SoyMilk Crossroads

Yes, you can freeze your homemade tofu.  In fact, freezing tofu creates a texture very similar to tender meat.  Commercial brands are generally dried-frozen so they are loaded with ammonia gas and baking soda or other chemicals make the tofu expand when you cook it.  Your homemade frozen tofu will be more natural, of course. 

Steps for Freezing

You’ll want to make it as firm as possible.  So use a heavy weight for a long time while the tofu is settling in the mold.
 

You can cut the tofu block into pieces if you like.  Place the pieces on a plate with space between them and put it the freezer.  Make sure the freezer is turn down as cold as possible. 
 

The texture of the tofu will transform and be ready for use after about 48 hours.  Don’t freak out when you see it because it’s also going to change in color.  It turns darker.  If you don’t plan to use it immediately, just seal it in a freezer bag and store it in the freezer.  Actually, the texture and resiliency continues to improve with a lengthy storage.

Thawing the Tofu

Place the frozen tofu in a large bowl or pan.  Add boiling water so that the tofu is well covered and let sit for about 10 minutes until the tofu is completely thawed.  If you froze a large block, cut it down to smaller piece part way through the thawing, put it back into the hot water to speed up the thaw process.
 

Pour off the hot water and add cold water.  Gently press the tofu between your hands to make sure all of the hot water has been expelled.  Then lift the tofu completely out of the water and press all of the remaining water out of it.
 

This is important because you want it to be dry when you use it so that the tofu can absorb liquids and flavors during the cooking process.  That’s it; you’re ready for some recipes for frozen tofu….. 

Making tofu is relatively easy and can save you a lot of money, but once in a while a batch of tofu just doesn’t come out the way you want it to. Usually, the problem is that it’s too watery and unable to hold together. It might be disappointing, but don’t just throw out that failed batch of tofu!
 

You can turn that too-soft tofu into a delicious dessert. It doesn’t exactly taste like the pudding you make from boxed mixes, but it is much healthier and dairy-free.

Ingredients

• One block of tofu
• 3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• 3 Tablespoons soy milk
• 1/4 Teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

Directions

Drain tofu and lightly squeeze between paper towels to remove excess moisture. Put tofu and soy milk into blender and puree until tofu is smooth. Add maple syrup, cocoa powder, and flavoring. Puree again until the mixture is well blended.
 

Refrigerate the pudding, covered, until chilled. Serve with bananas, strawberries or graham crackers for a special protein-rich treat.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a controversy arose over antibiotics in milk. An independent study found significant levels of antibiotics in a large number of random samples. Since then, milk has only gotten less healthy.

Hormones

In the mid-1990s, the FDA approved the use of a synthetic hormone for use on milk-producing cows. The hormone, rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone) is designed to invoke increased production of milk - up to 25% more - in lactating cows.
 

The ingestion of this hormone by humans has been linked to a significant increase in incidences of breast and prostate cancer in humans. How would humans ingest bovine growth hormone? It makes its way into supermarkets in jugs and cartons of milk.

Antibiotics

Growth hormone isn’t the only thing making its way into your body through milk and other dairy products. As a result of being kept in a near-constant state of lactation, many cows develop sores on their udders. They are treated with antibiotics - the same antibiotics that caused a scandal in the early 90s.

Long-Term Effects are Unknown

No studies have been conducted on the effects of long-term human exposure to these chemicals. Could they be to blame for the increased diagnoses of ADD and autism we’ve see over the last decade? Could they be causing early puberty in children? A lot of people believe so. Until we know what these substances are doing to our bodies, it makes sense to avoid dairy altogether.

Other Milks

Making other milks is an obvious choice.  With a soymilk maker you can make fresh nut, seed, and rice milks as well as soy milk.  By making your own, you know and control exactly what’s in the milk your family is drinking.

We’ve been running a Summer Special on the Soyabella Soymilk Maker.

Deluxe Soyabella Package

 The package contains the Soymilk Maker, a 2 pound bag of Organic Soybeans, the Soyabella Tofu Kit, the Stainless Carafe Lid, and a bottle of the natural sweeter, Agave Nectar.
 

 We only have a few packages left and the doors will close as soon as the last package is gone.  We’ve even been doing a count down on the Deluxe Package web page so that visitors know where things stand. 
 

If you’ve been giving thought to the idea of switching from store-bought soymilk and tofu and beginning your own production at home, then you’ll want to take a close look at this package.

Commercial mayonnaise consist of at least 65% fat.  And of course, a variety of preservatives.  Those jars seem to last way too long in the frig.
 

Here is a basic tofu mayonnaise that contains no eggs and very little oil.  It’s ideal for use in low-calorie and low-fat diets.  Keep it refrigerated and use it within two days.

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces of tofu
• 1-1/2 to 2 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar (or equal parts of each)
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp salt or 2 tsp soy sauce
• dash of pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.  Chill before serving.

Variations:  You have the basics, now for the variety of add-ons

• Onion - 1/4 cup chopped onion.  This is great with most fried tofu and most vegetable dishes.
• Dill & Garlic - 1/4 tsp dill and 1 glove minced garlic to replace the pepper.
• Pickle - chop up two small cucumber pickles and use over slided tomatoes.
• Celery & Onion - 3 Tbsp of each, diced.  Goes very well with squash dished.
• Mustard - 1 tsp hot mustard.  You’ll love this with fresh tomatoes, fried tofu or steamed broccoli
• Raisins - 2/3 cup raisins.  Cut back on half the salt.  Serve as a topping over apples or on Waldorf salads.

That should get you going.  Experiment.  Try a variety of herbs, too.

