Oh, soy! Cooking without meat can be so satisfying

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Oh, soy! Cooking without meat can be so satisfying

By David Baer

Growing numbers of people appear to be discovering the benefits of

soy as a substitute for meat and dairy products. Not only is soy a

source of complete protein, very low in saturated fat and totally

free of cholesterol, but its production is much more environmentally

friendly than equivalent amounts of animal foods. But it can be

difficult for people raised in this country, with our culture's

strong culinary bias toward meat and dairy foods, to reduce or

eliminate the animal content of our diets.

 

It's " Cooking Healthy with Soy " to the rescue! The intent of the

book is to show how to use soy products to create meals that are at

once comfortingly familiar and nutritionally superior to non-soy

equivalents. This is done simply by using a number of meat-like,

cheese-like and diary-like products created from processed soy and

other (mostly) non-animal substances. There's not a tofu cake to

been seen anywhere in these pages.

 

The cuisine in the book is everyday, simple fare, and the recipes

are approachable by anyone with even modest cooking skills. If you

can dice and saute an onion, you've pretty much got sufficient chops

to tackle anything here. Furthermore, the recipes take little time

to prepare (or to clean up afterward). That said, this book is not

particularly suitable for use in meals where one is looking to

impress guests with an elegant feast.

 

Most of the soy meat and cheese ingredients are readily available at

conventional supermarkets. In some cases, the specific brands

reference are not carried, but quite acceptable substitutes are

available. I had difficulty locating some of the non-soy

ingredients, however. In particular, I could not find the often

called for Healthy Requests soup brand anywhere until I happened to

discover that Healthy Request is just a variety of Campbell's soups.

 

Tofutti Sour Supreme (a sour cream substitute) was also often called

for. After a bit of searching, I did manage to locate a source. But

when I saw the amounts of saturated and trans fats in the product, I

decided to pass. Whole Foods had a much healthier concoction I

purchased instead. But sour cream substitute recipes are easily

found in vegetarian cookbooks (or just Google " vegan sour cream

recipe " ).

 

That brings up another point. Some of the recipes called for eggs,

as many as one per serving. Eggs are cholesterol bombs, and you may

find them inappropriate ingredients for a health-oriented cookbook.

 

The chapters include soups, veggies and side dishes, baked foods and

desserts. But the chapter of greatest interest to me was the one on

main dishes. Can these dishes satisfy a big appetite after a hard

day of work? I set out to find out by preparing the Mediterranean

chicken one evening and the Italian dumpling skillet on another, in

both cases after working a full day at the office.

 

The results were most satisfactory. For the chicken, I had to

substitute MorningStar Chik'n Strips for the specified Boca Chik'n

Patties, but if anything, this was an improvement. The outcome was a

thoroughly enjoyable dinner.

 

For the dumpling skillet, a less-fatty sour cream substitute was

used instead of the Tofutti. Again, the result was a most satisfying

meal.

 

So, the obvious question many will have is: Do these soy substitutes

taste like the real thing? The answer depends on which food we're

talking about. The soy ground beef crumbles are easily

interchangeable with ground beef. The MorningStar Chik'n Strips were

close in taste, if a little softer in texture than chicken breast.

 

Cheeses are another matter. While their taste can be close

(depending on what kind of cheese is being mimicked), they simply do

not have the meltiness of real cheese. Considering sour cream, well,

let's just remember that if saturated fats and cholesterol were good

for you, this cookbook probably wouldn't have been written in the

first place.

 

Although the recipes are basic, experienced cooks won't have to be

told to try adding some fresh garlic or herbs as ingredients. And

those who enjoy using cookbooks as a starting point from which to

invent their own creations will find much to inspire them. In fact,

I think that quality is why this book has so thoroughly captured my

interest.

 

So, whether you want to contribute to the health of the planet or

simply that of your own cardiovascular system, making a transition

from meat and dairy to soy can be beneficial. This cookbook might

make taking the first steps down that path a lot easier.

 

Want to be a critic? Springtime cookbooks are in. Write Nicholas

Boer at nboer.

 

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN

 

Serves 4

 

4 Boca Meatless Original Chik'n Patties

 

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

 

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

 

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

 

1/4 cup sliced ripe olives

 

1 tablespoon Splenda Granular

 

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

 

1/4 teaspoon dried minced garlic

 

• In a large skillet sprayed with olive oil-flavored cooking spray,

saute chicken patties for 2 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, in a

medium saucepan sprayed with olive oil-flavored cooking spray, saute

celery and onion for 5 minutes. Stir in undrained tomatoes, olives,

Splenda, Italian seasoning and garlic. Evenly spoon tomato mixture

over chicken patties. Lower heat, simmer for 5 minutes and serve.

 

Per serving (based on 4-ounce soy fillets): 170 calories, 22 g

protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 4 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 460 mg

sodium, 8 g fiber. Calories from fat: 19 percent.

 

-- Times analysis

 

ITALIAN DUMPLING SKILLET

 

Serves 6

 

1 (12-ounce) package Boca Meatless Ground Burger

 

1/2 cup chopped onion

 

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

 

1/4 cup reduced-sodium ketchup

 

1 (2.5-ounce) jar sliced mushrooms, drained

 

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

 

1 tablespoon Splenda Granular

 

1 cup Bisquick Reduced Fat Baking Mix

 

2 tablespoons soy flour

 

-1/3 cup Silk Light Plain Soy Milk

 

2 tablespoons Tofutti Sour Supreme

 

1/2 cup Lisanatti Soy-Sation Shredded Mozzarella Style Cheese

Alternative

 

1/4 cup soy parmesan alternative

 

1. In a large skillet sprayed with olive oil-flavored cooking spray,

saute ground burger and onion for 6-8 minutes. Stir in undrained

tomatoes, ketchup, mushrooms, 11/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning and

Splenda. Continue cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring

occasionally.

 

2. In a medium bowl, combine baking mix, soy flour, soy milk and

sour cream. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, mozzarella

cheese and parmesan. Mix well to combine. Drop mixture by large

tablespoonfuls to form 6 mounds over ground beef. Lower heat, cover,

and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through.

 

Per serving (appoximately): 260 calories, 17 g protein, 30 g

carbohydrates, 8 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 700 mg sodium, 5 g fiber.

Calories from fat: 27 percent.

 

-- Times analysis

 

• BOOK: " Cooking Healthy with Soy " ($18.95, Penguin Group, 369 pages)

 

• AUTHOR: JoAnna M. Lund is the author of the Healthy Exchanges

cookbook series. More at www.healthyexchanges.com.

 

• REVIEWER: David Baer is a software engineer living in Concord who

enjoys the challenge of inventing vegan high cuisine.