Okara Pita Bread

The pita bread made from this recipe was much lighter than previous recipes, and I've tried 3 or 4. It's a great way to use your akara, and I think next time, I'll up the whole wheat flour, and perhaps try adding either sauteed onion or sesame seeds to the top after I roll the pitas out, and before baking.

2 cups warm water (no more than a warmish body temp or the yeast will die)
1 tablespoon yeast
2 tablespoons honey (or vegan sub - I used agave nectar)
1/2 tablespoon salt (I cut this in 1/2 from the original recipe)
1/2 cup warm wet okara (or substitute mashed soft tofu)
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 to 5 cups unbleached all purpose flour

• In a large mixing bowl mix the water, yeast and honey or substitute well.

• Let sit for 5 minutes to dissolve the yeast.

• Mix in salt and okara.
• Add one cup whole wheat flour and two cups of the unbleached all purpose flour. Beat well to develop the gluten. Continue to add the rest of the white flour until you get a stiff dough. Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm spot to rise for approximately 1 hour.
• After the hour, punch the dough down, and knead a few times. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Divide the dough into 12-15 portions (the original recipe said 10-12, but with the okara it makes lots more!) Roll the portions into balls, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
• After the 10 minutes, take a ball of dough, and flatten it to 1/4" with a rolling pin, shaping it into a round. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat for the remainder of the dough, placing two to a cookie sheet (3 if smaller). Bake for 5 - 7 minutes until browned. Make sure to keep your eye on these because I've found that with successive batches, the oven temp goes up!

• Move to a wire rack to cool while you flatten and bake the rest of the dough. Makes approximately 12-15 pitas.

from Okara mountain

Okara Felafel

I just made this tonight, and it makes a TON of felafel (I mean really, it made about 30 1" balls)! next time I'll cut it in half. I added some chopped flat leaf parsley, which worked very well. This felafel was my own first attempt at homemade - it is light, tasty, and very very different from the prepared boxes you just add water to. We decided we like that granular (and firmer) box mix, or at least, that aspect of it. I'll be fiddling with this recipe to get it where we want it - it's definitely a keeper! Maybe if I add cornmeal (or mix in chickpea flour) I'll have firmer texture - another option might be to drain and press the okara.

2 (15 ounce) can chickpeas (drained, rinsed, and mashed)
1 cup wet okara
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup celery, minced
1/2 cup green onions, (white portion only) minced
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
cayenne (dash or to taste)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
3-1/2 tablespoons white unbleached flour (you will need extra for coating)
3 tablespoons tahini
2 egg replacements, beaten

In a large mixing bowl, combine above ingredients well. Chill mixture for at least one hour or more. With your hands dusted with flour, scoop out mixture to make 1" balls. Coat the balls with flour. Heat a 2"- 3" pool of oil in a heavy skillet or heavy saucepan to 365 degrees. Deep fry the Felafel (three at a time, depending on size of skillet or pan...don’t overcrowd) until golden brown. Hold in a warm oven until done frying all the Felafel. Serve warm with Tangy Yogurt Sauce.

recipe from Okara Mountain, which I recommend highly - this looks fantastic!

Okara hummus

1 cup okara
1 lb canned chick-pea (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 fresh lemon juice
6 garlic cloves
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (more if you like a thinner hummus)
2 tablespoon tahini
salt and pepper

Saute the garlic cloves in olive oil until golden brown. (This eliminates the garlic "kick" that a lot of people find offensive, and the flavor of roasted garlic adds a warm taste to the hummus.).

add the chickpeas to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

Add all of the other ingredients. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

Serve with raw vegetable crudites, crackers, or toasted pita points.

from Recipezaar, amended

drying okara & using it in breads

spread okara out on a baking sheet, then bake at 300F until completely dry, stirring every 10-15 minutes. After it's done, whir in food processor to get rid of lumps, then bag to store in refrigerator or freezer.

Add 1/4 - 1 cup of the dried okara to bread recipes (without altering the recipe otherwise) for a light texture.
To add a cup of cooked (undried) okara to bread, decrease the liquid in the bread recipe by 2 ounces (to 10 ounces) and increase flour by 1/4 cup (to 2-3/4 cup).

Okara tropical granola

* 5 cups okara (if homemade, 'fluff' it first, then measure)
* 1/4 cup sesame oil
* 1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
* 1 cup brown rice syrup
* 1 1/3 cup shredded coconut
* 1 cup sliced almonds
* 1 fluid oz. coconut essence (a small bottle)
* 1/2 - 1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.
3. Spread mix no more than 1/2 inch thick over a large cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
4. Bake for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally until desired color/crispness is attained.
5. Cool and store in an airtight container (in refrigerator for longer life).

from grouprecipes

Okara French toast

2 cups soy milk
2 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. nutmeg
2 tbs. okara
8 slices bread
butter, soy margarine or vegetable oil

In large bowl, whisk together soymilk, seasonings and okara. Grease skillet and bring to low heat for several minutes. Dip a slice of bread into the mixture and immediately transfer to skillet. Cook until browned, turn and cook until browned. Repeat with remaining slices. Serve with syrup, applesauce, or fruit.

Reproduced from the Q'Tessence blog, which looks really interesting!

Okara 'Crab' Cakes

on Fat Free Vegan Kitchen