Soy Curls and BBQish Sauce Recipe!!

Some of you may or may not know that I was pescatarian for about 5 years in my life and loved it (vegetarian but I couldn't say no to sushi being in Vancouver, so pescatarian it was). However, since moving back in with my parents, it's been harder to say no to being vegetarian especially when they do most of the cooking at home. And although there ways to still be vegetarian (not just making up excuses here!), I think it's more important to minimize meat consumption (both from a sustainability and health standpoint) instead of asking people to cut certain food groups out completely. That's my opinion anyway.

Sometimes, however, I just miss being vegetarian and finding new items to get my protein in. Most of my clients write out meal plans for me and not only does it keep them prepared and accountable, but I also love seeing their meal plans which gives myself ideas as well and I am usually able to learn from my clients that way too! My client had soy curls on her meal plan and during our next training session I asked her what the heck are soy curls?! She went in depth about how easy they were to prepare, the amount of protein in them (11g per 3/4 cup), and how delicious they were as well; I knew I had to give these a try.

What exactly are soy curls?

From my understanding and research, soy curls are just dehydrated pieces of soy protein made from whole, non-GMO soy beans. When I first opened them they had an interesting smell to them and I was worried that it wasn

't going to be good, but after cooking it, it kind of had similar texture to chicken. I could see this being a great vegan/vegetarian substitute for recipes that call for chicken!

Where can I get Soy Curls?

I heard you can get them at the Vegan Supply Store in Vancouver, but you can also find them online from their website. I have also seen it at some near by grocery stores, so check your local grocery store next time you're there. You can also click on the "Where to buy" link on their website to find distributors near you.

Soy curls nutritional values:

Per 3/4 cups dry or ~30g

Calories: 120

Total fat: 5g

Saturated fat: 1g

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 0g

Total carbohydrate: 8g

Dietary fibre: 6g

Sugars: 1g

Protein: 11g

Calcium: 46mg (4%DV)

Iron: 2mg (10% DV)

Potassium: 516mg (10% DV)

*DV = % daily value

Ingredients: Whole non-GMO soy beans

As you can see, these soy curls are pretty good in terms of nutrition. They don't have any added crap in them like you would find in processed foods and they are super high in protein, and a moderate amount of Iron and potassium. So I would definitely add this to my list of protein sources especially on days where I'm feeling tired or lazy because they are so simple to make!

How do I prepare soy curls?

It's super easy! All you really have to do is soak it in some water to rehydrate t

hem. They may be a bit bland without any flavour though, so I used a homemade BBQish sauce to cook the soy curls in. I add a "ish" to the end of that because it's similar to BBQ sauce, but I wouldn't say it is exactly a BBQ sauce. Regardless, it was still really tasty! I have included this recipe as a bonus below. I serv

ed these on the side of some cauliflower rice that day but, you can serve it with anything really- put it on top of rice, in a stir fry, on the side with some veggies. Ton of options!

Homemade BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup ketchup

• 3/4 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tbsp white vinegar

• 1/2 tbsp paprika

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 2-3 tbsp maple syrup

• 1 tsp Diablo's hot sauce (you can use other hot sauces too!)

• 3/4 tsp salt

• Black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl

2. Turn on your stove to low heat

3. When the pan is warm, put the mixture in the pan and wait for it to simmer (~12 minutes)

Soy curls:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 bag of Butler's Soy Curls

• water

• 1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Add the soy curls to a bowl and fill the bowl to cover the soy curls completely

2. Soak the soy curls for about 10 mins

3. Drain the water and squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the soy curls

4. Heat up a pan and add 1 tbsp of olive oil

5. When the pan is warm to touch, add the soy curls. Stir occasionally until the soy curls turn light brown.

6. Mix in 3-4 tbsp of the BBQ mix. Stir.

7. When the mixture becomes a golden/dark brown, remove from the pan into a bowl. Mix the rest of the BBQ sauce in the soy curls. Serve immediately.