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Guilt-Free Food Blogs Review

#1: From Japan, I was just really very hungry

Milking the soy bean, part 1: learn how to make soy milk with no special equipment.

Milking the soy bean, part 2: learn how to prepare tofu at home.

This is the concluding article of my 3-part series on Milking The Soy Bean. In Part 1, I described how to make soy milk with no special equipment, and in Part 2 I showed how to make tofu.

The by-product of turning soy beans into soy milk or tofu is the ground up fibrous part of the bean. This is called okara or, more quaintly u no hana (卯の花) in Japanese. (I don't know what the u part is, but hana means flower, so it's the u-flower.) Okara is a nutritional powerhouse, containing soluble and non-soluble fiber, protein, calcium and other minerals. It's even more nutritious (because of the high fiber content) than soy milk or tofu. However, I have to confess I end up throwing much of the okara that's produced when I make tofu away. Most tofu makers actually either throw it away or give it away as feed to farms - most commonly to pig farms in Japan. (We asked a small local tofu manufacturer what he does with his okara, and he said he gives it to a local dairy farmer. Swiss cows eating okara…now that's Fusion for you.)

#2: From Jersey, Channel Islands, Rice and Noodles

Mae Gabriel tells her secrets to prepare the perfect Corned Beef Hash, that, by the way, looks very similar in technique and ingredients to the Panamanian "ropa vieja" which is prepared with a special cut commonly known as "falda para ropa vieja," or skirt! Will report on that one later :)

#3: From Panama, Panama FAQ

How Panamanian wine is made? Yes, you heard me right. Panama is a wine producing nation. This isn’t wine made from grapes, but wine made from the wide variety of fruits found in the highlands of Chiriqui.

72 year old Abelardo Coba has been making all natural organic wines for over 10 years. While he makes wine from Mangos and other tropical fruits, his most popular wine is his Vino de Mora or Blackberry wine.

Continue reading: How Panamanian wine is made

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African women blogging this week

Sokari Ekine · 11:47

Everchanging World speaks out about “street harassment in Lagos“. She believes it is a serious problem and adds “And no it’s not because I was in America and got brainwashed by the feminists” She writes of her experience of going shopping with her sisters to one of Lagos's largest markets, Tejuosho market….

When you walked into the gated area, there would be a line of male traders selling clothes on both sides of the path, and you had to walk through them in order to get to the next section. There would be a lot of them, maybe 20 or more on each side, and they would grab you by the hand and upper arms trying to get you to buy something from them. I found that repulsive, even at the age of 12- 13, without anyone telling me there was something wrong with strange men putting their hands on young girls

Guessarrus uses poetry to weigh up “man v machine” and asks which button we would press to alter our lives?

I definitely know I am not ready for the ‘off’ button
But it would be interesting to have an ‘open in new tab’ one
Exploring different facets while still maintaining the current one
Would rather be interesting to have the ‘Yes, No, Cancel’ option
And I would love to have a ‘mute’ button for other humans
And an ‘exit‘ button for those times when you would rather be elsewhere

Harare Diary meets up with some fellow activists and the chat about their experiences of being arrested in Zimbabwe…

Another person at the table said that when she was arrested a couple of years ago she found some used condoms in her cell. When she asked the police what was UP with that, they said what do you expect, prostitutes get locked up here. Which supposedly means that they’re fair game for cops.

Nubian Soul points to Ghanaian writer and broadcaster, Ester Armah who has just published a book ” Can I Be Me” - listen to the audio clip from the book and Soul asks that we

Go to her site and let her know I sent you…
I promise you this will be a brilliant read!

Molara Wood writes on Nigerian highlife maestro Orlando Owoh who is about 70 years old and should by now be relaxing and enjoying the “fruits of his labour”. Not so for Owoh

Orlando Owoh has been out of action for many months, having suffered two strokes in the space of one year. Money for much needed rehabilitation, recuperation and even daily upkeep have is hard to come by. Even as concerned members of the Nigerian Arts Community - roused by the musician's plight - were getting on the starting blocks in an attempt to raise support for the man, they were thrown by the breaking news - that Owoh is now to also cope with bereavement. His wife has just died.

Molara also points to a review of Wole Soyinka newly published memoirs “You Must Set Forth at Dawn”

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Flying Over the Iraqi Blogodrome

Salam Adil · 08:08

This weeks post is going to be short (at least that is what I am planning as I type). I am on holiday - but the blogs keep turning.

Blogging is coming of age as a source of news that rivals big media, and the word from the street is about a change of tactic from the insurgents. Now it is the newspapers that are the target. Omar is addicted to them but had a surprise one morning:

Me: what have you got for me today bro?
Papers guy: What are you looking for? No papers anymore my friend
Me: What? Why?
Papers guy: Don't you know? Oh, you didn't show up in a few days…well, we stopped selling newspapers.

Apperently, insurgents started threatening the newspaper distributors and publishers. And the effect was immediate. There was a 40% drop in newspaper circulation in one week.

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