One of the leaders at the forefront of this soy phenomenon is noted author and dietician/ nutritionist Patricia Greenberg.  Patricia has long known the health benefits and the great taste of soy and now has brought it to us through her highly successful book The Whole Soy Cookbook.  Making national appearances on such shows as The Today Show, CNN and Lifetime's program New Attitude, Patricia has helped many families learn and use soy for both health and taste.

In addition to being a chef, Patricia is an instructor of nutrition and culinary arts at The Southern California School of Culinary Arts, and the Los Angeles Learning Annex. Her primary area of expertise is health and fitness oriented cooking, with an emphasis on environmental awareness. She has a special interest in enhancing the education of the general public, always working towards teaching a healthful approach to menu planning, and providing accurate nutrition and health information to today’s consumer.

In her quest to getting out the good word about soy and soy products, Patricia has developed both simple and delicious recipes for people who want to incorporate soy into their diets and for the folks who already are cooking with soy.

The Whole Soy Cookbook includes recipes which have long been family favorites like Fettuccini Alfredo and meatloaf.  These dishes are delicious and formulated so the whole family can enjoy them.

Patricia it's terrific to be able to talk with you about soy and cooking with soy.  I hear from many people, who want to cook with soy, but just don' t know how to do it.   Your book The Whole Soy Cookbook makes it very clear and easy for anyone wanting to cook with soy.  I must say your recipes sound delicious : ).

Finding the ingredients
Sue:
Your book The Whole Soy Cookbook is full of wonderful and tasty sounding recipes. Some recipes like the Alfredo call for soy mozzarella cheese along with soy Parmesan cheese. Where would you direct folks to purchase products like these as most "regular" grocery stores aren't yet totally up to speed with soy products?

Patricia:
I specifically designed recipes that were familiar to most people, and called for ingredients that are easy to obtain. If the grocery store doesn't have what you need, the health food stores should. Beyond that, the back of "The Whole Soy Cookbook" has a comprehensive source guide with 800 numbers and websites whenever possible to get these products through mail order.

A Passion for Soy
Sue:
As a dietician, and now a very successful author with appearances on the Today Show, what got you interested in nutrition as a career? How did you discover soy and develop such a passionate interest in it?

Patricia:
These are both questions that come up frequently! I was always interested in cooking and studying food. I was taking science courses in college and thinking through what I wanted to do. I had to take a home economics requirement and I choose nutrition. After one course, I chose my major, and never looked back.

I worked with soy early on because it made sense to me even 15 years ago that a vegetable based diet would be beneficial in preventing diseases. The approach I took was to recommend a broad based, predominately vegetarian diet, and I found tofu and tempeh to be fascinating. They were the products that could replicate meat and cheese in cooking so over the years, I started experimenting with my favorite recipes. I don't think anyone was paying attention, including my friends who are dietitians. Needless to say, health professionals started to tout the benefits of fruits and vegetables, especially vegetable proteins, and I got the opportunity to write a book on soy.

Getting "The Whole Soy Cookbook" off the ground was a tough sell at first, but now with the FDA approval of soy as a cholesterol fighting food, people are much more receptive to eating soy, in all of its forms.

Changing Your habits
Sue:
What would you suggest to a person, who wants to change their cooking and eating habits from the usual American or Western fare to one that includes soy? What would the first steps be and how do you get the family on the program without a lot of "fanfare" : )?

Patricia:
I always take the approach of adding soy into the diet without taking anything away, especially the taste.

• Start out by taking your favorite recipes and adding soy into it.
• When making a bean soup, use soy beans, when making meatloaf, meat balls, or meat sauce, use half the amount of beef or chicken, and combine it with soy sausage. Try Lightlife's "Gimme Lean" sausage, or Yves "Ground Round" sausage.
• Soy milk instead of cream in soups and sauces, and puree some tofu instead of sour cream when making dips. There are so many ways to get soy into the family diet without too much protesting!

The Rap on Soy
Sue:
Why do you believe, especially in the past, soy has been given such a "rap"? How do we change this perception?

Patricia:
Soy has been getting a bad rap only in America, and there are a variety of reasons. One is that historically, soy was used exclusively as animal feed, and for crop nourishment. Not to palatable sounding. Secondly, we are not accustom to eating Asian food where soy is a staple. That obviously has changed with the influx of Asian natives to our country. A real stumbling block is that soy was never associated with fine dining, and top chefs. Now there is "The Whole Soy Cookbook," with something for everyone.

"The Whole Soy Cookbook" Excerpts

Chocolate Soy Brownies
This dessert is brought to us by Patricia Greenberg. Patricia has created this delicious brownie which will be loved by your entire family!

Soy Sloppy Joes

Every bit and great tasting as the original beef version, these hearty sandwiches use soy sausage and just take minutes to prepare.  They are a big hit with kids.

