ISU Students Present Soy Recipes
After three weeks of testing, Kelsey Bulat and Staci Howlett presented nine soyfoods recipes to a group that included The Soyfoods Council staff, Iowa State University (ISU) professors, and the executive chef of ISU Dining. The two were hired in the spring as interns for The Soyfoods Council and given the task to develop 15 unique recipes that would introduce soy to students at ISU in a tasteful and unexpected way. Many of the recipes will be used this fall in ISU Dining, which provides food for residential dining centers, cafes, convenience stores and more.
“We had a lot of fun,” says Kelsey Bulat. “It’s like being an artist and someone gives you free art supplies and tells you to just create.”
Bulat and Howlett are both culinary science majors at ISU, with matching ambitions to make a splash in the food world. This experience allowed them to be creative and work outside the box.
“The creativity and innovation was over the top,” says Linda Funk, executive director of The Soyfoods Council. “The dishes were perfect to use in foodservice and absolutely delicious.”
Find all the recipes from the tasting at The Soyfoods Council Website
The tasting started with Bulat and Howlett explaining the different soy dishes
Bulat answers questions regarding the soy dishes. There were nine different recipes that incorporated soyfoods.
A taster grabs a Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich. It used soft silken tofu to contribute to the texture and taste..
The Lemon Cream Fruit Dip was creamy, sweet and tart. The two used marshmallow cream which allowed it to be served at varying temperatures without worries of spoilage.
A plate with the Lemon Cream Dip and the Fiesta Bean Relish. The relish was served with chips but could be added to a variety of foods.
A Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich. After allowing it to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours it was served on toasted bread.
The Greek Stuffed Peppers were tender and tasteful. They combined ingredients like feta cheese, red onions, olives, rice and extra firm tofu.
Jantina Wennerstrom, marketing associate at the Soyfoods Council, begins tasting the recipes.
Howlett and Bulat are busy in the kitchen ensuring everything is perfect. They worked for three weeks creating the soy recipes.
One of the recipes prepared during the tasting were the Apple Cinnamon Soy Crepes. Here, Bulat begins the preparation.
She chops several granny smith apples that were sautéed butter, sugar and cinnamon.
The crepes are quickly browned in a skillet before the filling is added.
Howlett carefully places the sautéed apples in the crepes. They were served warm and topped with cool French Vanilla whipped cream.
Howlett cleans up after serving the crepes.
Funk begins her critiques of the soy recipes.
Each taster was asked rate the foods on taste, recipe clarity, and appearance. Here Linda Svendsen, senior lecturer of Food Science & Human Nutrition at ISU, makes comments about a recipe.
Chef Everett Phillips, manager of Food Services II at ISU Dining, discusses the recipes with Funk.
After the tasting, Howlett listened to the comments and suggestions by the tasters.
In the end, the group tasted nine recipes in an hour.
