okara skillet corn bread •

This corn bread is quick, and develops a nice crispy crust. I will usually bake it when we have Okara Chilli. It is a mild corn bread that would be at home at breakfast with a little honey, lunch or dinner.

Okara Skillet Corn Bread •

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease skillet (I use vegetable spray) and place in oven as is warms up.

In a large mixing bowl sift:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup unbleached white flour

3/4 cup yellow corn meal

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sucanat (natural cane sugar) or other sweetener. If you use honey, adjust the amount of yogurt or okara to compensate for the extra moisture.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together:

1 cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons oil (canola, safflower, or light olive oil)

1 cup wet okara (this is referring to the okara straight from your machine)

Spread batter into the Very Hot skillet. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce oven to 375 degrees. Bake corn bread until browned and center tests done, approximately 20 - 25 minutes more.

okara hummus •

When the darlings get home from school, they are STARVED! They remind me of this fact every day like it is something new. If I have my act together (sometimes it happens...) I will throw together this hummus. They gobble it up with okara thin bread or pita bread and lots of raw veggies. If they can’t eat much dinner, who cares? They have gotten plenty of nutrition from this snack.

Okara Hummus •

In your blender, puree the following:

1 cup wet okara (this is referring to the okara straight from your machine)

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans (do not drain)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons tahini

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/8 teaspoon salt

paprika

extra-virgin olive oil

Transfer to a covered container. Refrigerate hummus for a few hours for the best flavor. Right before serving, warm hummus and sprinkle with olive oil and paprika. Serve with pita bread or okara thin bread, and raw vegetables for dipping. 

okara thin bread •

Way back in art school (okay—way, way back...*sigh* way, way, WAY back) I loved to bake bread from scratch. The mixing, kneading, rising and the smell of the bread when it baked—was very therapeutic for me. In the large city where I attended school it seemed like you rushed everywhere just to get there and wait. The hours (and muscles) needed to bake bread released my stress and it gave me the added benefit of actually eating something that was nutritious. The mother of a fellow art student gave me the original recipe for this thin, crispy bread. The addition of okara makes it a little chewier, but still delicious. You can serve this bread with dips, soups, or anything else that you would normally serve crackers with.

Okara Thin Bread •

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together:

1/2 cup warm water

1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons)

Let this mixture rest for 5 minutes. Whisk the yeast mixture up and add:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup wet okara, warmed (this is referring to the okara straight from your machine)

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons sucanat (natural cane sugar) or other sweetener

2 cups white unbleached flour

Beat until smooth, add:

1/2 cup to 1 cup whole wheat flour (add as needed to make a stiff dough)

Knead dough for 10 minutes. Place back in bowl and cover, let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Punch dough down and divide into 4 pieces. Roll a piece into a rectangle roughly 10" x 14" in size. Place on a greased cookie sheet (I usually use vegetable spray) and bake for 20 - 25 minutes until brown. Move bread to a wire rack and cool completely. Once cooled, use your hands to break up bread into manageable pieces.

okara cherry-almond muffins •

We like to have muffins on hand to be able to grab a quick breakfast. These muffins were rated a ten by the little darlings. Unfortunately, they didn’t last very long. Especially when tart red cherries are mom’s favorite fruit. I am lucky enough to be able to buy a gallon bucket of frozen cherries from Door County, Wisconsin at my local grocery store. It is especially handy when March rolls around, and we still have a foot of snow on the ground! A little bit of summer to keep us going until we can get some fresh ripe fruit...

Okara Cherry-Almond Muffins •

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together:

1/2 cup vanilla soymilk

1 cup wet okara (this is referring to the okara straight from your machine)

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup honey

In a large mixing bowl sift together:

2 cups unbleached white flour

1/4 cup ground flaxseed 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup brown sugar, tightly packed

4 teaspoons baking powder

Add in 1/2 cup almonds, finely chopped

(Reserve 2 tablespoons for topping if desired)

Toss in 1 cup tart red cherries. If frozen, thaw, drain and pat dry and then add to dry ingredients. 

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Line muffin tins with paper liners and fill 2/3 full. Top muffins with a mixture of 2 tablespoons finely chopped almonds and 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.

