Sunday, February 19, 2012

Make Your Own Soynut Butter

I try to make whatever I do for others in the kitchen as allergy-free as possible, since (if I'm giving it to say, an office or seminar group) I never know who may want to try it and what their conditions may be. For clients with specific intolerances, I don't worry as much about non-relative cross contamination, but usually eggs and most dairy are off the menu simply due to cost. I can't eat eggs or cow dairy myself, so it's worthless for me to buy a whole dozen eggs or a litre of milk for a recipe  when I only need a small amount of either - usually in cases like that where it's imperative that they're included I borrow some from the family's store in the fridge.

One of the other things I use a lot of in my baking are "non-nut" butters (not that you'd be able to tell). While tahini is a bit too runny to stand on its own in something like the "3-ingredient peanut butter cookie" recipe, it functions perfectly well in cake and muffin batters and in small amounts for cookies and frostings. I more commonly use either Sunbutter or Soynut butter for applications needing the paste's "bulk", and given that Sunbutter is available in bulk at the Bulk Barn by me and Soynut butter isn't, the sunflower spread usually wins the day. But when it comes to my latest "pet project" for my nutrition gig - concocting protein, meal replacement and snack bars for clients who are too busy to prepare something or who are used to the "grab n' go" mentality - something with a little less sugar, salt and fat, something that I could control exactly what went into it, is more the order of the day. Thanks to Elise's Hungry Hungry Hippie post on making your own soynut butter, I don't have to shell out for a jar of it now and I get to use some of the fresh-roasted soynuts I just made for pennies!

A food processor or blender, your "nuts", some oil and some water are all you need to get started. Then, it's all up to the artiste in you! Try honey and cinnamon, or be all decadent with cocoa and brown sugar, or simply add a pinch of sea salt and a touch of sugar for au naturale.


Soynut Butter
Makes 34 tablespoons (just over 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp canola oil
water as needed
salt and/or flavourings to taste
  1. In a food processor or blender, combine the roasted soybeans and water. Let stand 15 minutes.
  2. Turn the processor on and run until they form a doughy mass.
  3. Stream in oil, followed by as much water as you need to get a spreadable consistency.
  4. Finally, add the flavourings you desire and puree in.
Amount Per 1-tablespoon Serving
Calories: 16.4
Total Fat: 1.3 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 0.0 mg
Total Carbs: 0.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.2 g
Protein: 0.8 g

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