Running short on ingredients? Try soy foods
Have you run low on staple ingredients lately, because of making fewer grocery shopping trips? The Soyfoods Council reminds you to keep tofu and TSP (textured soy protein) on hand.
While not everybody is into improvisational cooking or inventing new recipes, tofu and TSP are versatile ingredients that can keep you cooking your old favorites, even when you’re short on eggs, ground meat, milk or ricotta cheese. Here are six examples of how soyfoods can simplify your life in the kitchen – and perhaps inspire new family traditions, featuring high-quality plant protein.
• Out of eggs? Use firm, silken tofu for eggs in your favorite meatloaf recipe. You’ll have a moist meatloaf with all its familiar flavor and texture, plus an added boost of protein.
• Short on ricotta? Water-packed tofu can extend ricotta cheese in recipes such as lasagna and stuffed pasta shells. Add extra vegetables to your meal, by incorporating chopped onion and thawed, chopped frozen spinach into the tofu.
• Running low on ground meat? Create TSP blends (also called textured vegetable protein or TVP) to extend the beef, pork, turkey or chicken you have on hand. Simply mix equal amounts of TSP and ground meat.
• Can’t find enough milk in supermarket dairy cases? Use silken tofu in recipes such as mashed potatoes and creamy soups. Tofu’s neutral flavor and smooth texture retain the richness and enhance the protein content of these comfort food classics.
• Looking for an inexpensive breakfast protein? Blend about a 1/4 cup of TSP with one serving of oatmeal, for hot cereal with a protein punch.
• Are specialty cooking oils breaking your budget? Soybean oil is a workhorse, with its high smoke point for sautéing or frying, and a neutral flavor for salad dressings and baking. Soybean oil (also called vegetable oil – check the ingredient label to be sure) is the most widely consumed oil in the U.S. It is affordable, abundant and offers heart-health benefits.
For other soyfoods cooking tips and recipes, visit thesoyfoodscouncil. com.
The Soyfoods Council is a non-profit organization, created and funded by Iowa soybean farmers, providing a complete resource to increase awareness of soyfoods, educate and inform media, healthcare professionals, consumers, and the retail and foodservice market, about the many benefits of soyfoods.