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okara pasta •

Okara is a great addition to a bread recipe, but I was curious to see how it would work with pasta. I experimented with making a pasta dough without egg and using the okara as a binder instead. I was content with the outcome. I have since made lasagne with the dough, and it was mighty tasty. 

Okara Pasta •

In a large mixing bowl combine:

3/4 cup unbleached white flour

3/4 cup semolina flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a small mixing bowl whisk together:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup wet okara (this is referring to the okara straight from your machine)

2 tablespoons water (optional; depending on how wet your okara is, you might not need it)

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and pour wet ingredients into it. Mix to make a stiff dough. If the dough seems too dry, add the optional water. If it is too wet, add more flour, two tablespoons at a time. Knead for 10 minutes. Tuck a damp kitchen towel on top of the dough, and let it rest for 20 minutes. Roll out on lightly floured surface and cut into desired shapes. Or use your pasta maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 

If you are using the dough for lasagne, DO NOT BOIL first, just add to your recipe as is. 

Fill a large pot with water, add 1/2 teaspoon oil, and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook until “al dente”. Because the pasta is fresh, it will cook incredibly fast. When the pasta floats to the surface— test it, it is usually ready.

okara waffles with blueberry sauce •

It’s Saturday morning and you know what that means. Yep, the little darlings are requesting that I fix a hot breakfast! I inherited my waffle iron from my sister seven years ago when she was packing up to move across several states. After 18 years, she was purging big time. We were in the kitchen going through cabinets when we ran across a classic retro chrome waffle iron. “I never use this thing, you want it?” she asked me. I whipped my hands out and took that waffle iron from her so fast I gave her arm a rope burn from the cord. “Oh, I guess I’ll take it” I replied coolly. Wonderfully seasoned, the waffle iron bakes waffles with a delightfully crunchy crust. The blueberry sauce is a nice change from maple syrup, and gives the darlings some added vitamins.

Okara Waffles with Blueberry Sauce •

Preheat your waffle iron.

In a large mixing bowl sift:

2 cups unbleached white flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon brown sugar

In a small mixing bowl whisk together:

2 eggs, beaten until fluffy

1-1/3 cups vanilla soy milk

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup wet okara (this is referring to the okara straight from your machine)

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Make waffles according to your waffle iron’s manual. I use a well-rounded 1/2 cup of batter. Bake until golden brown, about three to three and a half minutes. Hold the waffles in warm oven until all have been cooked. Serve with Blueberry Sauce if desired.

Blueberry Sauce •

4 cups blueberries (frozen is fine, if thawed add the juice)

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons corn starch

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Over medium heat, stir constantly until mixture begins to heat up and break down (At this point I usually mash the berries to release more juice). Reduce heat and cook until almost boiling and sauce appears transparent. Serve immediately.

spicy okara ginger cookies •

I received the original recipe for these cookies from my good friend, Deb. And I will repeat her advice, “Don’t leave out the pepper!”  I was curious to see if I could adapt it by using okara and still retain their chewy consistency. Deb’s recipe called for more butter and an egg. You can try cutting back on the sugar...but when I want a cookie, I want it to be a treat!

Spicy Ginger Cookies •

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl cream together for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar,  tightly packed

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened

Continuing to mix, beat in:

l cup wet okara, pressed as dry as possible in a sieve (this is referring to the okara straight from your machine)

1/3 cup molasses

In a medium mixing bowl combine:

2-1/4 cups white unbleached flour

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

2 teaspoons ground ginger

Add dry ingredients to creamed okara mixture on low speed until incorporated. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes (If you are rolling the dough by hand, this is an important step. I, however, am inpatient when it comes to making cookies and can barely wait to eat them. I do not refrigerator my dough, and use my handy-dandy scoop from Pampered Chef® to shape my cookies. If you use the scoop, gently drop cookie in sugar, turn cookie over, then proceed to place on baking sheet). Roll dough into 3/4-inch balls; roll balls in granulated sugar. Place cookies 2 to 3 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheet; flatten with the bottom of a drinking glass. Bake about 12 - 15 minutes, until golden brown and set around the edges but still soft inside. Cool 5 minutes, then remove to a rack to finish cooling. Makes approximately 3 dozen.