The protein value of a food depends on two factors:

• Quantity - how much protein is in the food.  This is expressed as a percentage of the total weight of the food.
• Quality - is the percentage of protein in a food that can be utilized by the body.  This is expressed in a protein score called Net Protein Utilization. (NPU)

Quantity of Protein

The chart shows the top 20 protein food sources.  It can be seen that the highest percentages of protein are found in plant rather than animal foods.  In fact, soy foods hold 10 of the 20 slots, including the top five.

The NPU Chart

The NPU is a biological value or protein score given to foods that refers to the percent of protein that the human body can use.
 

It’s based largely on the food’s ability to digest and how it’s amino acids match the pattern required by the body.
 

 On this chart you can see that chicken and tofu have the exact same protein value.

How to Use the Charts Together 

By combining these two charts you can calculate the usable protein of various foods.  Here’s an example.  The daily protein requirement for an adult male is around 43 grams. 
 

Regular Tofu contains 8% protein, 65% of that is considered usable by our bodies.  Let’s do the math.  One 8-ounce (227 gram) serving of tofu gives us 227 x .08 x .65 = 11.8 grams of usable protein.  That’s more than 27% of the daily requirement.
 

If you do the math, you find that the same amount of usable protein can be supplied by 3 ounces of steak or 5.5 ounces of hamburger.  The cost is much higher, of course.

Quality of Protein

The charts allow you to calculate the usable protein, but that in itself is an extremely small picture about the actually value of the these foods.  It is a common misconception that the food value of meat is superior to plant.  Protein is protein.  But what we put our bodies through to get that protein is another whole story.
 

 Americans presently obtain about 70% of all their protein from animal foods.  Because of that, the standard American diet contains one of the world’s highest proportions of saturated fats and cholesterol.  Cholesterol medication is a booming industry in our country.

Unique Quality of Tofu

Tofu is very unique among high protein foods.  It is low in calories and saturated fats and completely free of cholesterol.  It’s also an excellent source of calcium.  Tofu is also a good source for other minerals such as iron, phosphororus, potassium, sodium, B vitamins, choline and fat-souble vitamin E.

The health community recognizes the importance of fiber-rich foods.  Studies have shown three dangerous trends in the dietary patterns of most of the industrialized nations.

Less Fiber Food Eaten

The intake of dietary fiber is only about 20% of what it was a century ago.  As nations become more industrialized and wealthier there is a rise in the consumption of sugar, meat, fats, and dairy products (none of these contain fiber).  At the same time, there is a decrease in the use of grains and vegetables.

Refined Grains

The largest proportion of the grains consumed are in the processed or refined form.  These grains have been stripped of their outer layers which is where the fiber-rich nutrition is located.  The results of this practice are seen in such things as white bread, pasta and rice.

Increased Toxic Substances

With the increase in industry, the average person also has a steadily increasing intake of toxic substances.  This comes from both food additives and the environment.

Okara - High in Fiber and Protein

Okara is what nutritionists call “dietary plant fiber” which is essential for every well-balanced diet.  It provides a bulk or roughage necessary for cleaning out the body.  It also absorbs toxins, including environmental pollutants, and helps speed their passage out of the body.
 

When you make homemade soymilk, okara is the bean pulp by-product that is left.  It contains about 17% of the protein of the original soybeans, the rest going into the soymilk.  By utilizing okara in a variety of recipes you are adding health-giving fiber and protein to your diet.

I love milkshakes.  Giving them up was out of the question.  Finding an alternative to dairy milk and ice cream was a must. 

Here’s one of my favorites:

• 6 ounces of tofu
• 3 small frozen bananas, or fresh with 3 ice cubes
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 cup cold soy milk

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth.  Serve immediately!!
 

Note:  Want ice cream instead?  Don’t add the 1/4 cup of milk.  Enjoy!!

In almost every nutrient, Soymilk is richer than dairy milk.  The one exception is calcium.  Even though the calcium in cow’s milk is difficult to digest because cow’s milk is for cows after all, that one ingredient makes some folks hang onto dairy milk.

Sesame to the Rescue!

Sesame seed is the world’s richest source of calcium.  It contains over six times as much calcium by weight as dairy milk.  Soy and sesame have complementary proteins.  When the two are combined they result in an abundance of high quality protein.
 

This Sesame Soymilk Recipe will give you and your children a high quality calcium and protein drink, which is essential for growing children.

• 1 Cup soymilk (warm)
• 1 to 1-1/2 tsps honey or natural sugar
• 1-1/2 to 2 Tsp tahini or sesame butter
• Dash of salt

Combine ingredients and mix well in a blender and enjoy.

Do your kids seem to always be sick? Stuffy or runny noses, sore throats, and earaches are common among kids, but if it’s happening to your kids much more than other kids, maybe it’s not a virus at fault.

Look at the Family Diet

Diets that contain a lot of dairy products may be putting families at risk. Numerous studies have shown that dairy products cause a host of health problems: excess phlegm, runny noses, constipation, chronic earaches, asthma, and bronchitis, to name a few. Conditions which many parents consider to be “just part of being a kid” are actually preventable by just eliminating dairy from the diet.

The Science Behind the Sickness

Why do our bodies react they way they do to dairy? One theory is that our immune systems are fooled into thinking that our bodies are under attack. The introduction of a foreign animal’s protein into our systems causes our immune systems to react protectively by producing extra phlegm. In other words, the body knows that cow milk doesn’t belong there. It rejects the milk and signals the nasal and throat membranes to produce all of the mucus necessary to get rid of the foreign substance.

The Healthier Option

There are so many good reasons for switching from dairy to soy. Your family’s health is probably the best reason of them all. It’s not difficult to avoid - or at least reduce - the common health problems of childhood when you make the healthy switch to soy.