Soy

Wings are football food. There's no denying it. But they're certainly not health food. This recipe gives your arteries a bit of a break because the chicken is roasted instead of fried. There's no loss in flavor, though, thanks to a sweet and tangy glaze made with soy sauce, sugar and balsamic vinegar. They're sticky, for sure, but it's worth it. Just bring napkins (and maybe wet wipes) along with the wings for the game-day festivities. Balsamic soy-glazed chicken wings 4-5 pounds chicken wingettes 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 teaspoons sugar 1 tablespoon unsalted butter Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven.

Wings are football food. There's no denying it. But they're certainly not health food. This recipe gives your arteries a bit of a break because the chicken is roasted instead of fried. There's no loss in flavor, though, thanks to a sweet and tangy glaze made with soy sauce, sugar and balsamic vinegar. They're sticky, for sure, but it's worth it. Just bring napkins (and maybe wet wipes) along with the wings for the game-day festivities. Balsamic soy-glazed chicken wings 4-5 pounds chicken wingettes 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 teaspoons sugar 1 tablespoon unsalted butter Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven.

SONGWRITERS rhapsodize over amber waves of grain, and corn as high as an elephant's eye. But a humbler plant, the leafy little soy, is fast becoming the hottest item at the supermarket. High-protein, low-fat, no-cholesterol soy beans were once best known in this country for producing the dark brown sauce that comes in little packets with Chinese food. Now they are available in seemingly countless permutations: in milk-like products for the lactose intolerant, as a meat substitute in burgers and casseroles, in tortilla chips and other snacks for dieters, as flour, nuts and a condiment.

Giant Food of Landover is using new labels to help shoppers identify gluten-free foods. The blue and green signs will be used to mark nearly 3,000 products sold by the region's largest grocery chain. About three million Americans have to eat a gluten-free diet because of Celiac disease, an immune disorder in which gluten damages the lining of the small intestine. Others have adopted thegluten-free dietfor other personal or dietary reasons. Gluten is a protein found in carbohydrates including wheat, barley and rye. Gluten can also be used as an additive in items such as soy sauce and licori   “    

Q. I think too many people are experimenting with a potentially dangerous food item -- soy. I myself have experienced some odd symptoms that doctors could not figure out. I finally determined that the problems appear after eating soy products. At the time of my worst symptoms, I was eating up to three pounds of tofu a week. (I loved it for breakfast, warmed with a little soy sauce, plus various recipes for dinner.) I thought I had thyroid problems causing weight gain, hair loss, depression, water retention in hands and feet and breast swelling.

My mother died of breast cancer, so the sword of Damocles hangs over my head. I'm always looking for allies in my personal fight for survival. I'm discovering that soy is on my side.Studies show that naturally occurring dietary components in soy products, like tofu, soy milk and soy sprouts, can significantly reduce risks for several kinds of cancer.A study done in Singapore, for instance, looked at the eating habits of more than 600 women and found that those who ate the most soy foods were half as likely to get breast cancer as those who ate soy foods rarely, according to the Tofu Times newsletter.

You're about to hear another amazing reason to learn to eat tofu, and several delicious ways to make it happen.Numerous studies show women who regularly eat foods made from soy (such as tofu, tempeh and soy milk) have very low rates of breast cancer. Men who eat soy rarely die from prostate cancer.Now information emerges suggesting soy-based foods may also reduce menopausal symptoms, including mood swings and hot flashes. In Japan, where women traditionally eat a high-soy diet, hot flashes are so rare there is no word to describe them.

Anybody who still thinks that eating healthy is equivalent to having your taste buds removed hasn't sampled Timber Crest Farms' dried tomato spice medley.Just a taste will leave you wondering how they were able to cram 20 pounds of rich caponata-style relish flavoring into an 8-ounce jar.And if you're a graduate of the no-fat-means-no-taste culinary institute, then it's time to chomp on a Soy Boy vegetarian hot dog made of soy protein, wheat gluten, herbs and other ingredients.These were just a few of the tasty treats being served up at the Natural Products Expo East at the Baltimore Convention Center.

SCHOOL cafeteria lunches have changed a lot in recent years. Salad bars, fast-food entrees, bottled waters, yogurt as a main dish. Then there's the federal rule that limits the amount of fat in school lunches to less than 30 percent on average, an admitted problem for cafeterias that serve over 26 million kids a day. The obvious answer to that dilemma is to use more good, low-fat soy protein as a substitute for meat. So the U.S. Department of Agriculture is expected to soon allow unlimited use of soy as a meat substitute in school lunches; the current limit is 30 percent.

