[Good chance to thank RD for putting veg recipes in this time. Also,
they printed a LOT of animal friendly letters responding to Sept
edition. "Thank you" letters go a long way in convincing them to put
more of this stuff in the mag.]
Soy for Beginners
Reader's Digest
http://tinyurl.com/3dq2j6
With less saturated fat than meat and healthy doses of fibre, vitamins
and minerals, soy is no longer a food for vegetarians only. It has
become so mainstream that the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
recommends it as part of a heart-healthy diet. Still, not everyone’s
sold on soy.
Edamame -- or fresh soy beans -- are tasty sauteed with a pinch of salt.
While some experts recommend two to four servings a week, in 2006 the
American Heart Association released its review of a decade-long study on
the health benefits of soy.
It concluded that soy-based foods and supplements don’t lower
cholesterol. But nutrition experts agree that eating soy-based foods is
a good idea because they contain less saturated fat than meat and
provide healthy doses of fibre, vitamins and minerals. If you’re new to
soy, here are six ways to get you started:
Edamame
That’s the Japanese name for fresh soy beans. They resemble peas in
shape, size and colour and come in pods just like green peas. Usually,
you buy them frozen. Steam them and eat the beans unadorned or with a
pinch of salt. Not only are they absolutely delicious, but in this form,
soy most closely resembles ordinary vegetables.
Miso soup
This delicate soup made from soy beans is often the first course of a
Japanese dinner. Most grocery stores carry miso soup packages that are
as cheap and easy to make up as any dry noodle product. Just pour the
contents of the package into a cup of hot water, stir, and you have a
wonderful, quick soup.
Calcium-fortified soy beverages
High in protein, calcium and isoflavones (plant chemicals that act like
the hormone estrogen in the body), fortified soy can be a substitute for
cow’s milk in coffee, tea or on cereal.
Soy nuts
Dry-roasted soy nuts are among the richest sources of soy isoflavones.
Have a handful as an afternoon snack or toss some into a salad. You can
find them in health-food stores and grocery stores.
Soy burgers
Grocery stores have delicious soy-based burgers, sausages, pâtés and
other deli-type foods. Check the ingredient information, before you buy,
though, because some soy-based foods may be high in fat, loaded with
trans fats and/or contain very few isoflavones.
Textured vegetable protein (TVP)
It may not sound appetizing but TVP can be a very useful source of
protein—particularly for vegetarians—and is packed with isoflavones. TVP
is defatted, dehydrated soy flour compressed into tiny clumps and
chunks. If you soak it (stir 1 cup of TVP into an almost-full cup of hot
water or broth and drain after 5 to 10 minutes) you can use it in dishes
such as chili con carne or spaghetti bolognese. It has the chewy texture
of ground meat. Uncooked TVP will keep in a cool, dark cupboard for months.
From: 30 Minutes a Day to a Healthy Heart, Reader's Digest Canada