At the supermarket I bought an organic meat substitute. The sole ingredient is soy beans and it resembles the freshly made stuff except dehydrated for shelf life. TVP is similar in its properties to okara but made from soy flour and dried.This was wrapped up in a nice box which must easily have cost more then the contents. I used the tvp to make a vegie lasagne for the weekend and then proceeded to soak a big bowl of my own organic soy beans after mentally chiding myself for buying it tho I was curious to see exactly how it presented and cooked up.

To the packet you add water; boil, simmer and let stand and are left with a mass that did not absorb water in the proportions suggested. I'd rather make my own from scratch and then get not one product for too much money but five for far less.

After soaking beans overnight you have the first product which can then be sprouted or cooked and used in various bean recipes of which there are thousands.

To make soy milk, blend or process a cup of beans (at a time ) with 2 1/2 cups water for a good minute. (We are so blessed to have blenders and processors!!!) Then add this slurry to 5 cups of hot water in a pot on the stove and bring to the boil, stirring regularly until the foam rises to the surface and get the pot off quickly when you see that starting to happen. I did this procedure 5 times and not every time was without a spill as you will see but easily cleaned and the results are worthwhile.

Skim off the foam which in this exercise was my only waste product but when I get "The Book of Tofu" this week it may have suggestions for the foam!

Then pour into a large pillowcase you have set aside from the pack , SQUEEZE into a bucket, really well , dip into hot water and squeeze again into the bucket.

It will be hot so mind your fingers and perhaps use another cloth to squeeze out as much of the soy milk as possible. This is product number two.

This can be drunk after cooling with optional flavouring and/or sweetening.

Okara is product number three and this is of course now cooked okara

and can be frozen and used as you wish in so many things. (Don't eat soy uncooked

unless sprouted..soak beans about 4 or 5 hours first ) You can

use it as a as a "meat substitute " in a huge variety of ways and it is

delicious in muffins, cakes, breads, burgers, stews etc.. Use it in place

of or combined with other legumes and grains.

Freshly Made Okara

Remember product number two, our soy milk and remember the

mess I warned you about after the foam rise? You can see both here.

Bring milk to the boil and simmer 5 minutes, skim off any extra foam if there

is any then take off the fire and add your coagulant. In this case I used

magnesium chloride but epsom salts work as do various other things..

including as I found lemon juice - to make product number four - Tofu.

Here is the newly formed curd after adding coagulant.

Pour it through clean cloth into a container with holes ( a tofu press is ideal )))

and then when whey has drained through fold cloth over the curd, put a lid on

( it needs to be smaller then the container so you can use it as a base for your

weight which will press down upon it ) and then leave like that for 4 or 5 hours.

Product number five is the yellow whey which drains from the curd and can be used as I have mentioned previously talking about cheese in stocks, soups, all kinds of baking and cooking preparations.

Tofu looking good but needs further pressing.

The beetroot seeds have all come up and are growing in lots of little 

clumps even tho I tried to sow them in relatively straight lines .

But they look healthy and when they are bigger I will transplant them.

I have a large patch of beet here with many seedlings and another

raised bed further up.

Beetroot is a wonderful vegetable and both tops and bottoms may be eaten ..like carrots. (I like carrot tops and I know they are edible but they do not seem to be used a lot)

Freshly grated, washed, unpeeled beets are a jewel in your salads and as diverse in application as their colourful friend the carrot to which they provide a marvellous contrast on the plate - especially when teamed up with fresh raw spinach, rocket and beet leaves. Kale if you can get it!  (also called borecole) I have had no luck in getting the seeds this year but I have the other three and will supplement at the greengrocer until I can pick these. I have a patch of endive growing but I need to plant more of that and also parsley and coriander and basil tho the basil may  come up by itself from seeds shed last year. Here we have frost in winter so the plant dies off.

The deep crimson veined leaves of beetroot are attractive and tasty. If you add some chopped onion, capsicum, fresh herbs, tomatoes and sprouts topped with a dressing of olive oil, apple cider vinegar and salt/pepper to taste you have a delicious meal. Have it with your favourite cheeses or fresh crusty wholewheat buttered bread. MMMMMMMMMMM

My mother inspired me with a love for salads...she is a grand salad maker and I try to be one also. Salad should not be colourless limp lettuce and vegetables that have been sitting on the bench all day. If not freshly picked they should be the freshest pick at the best fruit and vegetable place..the ones that look like they love their produce and treat it well.  Store well in the refrigerator and dont take them out until close to the time when you will serve them.

