After my soy milk making adventure, I have been making my own plant milks every chance I get. I love learning new skills, especially when the result is so much more than the effort expended. One of the waste products of making soy milk is soy pulp.

Soy pulp (left over from making soy milk) is apparently called okara; it can be used in all sorts of recipes. The Japanese even use it as the base for many meals. I have a cup or so of the stuff in the fridge ready to be made into something.

I hate to waste stuff, so any left over I can turn into something else is a bonus. Also okara is really high in iron and fibre, two things I need more of in my diet at the moment.

I found this recipe and decided to give it a go. The recipe below is copied directly from the blog Runaway Rice.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar, reserve 2 Tbsp for topping
• 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 oz fresh okara, approximately 1 cup
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Standard – Metric

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F (191 C). Prepare a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. In a large bowl, combine the okara, beaten eggs, soy milk, canola oil and vanilla extract.
4. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, in thirds, and combine until incorporated. Do not over-mix the batter.
5. Add the fresh blueberries and gently mix together.
6. Using a large cookie scoop, transfer the batter into the lined muffin cups.
7. Sprinkle the muffin tops with the remaining 2 Tbsp sugar.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the muffins comes out clean.
9. Increase the oven temperature to 400 F (205 C) and bake for 3-5 minutes or until the muffin tops are golden.
10. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a cooling rack.
11. Enjoy the muffins warm or at room temperature with butter or your favorite spread.
12. Store the muffins in an air-tight container and enjoy within 3-4 days. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Freeze for up to 2 months.

Of course my version was coloured by what I had available and how often I was distracted from the actual recipe by a stray bright idea (as usual).

I froze half the batch for work lunches and breakfasts and the rest went into a container in the fridge for nibbles. I am really happy with the outcome and I am really happy to have used 6 eggs today.

Maybe I can try making okara into ‘chicken’ nuggets next?