Soybeans-Meat from the Fields

Spicy Soybean Bun Kebab/Burger

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 During the course of studies; Health Nutrition and Lifestyle , one of the components focused on plant based food. It required us to create recipes and that can replace meat from a meal. Given the relatively high protein content of Soybeans and the research on these as one of the important non meat protein they are historically called "meat of the field" or "meat without bones”.

 

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Soybeans are officially recognized for cholesterol-lowering effects and  a health claim stating that 25 grams of soy protein per day may reduce the risk of heart disease. 1 cup 180 gms of cooked boiled soya beans have 10.5gms of fibre, 300Cal, and 28.6gms of protein. Besides they are great source of Vitamin C, Thiamin, Folate, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Manganese.

 

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American Heart Association has recognized soy foods' role in an overall heart-healthy diet. Recent research suggests that  soy foods lower the risk of certain cancers including prostate cancer, colon and breast cancers as well as osteoporosis and other bone health problems.

For Rs.80/= per KG, soybeans are cheaper as compared to many regularly used lentils and legumes. I have created and cooked several dishes that are soybeans based.

 Here  goes two of delicious and healthy recipes of soy based food:

 

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1-Green and Lean Soybeans and Spinach

2- Soy burger/bun kebab

Sauted Soybeans and Spinach

1-Green and Lean Soybeans and Spinach

Ingredients: 

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-       1Kg Spinach

-       1 cup soybeans

-       1 tbsp olive oil

-       1 big onion chopped

-       2 tsp garlic paste

-       1 tsp lemon pepper/fresh lemon juice

-       1 tsp red chilli flakes

-       1 tsp green chillies

-       1 tsp cumin power

-       1 tsp coarsly ground mustard seeds

-       5-6 chopped green chillies

Garnish (optional)

-       1 full garlic pod chopped and toasted in over or golden fried

-       4-5 whole red chillies (talhar mirch) fried

Instructions:

-       soak the soybeans overnight and then pressure cook with a bit of salt until tender but holds its shape (al dante). Just out enough water to pressure so you don’t need to strain it.

-       In a sauting pan sauté the onions and minced garlic in olive oil until onions are transparent then add ground mustard

-       Put in all the spinach mix it with the onions and  cover the pan let it cook in its own steam or until soft.

-       Add spices now chillie flakes, green chillies, lemon pepper, cumin and the soybeans

-       Stir for 2-3 minutes and let it cook on medium heat or until the dish smells of cooked spinach. Avoid cooking spinach for long, it will loose all its nutrition 

-   Serve garnished with chillies and garlic

 

 

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Soybeans Bun Kebabs:

Ingredients:

-1 cup soybeans

-1 cup chopped spring onions

-1/4 cup chopped green coriander

-5-6 chopped green chillies 

-coarsely chopped garli

-1 tsp red chillie flakes

-2 tsp anar dana (dried pomegranate seeds

-1 tsp cumin powder

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- a binding agent baison/ 1 egg

-1/2 cup bread crumbs

For the Bun Kebabs:

- Whole wheat /regular buns

-Chillie garlic sauce/home made tomato sauce

-Green chutney

- Sliced Onion

- sliced cucumber

 

Cooking Instructions:

-       soak the soybeans overnight and then pressure cook with a bit of salt until very soft and tender almost mushy

-       Mash or run it through food processor, keep it a bit coarse,

-       Add rest of the ingredients excluding the oil and bread crumbs

-       mix it well with hands and make shape into medium sized patty’

-       Coat with bread crumbs

-       On a flat skillet using the oil or any oil spray pan sear the patties on both sides until brown

-       On the same pan toast the split buns add a bit more oil if required

-       Put sauce on the buns, the patty and then garish with sliced onions and cucumber.

These makes great office or school lunches, it stays in stomach for long, very healthy and nutrient dense. 

Just Eat Right-Do Not Diet

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 Just Eat Right.....Dont Diet

We often hear people talking about dieting.

They are discussing how to make a diet plan for themselves. Make a new year resolution to loose weight.  Share medical reports for high blood sugar or cholesterol and try to follow a diet, figuring out what to eat?

