Lighten Up Your Spring Celebrations

By The Soyfoods Council

Looking for light, luscious recipe ideas to celebrate Mother’s Day and Memorial Day? The Soyfoods Council suggests several new spins on springtime eating.

Soy ingredients, such as edamame, canned black soybeans and tofu, can lighten up classic fare and create new favorites.

For Memorial Day picnics, try feed-a-crowd favorites such as Edamame Bean Salad or Calico Beans. Edamame Bean Salad adds highquality soy protein and a note of freshness to classic three bean salad.

One cup of frozen prepared edamame provides 18 grams of complete protein. A half-cup serving of canned black soybeans provides about 11 grams of protein, almost two times more protein than typical canned black beans.

Make the salad with one can each of drained black soybeans, green beans and yellow wax beans, along with two packages of frozen shelled edamame, cooked according to package directions. Add diced onion and celery to the beans.

For the dressing, combine half a cup soybean oil, three-quarters cup vinegar and half cup sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, until sugar is dissolved. Pour cooled dressing over the beans.

Calico Beans are the perfect make-ahead variation on baked beans, made in a slow cooker. Combine a 16-ounce can of baked beans, two, 15-ounce cans of drained black soybeans, a package of frozen shelled edamame, and a cup of maple syrup or barbecue sauce.

Add a quarter cup cooked pork or turkey bacon, broken into small pieces. Simmer on slow cooker’s high setting for three to four hours, or six to eight hours on low.

Homemade Chocolate Tofu Ice Cream is an easy-to-make treat in an ice cream freezer. To start, microwave one envelope of unflavored gelatin in a quarter cup water for 15-20 seconds, to dissolve gelatin. Stir in a cup of chocolate soymilk.

In a blender container, add another cup of chocolate soymilk, 8 ounces of drained soft silken tofu and blend until smooth. Add gelatin/ soymilk mixture to blender, with half a cup chocolate syrup, half cup sugar and one teaspoon vanilla, then blend.

Place in ice cream freezer container and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. A three-ounce serving of silken tofu provides 8.5 grams of protein.

Soyfoods help you create easy, flavorful side dishes to serve with your favorite entrees for Mother’s Day celebrations. Sweet Potatoes with Miso Butter can be presented Hasselback-style (thinly sliced partway through the skin, resulting in an attractive, accordian-like appearance).

Cook the sliced sweet potatoes in the microwave. Meanwhile, mix two or three tablespoons butter, with two teaspoons red or white miso, per sweet potato. Microwave the mixture for 30 seconds. Stir and continue to cook for 10 more seconds, if not combined. Brush mixture on each cooked sweet potato.

For a robust, creative salad combination, try Cauliflower, Butter Bean and Edamame Salad. The cauliflower is roasted. If desired, top the salad with grilled seafood or chicken. The bright-tasting dressing is made with soybean oil, fresh lemon juice, honey, chopped fresh basil leaves, Dijon mustard and minced garlic.

Easy dessert ideas include Chocolate Soynut Butter Pie. Use a pre-made graham cracker crust and make the filling in a blender. Melt 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, a quarter cup dark chocolate chips and half a tablespoon butter in a microwave safe bowl. In a blender container, combine half cup chocolate soymilk, a box of firm silken tofu and half cup Wowbutter (soybean nut butter).

Add melted chocolate and blend until smooth. Add filling to crust and chill for at least 12 hours.

You’ll find complete, step-by-step recipes at thesoyfoodscouncil.com.