What you need:

• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 3 14- ounce packages of soy sausage
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup of ketchup
• 2 cup of tomato juice
• 2 tablespoons of brown mustard
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ¼ teaspoon of black pepper
• 6 whole grain burger buns, split

What you do:

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the sausage and onion, stirring frequently to prevent sticking , until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the ketchup, tomato juice, mustard, salt, and pepper, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Smother each bun half with ½ cup of sausage mixture, replace bun top, and serve.  (This mixture can be made ahead and frozen)
   
   Serves 6

High-Protein Diets
Are you losing more than weight?
by Monique N. Gilbert
author of "Virtues of Soy"
So many people today are on high protein diets. In this article from Certified Personal Trainer/Fitness Counselor Monique Gilbert, she tells us what protein is and how we already eat too much protein. Find out how too much protein can damage your heart, your kidneys, your bones and more and how losing weight with a high-protein diet is more about water loss than fat loss. Take our cardiovascular risk quiz and find out how you can start a more healthy life. She is the author of "Virtues of Soy" and will show that vegetable protein has many advantages over animal protein.

Meet the author
Marie Oser
"Soy of Cooking"
Interview & FREE recipes

Marie is a freelance food writer who contributes to gourmet vegetarian and environmental publications. In her book, she defines 30 new and traditional soyfoods, most of which can be found in supermarkets and health food stores around the country. It also includes a guide to useful cooking techniques, tips on using spices, and soyfood exchange information. In this interview, Marie discusses the anti-cancer benefits of soy and suggestions for how much do you actually need. She also explores the beneficial properties of soy for diabetics and where you can find the newer and tastier soy products.

click here to join HotFlash & ask a question

Chocolate Soy Brownies
This dessert is brought to us by Patricia Greenberg. Patricia has created this delicious brownie which will be loved by your entire family!

Sue's Soy Kitchen
Have you thought about soy?
Stop by our kitchen where we have prepared some tasty treats which are healthy too!
"Two soy beans up! - - Way up!"
- - Soybean Entertainment Weekly
""I can't believe I ate the whole thing!"
- - Soy & Tofu Times

The Whole Soy Cookbook
175 delicious, nutritious, easy-to-prepare Recipes featuring tofu, tempeh, and various forms of nature's healthiest Bean
by Patricia Greenberg, Helen Newton Hartung

Now that medical research has confirmed that soy really can lower your cholesterol, slow bone loss, fight heart disease and cancer, and even moderate the symptoms of menopause, here are 175 delicious ways to incorporate soy products into your diet. These mouthwatering recipes--from potatoes au gratin, pizza, meat loaf, brownies, cheesecake, and ice cream to tiramisu, fajitas, and Cajun red-hot jambalaya--are inspired by old favorites and classic dishes from the world's best cuisines.

Smart Fats:
How Dietary Fats and Oils Affect Mental, Physical and Emotional Intelligence
by Michael A. Schmidt

also see
Heart Health
Written by a research scientist in the field of nutrition, this book describes how the body's digestive, communication, and nervous systems function, and links fatty acid intake to memory, mood and behavior. Schmidt explains how most "low-fat" diets are actually unhealthy and how many people today get little or none of important fatty acids like omega-3 in their junk-food meals. 10 charts & tables.

How much is enough soy?
Soy and its powerful components called isoflavones have been given credit for reducing hot flashes to preventing heart disease to lowering cholesterol levels.   Isoflavones are phytoestrogens, plant based estrogens.  They have been shown to help lower the risk of many human diseases, particularly those that are hormone related.
How much is enough to get the long touted soy health benefits? Find out more.

Faqs All About Soy Isoflavones and Women's Health
by Victoria Dolby, Jack Challem

This series of compact volumes answers the FAQs (frequently asked questions) about the major nutritional supplements making headlines today. How a traditional Asian soy-based diet decreases menopausal symptoms is just one of the topics covered in this book.

Menopause Without Medicine:
Feel Healthy, Look Younger, Live Longer
by Linda Ojeda

Dr. Ojeda broke new ground when she began to study nonmedical approaches to menopause more than 10 years ago. Now she has revised and updated her definitive resource, incorporating the latest findings about estrogen, mood swings, and osteoporosis. Throughout, Ojeda shows how women can enjoy optimal health at any age by making simple, inexpensive changes in diet and lifestyle.

The Hot Flash Cookbook
by Cathy Luchetti, Linda Hillel

For the 40 million American women who will reach the age of 50 by the year 2000, award-winning cookbook author Cathy Luchetti provides delicious recipes for health and well-being during menopause featuring wholesome ingredients such as fresh herbs, root vegetables, nuts, and fish, inspired by a variety of delectable ethnic flavors and cuisines. 2-color illus.