Vegetarian Jerky and Other Soy Foods

What is vegetarian jerky? It is a meatless type jerky made from wheat gluten, soy flour, and extract of soybeans. This bean paste jerky can be made to taste many different ways, depending on the herbs and spices it is made with. You can buy several different varieties of meatless jerky online or in health food stores.

Soy Bean Patties or Veggie Burgers

Besides vegetarian jerky, veggie burgers are another tasty and healthy soybean based food. There are several ways you can prepare soybean patties. This particular recipe that I am sharing with you is quite easy and very healthy.

Veggies Burgers Ingredients

2 cups soybeans,
1-cup millet or brown rice
½ cup quick cooking oats
½ cup whole-wheat flour
½ onion, diced
1-teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons liquid aminos, or soy sauce
1-teaspoon basil
1-teaspoon oregano
1-teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation

Cook soybeans until done. Cook brown rice or millet according to package directions and set aside. With a fork or potato masher, mash the beans. They don't need to be pureed. You can quickly sauté the veggies, or you can leave them raw, it's really up to you, just make sure they are diced fine if left raw.

Mix all of the ingredients together and form into patties. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 or fry in a pan with safflower oil. Serve with whole-wheat rolls or bread and condiments of your choice.

Textured Soy Protein

Textured soy protein is similar to vegetarian jerky but is more widely used in packaged and refined foods and sold in retail grocery and health food stores. Vegetarians and health conscience individuals use textured soy protein as a partial substitute for ground meat in recipes.

Soy protein can replace half or all of the meat in meat loaf, hamburgers, meatballs, and many other meat dishes that call for ground beef. The wonderful aspect about soy protein is you will still get lots of protein, which is a great substitute for vegetarians.

Cooking With Tofu

Tofu or bean curd is used extensively in Japanese cuisine. Tofu can be steeped in an aromatic broth, and then broiled stir-fried, or simmered with other ingredients. Because of its delicate texture, tofu takes on the flavor of any sauce or broth it is cooked in.

Tofu is healthy. It has lots of protein, iron, calcium, and B vitamins, and it contains no cholesterol. Here is a quick, easy, and healthy tofu recipe.

Tofu Stir-Fry Ingredients

1 block of tofu
½ cup carrots, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, diced
3 scallions, diced
1 bell pepper, sliced thin
1-cup mushrooms
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup soy sauce
Olive oil for sautéing

Preparation

Slice the tofu in small bite sized blocks. Heat olive oil in a wok or other pan, and add garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the tofu in batches, carefully stirring until lightly browned. Remove tofu from pan and set aside. Add vegetables, sesame seeds, and soy sauce and cook for two minutes. Add the tofu and stir for two more minutes. Serve with Chinese noodles.

Pablo Jones is a medical professional and has been for seventeen years. He is a healthy eating enthusiast and regularly submits information on healthy eating at http://www.organichealthyeating.com. Find out more about vegetaraian jerky here.

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