 We  should all eat a hefty portion every day of salad with lots of dark leafy greens and deeply coloured vegetables. And when people say that fruit and vegetables cost too much it is time to really look at how much more money is spent on meat, empty processed food and takeaway meals. Because that's really what costs the most..all the junk and it is the greatest cost to our health.

Beetroot is also tasty cooked!

Wash and then cut roots off the leaves but ''leaf'' some stalk on them.

Boil them in salted water till tender. Take the skins off and slice. (*Making pickled beetroot is one of the few times I do take the skins off a vegetable but never when grating raw as most of the nutrients are just under the skin in all fruits and vegetables)

 This pic turned out a bit dark didn't it ?

This is a mix of apple cider vinegar, half as much water, some raw

sugar, peppercorns, cloves and bay leaf. Bring it to the boil  then

 simmer about 5 minutes.

Once exposed to the air you need to use beetroot fairly quickly but if

 you eat it regularly and make it in small batches it's fine kept in the

 fridge in a container with a lid.

* I also buy it in tins and Golden Circle is my favourite.

PS

A really good Aussie (pronounced "Ozzy") hamburger will always have a big slice of beetroot along with, my husband would attest, onion, bacon, cheese and a beef burger with barbeque sauce and shredded cabbage or lettuce.

PPS

The liquid from pickled beetroot is terrific to add to homemade strawberry icecream. It's flavour seems to complement the strawberry making it stronger and the colour is wonderful. Don't worry about having vinegar in the recipe..it does not come through in the quantity used and vinegar itself is a great substitute for an egg in any recipe. Very popular in vegan cakes.!

I have been trying to work out how best to convert recipes that use yeast to sourdough. In the process I had compiled bits and pieces from various online articles on hydration and percentages. Thousands of people understand this and probably did so the first time they read about it but I could not grasp it at all! Tonight however my clever and mathematically inclined husband read it once and then proceeded to explain to me how it works. After I understood he told me to say out loud each step in my own words. (Interaction and Repetition)

It amounted to this which I have written out to let it really sink into my mind. Seems we don't fully understand some things until we can express them in verbal or written form in our own words. 

How to convert regular yeast recipes to sourdough

 This fruit mix can be for Christmas pudding, cake and mince pies. Having made the Christmas puddings a number of blogs back, half of this particular mix went into the cake and half to make fruit mince for mince pies.

This mixture was comprised of brown sugar, apple sauce, raspberry fruit puree, concentrated apple juice, ginger wine, honey, orange and lemon juice, spices,(star anise, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, mixed spice) 1 cup of of finely chopped walnuts, 15 cups of mixed fruit, 2 cups of chopped prunes and one cup of pureed preserved ginger. Mixed well and left overnight this time!

This morning it looked like this.

To half of that I added:

First 2 1/4 cups wholewheat Flour (mixed well through the fruit) 

Next 8 ozs (1 cup or 250 gm) of melted butter. 

Last of all 6 eggs beaten together first and mixed in well.

Mix everything together very well to get a thick stiff batter.

Hot cake after baking in a very slow oven. Add more ginger wine or whatever your preference and let it cool in the tin with a cover. When cool wrap well keeping the original paper or part thereon on if you wish or carefully removing it and wrapping with new coverings so it is airtight. Store in a cool place where it will continue to mature. Good cake and plum puddings can keep for a long time if properly cooled and stored and will only improve with age. Maybe a good rule of thumb would be to make next years Christmas pudding early in the new year.

 This can be served plain or decorated with marzipan and icing. 

To the other half of the mixture add melted butter and a little flour,

cover well and keep cool but stir occasionally.  Use  a good biscuit  or

shortcrust pastry to make delicious fruit mince tarts.

Today was the first day of Spring and I took a picture of the charming little girl who stands near the snowdrops opposite my gate.

Spring Chickens

After being thoroughly intimidated by Madge and Sheila this evening I thought this might be the answer for these  little girls. Despite the intimidation they had a happy day with new experiences. One place they like is underneath a lavender bush and they have been pecking green things and sunning themselves. Soon they will start having dustbaths. Scratching is still a new skill to yet be mastered but they are learning food and water locations.