Superb Soybeans

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

COOKING

Homegrown soybeans need about 60 to 90 minutes of simmering after an overnight soaking to be cooked al dente. Most commercial beans will need at least twice that long. Soybeans can be substituted for other dried beans in many recipes. They are more filling than pintos or kidneys because they are higher in both protein and oil. For this reason, when substituting soybeans for other legumes you can reduce the required amount by about one-third. Here are three simple recipes to help you enjoy this remarkable food.

Marinated Soybean Salad

3 cups hot cooked soybeans
 1/4 to 3/4 cup oil
1/3 cup vinegar or to taste 
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
1/2 cup scallions or chives, chopped 
1/2 cup red or green pepper, chopped 
1/2 cup celery, chopped 
1/3 cup black olives, chopped
1/2 avocado, chopped
 2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped 
2 Tbsp. dill, chopped

Combine oil, vinegar, garlic and salt and pepper to taste; pour over hot beans. Cover and marinate in refrigerator. Stir in chopped vegetables and herbs. Serves 4 to 6.

Soybean and Rice Curry

3/4 cup cooked brown rice
3/4 cup cooked soybeans
 1 medium onion, chopped 
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
 2 Tbsp. oil or butter
1 to 2 tsp. curry powder

Sauté onions in oil; mix with soy sauce and curry powder. Combine rice, beans and sauce; stir well until thoroughly heated.

Toasted Soybeans

Place cooked soybeans (add a few garlic cloves or a hot pepper to the cook pot for extra flavor) on a cookie sheet in a 250-degree oven for a couple of hours or until crisp; stir occasionally. Makes a crunchy, nuttytasting and nutritious snack.

This article was adapted from The Whole Organic Food Book by Dan Jason. To order, see MOTHER's Bookshelf on Page 116.

Soybean Seed Sources

Abundant Life Seed Foundation
PO. Box 772
Port Townsend, WA 98368
(360) 3855660

Salt Spring Seeds
Box 444, Ganges PO.
Salt Spring Island, B.C.
V8K 2W1 Canada
www.saltspringseeds.com
(250) 537-5269

Speedy Beans

If you've tried canned soybeans and didn't like them, or if you tried cooking dry soybeans and found they took too long to cook, we urge you to give these supernutritious beans another try. We found that home-cooked soybeans had much better taste and texture than the two brands of canned store bought soybeans we tried. And we confirmed that Dan Jason is right about cooking times: We got some fresh dry soybeans just a few months old and compared them with store-bought beans of unknown age. After soaking overnight, our fresh dry beans were tender in less than an hour, while the store-bought beans took eight hours (!)—three on top of the stove and five more in a crock—pot before they were tender.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print