Culinary Weekly Message
Culinary: the joys of soy
Sustainability: plant vs. animal
Message
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Try replacing one animal protein with a soy product each day.
Monday
Culinary:
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Tofu
Tofu – soybean curd
Tofu is made from curdled soy milk and liquid extracted from cooked soybeans.
Tofu comes in extra firm, firm and soft style blocks.
The firmness depends on how much whey has been extracted.
Sustainability:
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“There is a popular impression, originating at one time from nutrition textbooks, that the
qualities of proteins from animal sources are greatly superior to those from plant sources.”
Meat does offer a relatively concentrated source of protein, of high quality highly digestible,
about 0.95 compared with 0.8-0.9 for many plant foods, and it supplies a relative surplus of on
essential amino acid, lysine, which is in relatively short supply in most cereals. So although
meat offers a denser concentration of protein, plants are perfectly capable of meeting your
protein needs! FAO of the UN
Legumes offer the vegetarian a source of the crucial amino acid lysine. Legumes include
soybean and their products (tempeh, tofu, soymilk, soy meats, etc.) beans (garbanzo, kidney,
pinto, etc.) and their products (falafel, hummus, refried, etc.), peat (green, split, black-eyed,
etc.), lentils and peanuts.
Tuesday
Culinary:
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Edamame
Edamame- fresh green soybeans
Traditionally edamame is enjoyed steamed or lightly boiled whole in their pods.
Edamame plays in integral role in Asian cuisine, especially Japan.
Edamame can be shelled and used in salads, stir fries, soups or side dishes. Sometimes it is
processed into sweet food items.
Edamame is the only food with a plant protein equal in protein quality to that of meat and
eggs.
Sustainability:
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On average, about 40 calories of fossil fuel energy go into every calorie of feed lot bee in the
U.S. Compare this to the 2.2 calories of fossil fuel energy needed to produce one calorie of
plant-based protein. Moderating meat consumption is a great way to cut fossil fuel demand.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition-2003
Gidon Eshel, a geophysicist at the Bard Center, and Pamela A. Martin, an assistant professor of
geophysics at the University of Chicago, calculated that if Americans were to reduce meat
consumption by just 20 percent it would be as if we all switched from a standard-a Camry, sayto the ultra-efficient Prius.- NY Times
Wednesday
Culinary:
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Tempeh
Tempeh – a soybean cake made from fermented cooked soybeans
It has a chewy, yeasty and nutty flavor.
Tempeh is cholesterol free and low in fat.
Tempeh can be sliced and cooked or crumbled and added into casseroles and sauces.
Sustainability:
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How they measure up: A 6 ounce broiled porterhouse steak is a great source of protein-about
40-gram worth. But it also delivers about 38 grams of fat, 14 of them saturated. That’s more
than 60 percent of the recommended daily intake for saturated fat. The same amount of
salmon gives you 34 grams of protein and 18 grams of fat, 4 of them saturated. While a cup of
cooked lentils has 18 grams of protein, and under 1 gram of fat. Embrace the Power of the
Plant!- USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 14
If you are partial to red meat, such as beef, pork, or lamb, stick with the leanest cuts, choose
moderate portion sizes, and make it only an occasional part of your diet, for several reasons.
Research suggests that people who eat even modest amounts of red meat have a higher risk of
developing colon cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, and a higher risk of dying from heart
disease, cancer or any cause. –Harvard School of Public Health
Thursday
Culinary:
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Miso
Miso – a fermented soybean paste. Can also be made from barley or rice.
It is a culinary mainstay of Japanese cooking.
The lighter colored versions of miso are used in soups and sauces. The darker colored versions
are used in heavier dishes.
Sustainability:
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The world’s total meat supply was 71 million tons in 1961. In 2007, it was estimated to be 284
million tons. Per capita consumption has more than doubled over that period. (In the
developing world, it rose twice as fast, doubling in the last 20 years.) World meat consumption
is expected to double again by 2050. NY Times
Friday
Culinary:
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Miscellaneous Soy Products
Soy Milk – nondairy product made by pressing ground, cooked soybeans.
Soynuts- made from roasting whole, water-soaked dried soybeans. They have a nut like flavor.
Soybean Oil – light yellowish oil extracted from soybeans
Soybean oil is healthy and inexpensive alternative oil. It is also used in the manufacturing of
margarine and shortening.
Soy flour – finely ground flour made from soybeans and very high in protein It is generally
mixed with other flours rather than used alone.
Sustainability:
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“ The meat-based food system requires more energy, land, and water resources than the
vegetarian diet. In this limited sense, the vegetarian diet is more sustainable than the average
American meat-based diet”. Dr. Pimentel Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology,
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Flexitarian-a person whose diet is mostly vegetarian but sometimes includes meat, fish or
poultry.