[No one wants heavy, hard-to-digest meat meals when it's hot.
Don't we all prefer to remain dairy for delicious ice cream,
iced coffee, etc. All the more reason for that staple:
soy.]
This year's end of the school year heralds another season:
the Three Weeks, otherwise known as parve hamburger- hot dog
season. As we contemplate the reasons for our meatless menus,
let's take a look at the soybean star of these ubiquitous
parve products as well as many other soy products
which can enrich our diets all year 'round while adding that
Parve Advantage.
High in vitamins and protein, and low in fat and cholesterol,
the soybean is often called the miracle crop. It is the
world's foremost provider of protein and oil. Ever since a
1995 University of Kentucky study showed that a soy- rich
diet can help lower cholesterol, miso, tempeh, soy milk, soy
flour and tofu have all maintstreamed and are often found
outside of health food stores. Current research suggests that
soy may also protect against osteoporosis and hormone-related
cancers.
Uncle Sam is the Star of Soybeans. More soybeans are grown in
the United States than anywhere else in the world. In 1994,
about 380,000 U.S. soybean farmers harvested a record 2.6
billion bushels of soybeans. They were not the pioneers,
however.
Farmers in China grew soybeans as early as 5,000 years ago.
In 1804, a ship brought soybeans to the U.S. When leaving
China, sailors loaded the ship with soybeans as an
inexpensive ballast. When they arrived in the U.S., they
dumped the soybeans to make room for cargo.
U.S. farmers first grew soybeans in 1829, raising a variety
for soy sauce. During the Civil War, soldiers used soybeans
as "coffee berries" to brew ersatz coffee when real coffee
was scarce. In the late 1800s significant numbers of farmers
began to grow soybeans for cattle.
In 1904, at the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama,
George Washington Carver began studying the soybean (along
with the peanut). His discoveries changed the way people
thought about the soybean; no longer was it just a forage
crop. Now its beans provided valuable protein and oil.
By 1929, U.S. soybean production had grown to 9 million
bushels. That year soybean pioneer William J. `Bill' Morse
left on a two year odyssey to China during which he gathered
more than 10,000 soybean varieties for U.S. reserachers to
study. Some of these varieties laid the foundation for the
rapid ascension of the U.S. as the world leader in soybean
production.
Prior to World War II, the United States imported 40 percent
of its edible fats and oil. At the advent of the war, this
oil supply was cut. Processors turned to soybean oil. In the
early '50s, soybean meal became available as a low cost, high
protein feed ingredient, triggering an explosion in U.S.
livestock and poultry production.
Today, farmers in over 29 states grow soybeans. Every other
row of soybeans grown goes into the export market. Japan is
the single largest soybean customer. The European Union makes
up the largest collective market.
All these soybeans figure in the production of miso, tempeh,
tofu, soy sauce, soy flour, soy milk as well as other soy
products, which can be explored as more and more of these
products merit mehadrin hechsherim day by day.
Meanwhile, to feed the troops, we offer:
VARIETY SUPPER
Instructions:
1 cup textured soy protein (also known as TVP - textured
vegetable protein)
1 cup boiling water
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon oil
16 ounce can stewed tomatoes, sliced
1 cup tomato sauce
Instructions:
1. To rehydrate TSP, place it in a medium bowl and pour the
boiling water over it. Set aside.
2. Cook macaroni according to the package directions.
3. In a large skillet, heat the oil over low heat. Add onion
and saute until tender. Add TSP and stir-fry for about 3
minutes.
4. Add cooked macaroni, tomatoes, and tomato sauce to
skillet; cover and heat everything thoroughly. Serve hot.
Yield: 4 servings.
VEGETARIAN CHILI
Ingredients:
1/3 cup olive oil
2 medium onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 red & 1 green pepper, chopped
2 large tomatoes, diced
8 ounces tomato sauce
2 cans tomatoes
2 15 ounce cans dark red kidney beans
3 cups water
4 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoons each: paprika, oregano, lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Textured Vegetable Protein
Instructions:
1. Saute onions, garlic and peppers in oil until onions are
translucent. Add spices and simmer for two minutes.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients, adding the TVP last. You
can adjust the amount of TVP to obtain the desired texture
and consistency.
3 Simmer for four to six hours. Yield: 6 servings.
