Amazing Soy: A Complete Guide to Buying and Cooking This Nutritional Powerhouse With 240 Recipes (Paperback)

by Dana Jacobi (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The FDA has announced that consuming 25 grams of soy daily may lower blood cholesterol, and other authorities claim that soy reduces the risks of breast and prostate cancer and osteoporosis, and can alleviate menopausal symptoms. Meanwhile, Jacobi, a spokeswoman for the United Soybean Board and Vitasoy USA, admits, "Soy foods vary noticeably, both in taste and in texture, from one brand to another" and "Soy cheese is another touchy question." Jacobi (The Best of Clay Pot Cooking) helps cooks navigate the array of soy flours, soy filets, tofu, edamame (soybeans in the shell) and soy dairy-replacements now available. The most useful sections are "Sources and Ingredients" and "Techniques," which cover everything from soy nuts to how to press and freeze tofu. Meat lovers with high cholesterol can find solace in California "Bacon" and Avocado Wrap, but may be perplexed by White Pizza with Prosciutto, which uses real prosciutto. Vegetarians will enjoy the easy Jamaican Cook-Up with Black Soybeans and Greens, but those watching their fat intake will need to avoid the coconut milk that gives it flavor. Laotian Lemon "Pork" with Green Beans and Smoked Tempeh Pate with Walnuts will expand a vegan's repertoire if said vegan can overlook the many other dishes using eggs and animal products. Recipes, while reliable, won't astound with their flavor, and the "hidden pill" approach is favored in Curried Butternut Squash Soup and Edamole. But all that soy can't hurt, and companies "keep working to improve products."

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Jacobi (The Joy of Soy) is an expert on cooking with tofu, tempeh, and all the other soy products that are increasingly popular and available today. She begins with a discussion of health benefits (the American Heart Association, for example, recommends making soy protein part of a daily diet to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease), then moves on to a guide to soy foods from edamame (the fresh soybeans served as a snack at sushi bars) to yogurt and soymilk to tofu and its relatives. She recommends specific brands when applicable; however, staunch advocate though she is, even Jacobi does not recommend soy "cold cuts" and "hot dogs," at least not those currently on the market. These introductory sections are followed by dozens of recipes, from Cloud-Light Blueberry Pancakes to Smoked Turkey and Arugula Wrap to Burmese Tofu Curry. For most cooking and health collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks; 1 edition (July 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006093381X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060933814
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #759,560 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book for anyone interested in learning about soy!, January 23, 2002

By	Diane Levin - See all my reviews

While I'm sure that hard-core vegetarians and other food purists will complain about this book, which contains a few recipes containing eggs, dairy products, as well as meat and fish, this is a superb book for anyone wishing to learn more about soy foods. This book is especially useful for cooks, like me, who eat meat, but who are interested in exploring ways to add economical and nutritious soy foods to their families' diets. With careful descriptions and explanations of a broad range of soy foods, from miso to tofu to tempeh and everything in between, this book offers recipes for many meals and occasions, using easy-to-understand and easy-to-follow instructions. Substitutions are often suggested, and most of the recipes can be created from ingredients readily obtainable in most supermarkets. The recipes are both imaginative and tasty. I'd recommend this book wholeheartedly to anyone who loves to cook and is interested in alternative sources of protein.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous!!!, September 6, 2001

By A Customer

This book showed dozens of ways to eat soy that were new to me. Going well beyond tofu, the possibilities in this book are just amazing. Dana really shows how versatile soy is and how easy it is to use in fabulous dishes.

The ingredients she uses do include the usual ones-tofu, miso, soymilk, and tempeh. I also liked her edamame recipes. I had no idea you could cook with these sweet, little green soybeans. It also shows how to use products like soy yogurt, crumbles, a kind of meat replacement, and how to bake using soy protein powder.

The food in this book is healthy but I like the way Dana emphasizes great taste and fun. (Love the Chocolate Cupcakes Dream Cream filling. When I made them, my friends never guessed there was soy in them.)

Dana clearly is not a member of the Diet Police. Some of her recipes use eggs, which we now know are fine to eat in moderation. I love that she recommends real Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the soy version, even on the soy pasta she uses.

I want to try the Quinoa, Sweet Potato and Smoked Tofu Salad, Caesar Salad with Parmesan Croutons (made from tempeh), and Laotian Lemon "Pork" with Green Beans. This one uses a soy meat she claims resembles chicken.

Along with meatless dishes, about a dozen recipes do include poultry or fish along with soy. Maybe the Florentine Meatloaf, combining soy crumbles with ground turkey, will convince my tofu-hating uncle that he can get his blood cholesterol down by eating some soy.

The dessert recipes look really great. I won't feel so guilty enjoying Panna Cotta making it with soymilk. According to the nutritional analysis for the recipe, it has just 165 calories and less cholesterol than a quarter of one egg. I have tried the Cranberry-Lime Sorbet. It took about 20 minutes to make, not including freezing. Can't believe something so delicious has no fat in it at all.

Besides the recipes, I learned an incredible amount about all kinds of soy products. The guidance on technique is also very valuable. I even enjoyed reading this book.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'Amazing' is the Word!, September 7, 2001

By	Lani (Missouri, USA) - See all my reviews

This is a superb cookbook! This is a collection of the best soy recipes I've ever seen. There is also an abundance of information about the various forms of soy foods. This is a comprehensive cookbook with everything from breakfast to desserts, and everything in between. All of the recipes have excellent instructions that make each recipe a success every time.
For anyone who wishes to incorporate soy into their diet - vegetarian or meat-lover- this is the perfect cookbook. I highly recommend the Double Chocolate Bread Pudding, Roasted Tomato Bisque and Southwestern Bean Spread!