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"The recipes in this book
rely on a few proven strategies to help people get nutritious meals
on the table with a minimum of hassle," said Barbara Klein, editor
of the book and co-director of the center. "Some recipes shorten the
preparation process by using ready-made mixes and handy pantry items
that reduce the time it takes to make a meal. All of them include
soy, which is the ultimate healthy convenience food." She points
out that there are many ready-to-go versions of soy available on
supermarket shelves.
"Frozen fresh green soybeans cook in three to five minutes, and
canned black or yellow soybeans are just a can opener away," Klein
said. "Using frozen soy crumbles is as quick as cooking with ground
beef. Soy versions of chicken, sausage and hamburger patties are
ready even more quickly than the dairy versions because they are
precooked."
Klein further notes that tofu and soy milk can be easily
substituted for dairy products in quick recipes like shakes and
smoothies.
"Flavored tofu, whether purchased or homemade, makes for a great
sandwich," she said. "Once you get started using soy in quick meals,
you will wonder how you ever cooked without it."
Klein notes that this new book fits well with the goal of the
Illinois Center for Soy Foods, which is to encourage consumers in
the U.S. to eat more healthy products made from soy.
"With this book, we hope to inspire a broad range of people to
use and enjoy soy products in quick and delicious meals," Klein
said. "We show step-by-step how average consumers can do that while
still enjoying the same tastes and textures in the foods that they
have grown up with."
"Soy for the Last Minute Chef" contains a wide range of tasty
recipes ranging from lemon poppy seed bread to fruit pops. The
recipes were developed and tested by staff from the center, led by
Cheryl Sullivan and Marilyn Nash.
"In this new cookbook, we directly address the issue of how to
get nutritious food on the table fast," Klein said. "There are 34
recipes in this book, covering all the major types of quick and easy
meals that we all eat on a daily basis."
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She points out that adding soy to the diet also represents an
easy way to gain the many health benefits from soy protein. The U.S.
Food and Drug Administration has approved a health claim for soy
foods that acknowledges the connection between consuming soy and
decreasing the chance of developing cardiovascular disease.
"Extensive research has confirmed that eating 25 grams of soy
protein per day, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and
cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease," Klein said.
"This fact provides another example of how using soy foods can add
affordable, flavorful and healthful components to the diet."
The cookbook was designed in an easy-to-use format, with a spiral
binding that allows it to lie flat for efficient use in the kitchen.
Nutritional information, including calorie, fat, carbohydrate and
protein counts, is provided for each recipe. The cookbook also
contains helpful information on buying, storing and efficiently
using soy products.
"Soy for the Last Minute Chef" is available from the Center for
Soy Foods at a price of $18, including shipping. The center will
also be offering a special price of $30 for both a Soy Foods Starter
Kit and any one of the four cookbooks in the series. Besides the new
publication, the others are "Tofu in the American Kitchen,"
"Textured Vegetable Protein in the American Kitchen" and "Baking
with Soy in the American Kitchen."
The Soy Foods Starter Kit contains all the essential ingredients
for using soy in the average American diet, such as soy flour,
textured soy protein, tofu, soy nuts and soy milk. It also includes
an instructional booklet filled with easy recipes and tips on how to
purchase and use soy products. All the products in the kit are
shelf-stable and can be stored for several months without concerns.
"The kit contains enough of each ingredient so that consumers can
try one or two recipes containing each product," she said. "The idea
is for people to try them without making a huge commitment by
purchasing larger quantities of each ingredient."
Both the new cookbook and the special starter kit and cookbook
package can be ordered by calling (217) 244-1706. Sample
recipes and an online
order form
are also available on the Internet at
www.soyfoodsillinois.uiuc.edu.
[University of Illinois
news release]
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