But what is diet anyway? My answer mostly is, it is nothing, a self-deception. Even if we develop that courage and will power to go on a diet, it is like a time based medical treatment or therapy. Once we reach our goals, we go back to same unhealthy eating pattern and put on all those pounds, fats and sugar back.

There is only ‘healthy eating’ or ‘un-healthy eating’, nothing in between. “Dieting’ does not exist.

We will loose weight only if we follow a healthy lifestyle and eating habits. All this can only happen if we stop this obsession with dieting and just focus on eating healthy forever.

Unfortunately when we take one of our colleagues to the hospital emergency as they suffer a sudden cardiac seizure, help mom check her blood sugar or return back all gloomy after the burial of a dear uncle who passed away during a cancer treatment, we don’t believe that it can be us in the same situation one day.

We continue with our endless desire to feed our taste buds without thinking what all those unhealthy food is doing to our bodies.

We constantly make excuses for eating high-carb, cholesterol laden, oil drenched meals, ordering from every new fast food chain. We forget to drink water and are too busy for workouts.

In the name of gourmet eating we keep frying our food and order the same at restaurants. Add sugar, salt to our food and go for refined grains.

We find raw vegetable bland and cumbersome to eat but love to eat expensive cuts of steaks as often as we want because we can afford, adding sides of potatoes justifying it as vegetable.

We want to keep the tradition alive and eat curries bathed in ghee, organ meat and mouth watering fried parathas and pooris. We love to juice all our fruits destroying their fibre, and then complain for various gastro-intestinal discomforts.

We forget that our bones are leeched of the important calcium as we drink cans after cans of sodas.

Eating this way clearly leads to malnutrition, yes we are not getting the right nutrient in the right amount that makes us malnutrition individuals at high risk of developing many disease.

Malnutrition does not only mean the starving population of sub-Saharan areas shown in Carter’s award-winning photo.

Any one of us can be suffering from malnutrition with that belly fat and unhealthy eating habits which lead to different disease, ranging from obesity, cancer, cardio vascular complications, diabetes, GI tract complications. 

So what needs to be done?

-       Get your medical check up, blood profile, X-rays and all if you are above 40

-       Getting a Vitamin D and Calcium levels tests are crucial for all ages in Pakistani population, since these play an important role in body functions

-       Find out if you are overweight or within normal range

-       Smoking plays a key role in your mortality and health, don’t even think, just quit if you smoke

-       Establish the daily calorie requirement for your age, height, weight. The many online fitness apps can help you with this.

-       Then plan your daily meals choosing food according to your health condition.

Lifestyle Modifications:

-       Exercise, walk, jog play, any kind of physical activity is the foundation for a healthy body

-       Quit drugs and smoking choice between live longer and healthy or smoke and die young

-       Reduce the screen time on TV and computers

-       Limit caffeine intake in the form of Tea and Coffee

-       Cocaine and Sugar are same, both create craving and are addictive, bad for health. Cut down completely on sweets to just once in a while.

-       Quit eating all any processed food/snacks from packets, boxes and tins.

-       Replace all sodas with water (64 ounces a day)

-       Eat your fruits, don’t drink them, by juicing your fruits, you are depriving yourself from the valuable fibre that helps your digestion.

-       Don’t eat late night and don't go to bed right after dinner.

According to the guidelines for healthy eating by Harvard Medical School:

Your meal plate should be half filled with fruits and vegetable, preferably uncooked, steamed or sauted. Then quarter plate should be some whole grains, like wheat bread, chapattis and brown rice. Another quarter of you meal plate will have a healthy protein that can include, beans, lentils, poultry and fish. Avoid red meat and if at all you want to eat them it need not be more then twice a month. Choose fats wisely, using very limited quantity of oils, like olive, canola, soy, corn, sunflower, peanut. Very little or no butter and completely exclude transfat and semi-hydrogenated fats. Limit the dairy products to one serving a day that are with low or zero fats.

Remember the change in the diet and lifestyle go hand in hand for  health and wellness. Life is a gift from god and you are send to the world with a purpose, your friends and family love you and need you. So make an effort to stay healthy, live a long disease free life.