Oat and soy clusters

A delicious morning cereal with milk, or a munchy crunchy snack to eat by the handful, this smells just divine as it cooks.  Put it in the oven and watch the kids descend on the kitchen like vultures!  These clusters are crunchy soon after baking, but get chewier as they are stored.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups wholemeal (wholewheat) flour

1 cup Fluffy okara

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

2 tsp. bicarb. (baking) soda

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup maple-flavoured syrup

1 tsp. vanilla

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180oC.  Combine all dry ingredients well.  Whisk together buttermilk, syrup and vanilla, and stir into the dry ingredients.  Mix well, breaking up lumps so that none are bigger than a hazelnut.

2. Spread mixture on two baking sheets and bake for 10. Stir to break up lumps, and bake another 10-15 min., until golden.  Cool before storing in an airtight container. 

Soysage

This isn't my recipe - it's from Shurtleff and Aoyagi's Book of Tofu, which is just about the only book you need if you're interested in soy DIY.  While this is yummy, and a good and basic faux meat, I'm not an "I can't believe it's not sausage!" kind of person, and I think it's best if we learn to appreciate these kinds of recipes for what they really are, rather than what they're trying to be.  Serve fried soysage as part of your breakfast fry up, or in a muffin, biscuit, or burger bun.  You can also form the mixture into sausage shapes, wrap in baking parchment and foil, steam until set, and serve like hot dogs with all the trimmings.  Don't forget the ketchup and mustard!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups okara

3/4 cup wholemeal flour

2 tbsp. Maggi seasoning or soy sauce

1 tsp. mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. oregano

1 clove garlic, minced

dash pepper

1-5 tbsp. milk (dairy or soy) or water

Method:

1.  Preheat oven to 180oC.  Combine all ingredients except milk or water, until well mixed.  Add just enough liquid to make a medium-firm dough.

2.  Oil the inside of a cylindrical mould (a nut loaf tin is good for this) and pack mixture in.  Cover with foil.  Place in baking pan and pour in enough water to come 2.5cm up the side of the pan.  Bake for 30 min.

3.  Allow mixture to cool in moulds, then shake out.  Cut into slices and fry like sausage.  

Fluffiest pancakes

This recipe uses all the tricks of the trade to get fluffy pancakes:  acid (in the buttermilk), air (in the eggwhites), gas (in the chemical reaction of the baking powder and the yeast), and not too much gluten (hence the cake flour).  And since the fibre of the okara is “invisible”, neither you nor the kids will realize just how good for you they are as you wolf them down.

Ingredients:

2 eggs, separated

2 cups buttermilk, or milk mixed with a couple of tablespoons yoghurt

1 2/3 cups cake flour

1 cup okara, firmly packed

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. instant yeast (opt.)

1/4 tsp. salt

cooking spray

Method:

1. The secret to fluffy pancakes, other than using acid, air, and gas, is to be quick.  If you take too long making the mixture, the gas and air will dissipate.  Put the griddle on over a medium heat, and have all the ingredients, measured and ready to go before you begin.

2. Put egg whites in a mixing bowl.  Beat with an electric beater with a pinch of salt until stiff.  In another bowl, beat remaining ingredients with the electric beater.  Fold in egg whites.

3. Coat griddle with cooking spray and pour ladlesful of pancake mixture.  When bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes, flip them over, and cook until golden on the second side.  Keep warm while cooking remaining mixture (unless everyone is already and waiting at the table, in which case simply cook and serve, cook and serve, cook and serve… you get the idea).  Serve with your favourite pancake toppings.