Today’s spotlight is on Laura Soybeans, grown and sold by the Chambers Family Farm in Iowa.

We consume a lot of soy. It’s provides a complete protein, is a healthy substitute for meat, and is very versatile as an ingredient. Most importantly for us, soy was one of the first things we cleared in Sprout’s diet seven years ago. Although he reacted a bit through the skin prick and IgE blood tests, the reactions were relatively small compared to other allergens, and his food challenge was negative. Not that it wasn’t already in our diet before his allergy diagnoses, but it has become much more important since then.

In our experience it’s difficult to come by beans (and other legumes) that aren’t cross-contaminated with gluten. The same equipment is generally used to process and store legumes and grains up and down the production and distribution chain. Based on past experience washing in water doesn’t remove all gluten, though we’ve tried at various times. This requires us to buy directly from growers, such as Chambers Family Farm, or smaller distributors that have a reputation as not having gluten cross-contamination, or (usually) larger companies that certify their products gluten-free.

At first we bought a lot of soy milk in boxes (please note that we had to clear that soy milk when first giving to Sprout). In fact we’d buy a case of plain, organic soy milk every week or two from Whole Foods (10% off when you buy a case). Eventually, Brett stumbled across the Chambers Family Farm website for Laura Soybeans. Their legumes are non-GMO and don’t share facilities with gluten. As their website says, Laura  Soybeans “are grown, harvested, processed and packaged right here on our 5th generation family farm.”

Uses

We generally use about twenty pounds of dried soy beans per year. Most goes into soy milk but we sometimes add the dried beans into soups or stews. I also adding them to the slow cooker with caramelized onions to use as a side dish. One day we’ll try making our own tofu. We also use the okara – the bits of solid left behind after making soy milk – in place of breadcrumbs when dried, or as a filler or base for a snack when wet.  

Soy milk can be used in place of dairy milk in most recipes. For example, we use fresh soy milk in mashed potatoes, pancakes, bread, non-dairy ice cream, and many more things.   

Where to buy

Buy from directly from the grower, Chambers Family Farm at http://www.laurasoybeans.com.