OKARA MADNESS!

 Vegan burgers made with okara


I haven't had much time for experimental or fun cooking lately-- too busy editing my book-- or for much blogging either, for that matter.  The last couple of days I've had fun doing some experimenting.

I've been trying to use the okara (soy pulp) from making homemade soymilk more frequently (I make 2 batches in my soy milk maker every 4-5 days).  After all, it contains high-quality fiber (both soluble and non-soluble), as well as protein, calcium and other nutrients (nutrition facts for okara).

I do make my own parmesan substitute, and I recently devised a yummy, crispy vegan okara waffle recipe.  I also developed a delicious vegan okara brownie recipe, but I can't eat those too often!  I make my Okara Miso Pate sometimes, to eat as a snack with rye crisp crackers. But, I've been wanting to use it more often in recipes than just composting it, so I've been experimenting a little.

 Okara "Parmesan"

 Okara Waffles

 Okara Brownies

 Okara-Miso Pate


This last weekend I used okara in a couple of useful and a delicious recipes and I have a few more I want to try, but I'll just post the two that I'm happy with-- a vegan burger and a vegan "ricotta".  I hope that all you home soymilk and tofu-making folks will try them out.


I altered my TVP/TSP vegan burger recipe, which had tofu in it as well, to use okara instead of the tofu.  It worked perfectly-- and that saves a bit of money, too. This recipe makes 8 medium-large burgers. Steaming cooks the gluten and keeps the burgers moist, but also firms them up nicely when cooled, so they can be browned, grilled or added to recipes later. You can multiply this recipe and freeze it. Crumble the cooked mixture into casseroles, etc.. (It's better to use commercial vegetarian "hamburger crumbles" in sauces.) Or use the patties/burgers instead of cutlets, Salisbury steaks, minute steaks, etc.. 

I won't post the actual recipe here, but here is the printable burger recipe and some photos


(PS: check out homemade burger bun recipes here):

 Before steaming

 Before steaming

 Ready to steam in a Chinese bamboo steamer

 Steaming in a Chinese bamboo steamer



 Steamed burgers

Browning a burger

Finished burger:




And here's the second recipe, the Okara-Cashew "Ricotta"--

Printable Recipe

See http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.ca/2018/01/how-to-replace-expensive-sometimes.html
for alternatives to nuts.

BRYANNA’S OKARA-CASHEW RICOTTA

Makes about  2 2/3 cups

This is an excellent vegan ricotta for all purposes!

2 cups unsqueezed okara

3/4 cup raw cashews

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cover the cashews with boiling water and let sit for about 15 minutes.  Drain them well. Process them in a dry food processor until almost a paste.  Loosen with a spatula.  Add remaining ingredients and process at high speed until as smooth as possible (will never get completely smooth)—this may take 5 minutes or more.  Stop and scrape the sides every few minutes.  Pack into a container, cover and refrigerate.

Alternatively, process everything together in a high-powered blender such as a Vita-Mix or Blend-Tec until almost smooth.

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition (per serving—1/3 cup): 98.4 calories; 55% calories from fat; 6.5g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 121.8mg sodium; 154.8mg potassium; 8.2g carbohydrates; 0.4g fiber; 1.4g sugar; 7.8g net carbs; 3.3g protein; 2.4 points.

Enjoy!