Health food advocates have long claimed that soy, the little legume found in everything from tofu burgers to smoothies, can protect against heart disease, ward off cancer and combat hot flashes. But those claims are coming under scrutiny, now that a soy food manufacturer, the Solae Co. of St. Louis, is seeking government approval to promote soy's supposed cancer-fighting abilities on its product labels. The company's petition to the Food and Drug Administration for a new health claim has the support of some soy researchers, but has angered others who say the science simply doesn't support it. Some disputed research in mice suggests soy could promote breast cancer.

Tonight's dinner: vegetable stew (vegan, gluten free, contains soy), rice (vegan, gluten free, soy free), fruit salad (vegan, gluten free, soy free), and green salad with avocado and tomatoes (vegan, gluten free, soy free)! Within the first days of Occupy Baltimore, a food committee was formed and most days since the committee of volunteers has prepared meals in the various kitchens around town that have been made available for the volunteers. Don Barton, who works with Baltimore Free Farm, is among the volunteers who prepare dinners for the McKeldin Square occupiers.

Anita Charles of Greensboro, N.C., was looking for a marinade recipe for flank steak that contained orange juice, garlic and possibly soy sauce. Donald Van Ostrand from Sykesville sent in a recipe that he first used on tuna but that he says works equally well for grilled flank steak, pork tenderloin or chicken. Now that grilling season has arrived, this seemed like a recipe worth trying. I tested his marinade on a 2-pound piece of flank steak, since that was what Anita Charles was looking for, and it gave the meat a wonderful flavor.

Some time ago, I heard an unusual home remedy on your radio show: using Elmer's glue to prevent blistering on a burned hand. I burned myself last night and initially iced my hand. Since I've never had much luck with icing burns, I decided to try the glue method, which consists of spreading glue over the burned area and letting it harden. I repeated this covering a couple of times to form something like a second skin over the burn. Eight hours later, as I write, the skin is a little tender, but there are no blisters.

My husband and I recently combined forces in a spectacular kitchen accident. He was heating water in a French press coffee pot in the microwave, and unknowingly heated it too much. As he picked up the pot and walked away from the microwave, the superheated water erupted into his face. In running to see what had happened, I slipped in the water, and hit my shoulder in the fall. I remembered reading about soy sauce for burns in one of your columns, and he quickly applied a liberal amount to his face.

If you've gone shopping for candles recently, no doubt you've come across ones made from soy wax. Many manufacturers promote soy as a natural alternative to paraffin, the byproduct of refined petroleum and the most frequently used candle wax in the world. The rise in popularity of soy candles coincides with rising gas prices and concern about use of fossil fuels. If you want a natural, more environmentally friendly candle, evaluate the elements of a candle before buying. The Wax: Soy wax and beeswax burn more slowly than paraffin, says Barbara Miller, spokeswoman for the National Candle Association based in Washington.

A friend burned her hand on a very hot pan handle. I grabbed the soy sauce and had her soak her hand in it after she ran the burn under cold water. She reported relief, and the next day she was fine. I was really worried it would blister. She smelled like marinade, but that's a small price. Thanks for sharing your success with soy sauce. We heard about this home remedy for burns from an Oregonian listener to our radio show. On my last visit to the dentist, our hygienist recommended we chew gum containing xylitol.

Soy -- it's what's for dinner. And breakfast. And lunch these days.At least, that's what food consultants are predicting -- and nutritionists and dietitians are urging."

When soy burst onto the Western food scene in the early 1990s, the possibilities for the bean seemed boundless. The protein-packed legume had potential to prevent breast cancer, increase bone mass and alleviate hot flashes. It seemed to lower cholesterol, and thus to help prevent heart disease. Millions of dollars were poured into research, and technologists plopped soy into every food imaginable. They ground it into burgers, hot dogs and sausages. Tofurky was born. They processed it into cheese, milk and ice cream.

Eleanor Luna of Owings Mills was trying to find a recipe for marinade that she lost in her last move. It came from a bottle of soy sauce more than 30 years ago. Jo Ann Elder of Ocean City sent in a recipe she found on a bottle of La Choy soy sauce years ago and has been using ever since. She says it is particularly good for chicken but also can be used for pork or beef. I tested it using bone-in chicken breasts that I marinated overnight and then grilled. The chicken had a definite teriyaki flavor and was very tasty and juicy.

Feeling helpless against what seems to be an inevitable march of residential and commercial developments through Maryland's farmland? Don't think it's possible for one individual to play a meaningful role in keeping open space open so that second- and third-generation farmers can pass along their livelihoods to their children and grandchildren? As we cudgel our collective brains to find workable solutions toward managing the imminent growth facing the Eastern Shore and much of the agricultural countryside still remaining in the counties around Baltimore, we could end up despairing that there are no remedies.