Chefs keep food hot at soy buffet

The Soyfoods Association of North America recently held a reception in Washington, D.C., featuring an array of soy-based dishes. The Washington Post reports that the variety of foods available was not exactly what some might imagine at a soy buffet. There were no cubes of tofu marinated in various sauces to conceal their lack of flavor, nor were there bowls overflowing with edamame. Instead, chef and cookbook author Patricia Greenberg explained to the news provider exactly what items consisted of soy in the sizable food spread. There was a dip made with whipped tofu, red bell peppers and pimentos, a medley of aromatic basmati and wild rices mixed with steamed edamame, dried apricots and cranberries and a taco bar that featured seasoned textured vegetable protein (TVP) chicken, soy sour cream, shredded soy cheddar cheese and salsa, along with other "normal" toppings like lettuce and tomatoes. Another buffet item was "meatballs" that were made using a mixture of soy sausage and real beef. "The 50/50 is a nice way to introduce soy" to non-soy eaters, Greenberg explained to the news source. Dessert items included fruit kabobs with a soy yogurt spread and chocolate chip cookies with soy nuts. Chefs at special events like the soy buffet often depend on wire chafing stands to keep food hot and tasting great while it's on display.