.

Soy yogurt is also good when making fruit salads or fruit salad dressing. This could become your favorite sauce or dressing for snacks. Soy frozen desserts are also available as soy ice cream, dessert bars, and ice cream sandwiches in a variety of traditional and gourmet flavors.

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Soy Protein Bars:

Need energy from soy protein? Love to eat snack bars? How about trying soy protein bars next time? Soy based foods like soy protein bars will provide satiety between meals and are good for eating before or after exercise.

See SOY Protein Bars Under Soy Flour Recipe

Soy Nut Butter:

How about combining soy luncheon meats and soy cheese with soy nut butter for sandwiches instead of using regular butter? You can use soy nut butter for baking cookies or bread as well.

Soy Ice Cream:

Instead of using milk, use any soymilk or homemade soymilk next time you make soy ice cream at home. You can add your favorite fruit and nuts into it. Homemade soy ice cream is another great way to enjoy soy based food.

If you want to buy it, check local grocery stores or natural markets. If you have an ice cream recipe already, then just use soymilk instead of milk. EXPERIMENT to create your own soy ice cream recipes, and discover variations in soy flavors!

To Homemade Tofu

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Soy Taco Filling, Taco Salad, or Pita Pockets:

Additionally, you could cook some brown rice and mix it with soybeans to make soy burger patties. If you just want to fill tortillas or pita pockets, completely cooked soybeans can make a great filling when combined with fresh sliced vegetables and soy cheese.

You can also mix cooked soybeans into a spicy marinara sauce or favorite salsa and sprinkle the result onto taco salad. In these ways, it is easy to enjoy eating soybeans. If you prefer mashed soybeans, then add some honey, pepper, salt, and a little bit of chopped green onions. Mix these ingredients together before putting them into tortillas or pita pockets. You can also fry mashed soybeans in oil like a hamburger.

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Soy for Vegetarians (Soy Burgers and Wieners):

Manufacturers introduced textured soy protein as a substitute meat a long time ago. I tasted it once in Korea, and it tasted just like beef. If the advertiser hadn’t mentioned that it was made of soy, I wouldn’t have noticed.

This soy-based meat can also be used to make soy burgers, soy sausages, and soy hot dogs. Soy-based food is sometimes a good way to enjoy variety if you are looking for a healthy barbeque party in the future.

Soy burgers are good for when you want to try an authentic soy food that is healthy. When making soy burgers, adding tofu is another great idea for increasing soy flavors and health benefits.

Soy Tomato Soup:

If you like tomato soup for lunch, add soymilk (commercial, unsweetened) instead of water or regular milk. If you want to add homemade soymilk, then you use the 1st/2nd soymilk recipes for making tomato soup.

Compare Nutrition Facts of Soymilk, Homemade Soymilk, and Milk

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Tempeh:

Soy-based food like tempeh is made through a fermentation process like soy, but it has to be cooked to be edible after fermentation. The natural way of making tempeh is the same process used to make soy paste.

To make soy paste, soy has to be molded into a block and then dried. The only major difference between tempeh and soy paste is that when tempeh is made, powdered tempeh starter is added, whereas in soy paste, no additives are needed.

Tempeh can be baked or fried, among other things. It is very nutritional organic soy based food. Some things you might want to try with tempeh include using a slice as the base for pizza, using it in a salad, or putting it inside a tortilla.

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