Low Fat Banana Bread that Doesn't Taste Like Crap

I know. I KNOW, the title is really not appetizing at all. But, I've been searching for a decent low fat banana bread recipe for ages and this title sums it up. Really, it shouldn't have been this hard. Let me tell you, we've tried some pretty gross experimental recipes. This recipe is somewhat original, but with a little tweaking it suits us just fine. If you're watching your fat and cholesterol like we are, don't be afraid of the butter in the recipe. It's a small amount and much needed for flavor.

*Please note that Sam is in the background working on a Dakota Indian diorama. He went above and beyond what was needed for this project. I was so proud! He's taken to checking his grades online (way more than I do--I think I last checked in before Christmas sometime). He's become so responsible and talks to his teachers if he disagrees with a grade or finds an assigment that appears missing on SchoolView despite the fact that he KNOWS he turned it in. I guess my "be your own advocate" speeches worked! Sometimes, especially during these years, you need a little parental validation that you've done something right!

LFBBtDTLC

4 bananas, peeled and mashed (I just throw them in the mixer and let em whirl)

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

2 TB butter, no substitutes

1 1/2 tsp real vanilla, no substitutes

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup egg substitute or 1 egg or 1/4 cup egg whites

2 TB applesauce (unsweetened is best, but use what you have)

Mix all until well blended. Place in a large loaf pan and bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Variations:

• add 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts


• dust top with cinnamon and sugar before baking or dust the pan after greasing with cinnamon and sugar


• add raisins and/or chocolate chips and bake in a 9x13 inch pan as a snack cake (check after 20 minutes for doneness) Sam's friends love this.


• make in muffin tins for better portion control, add streusal topping to wow and amaze your family


• use leftover (if there is any) or double the batch and use one loaf for bread pudding


• I LOVE toasted banana bread for breakfast. You need a toaster oven or use your regular oven, but it's yummy and delightfully different. The toasting caramelizes the bread. Top with orange marmalade... or not.

We always have unpeeled bananas hanging out in the freezer. We use them in smoothies, I bake with them (add to a cake mix, any flavor, with a little water and some egg whites and you've got a wonderful cake). They're a must have for us and a great way to use up the bananas that we don't eat before they start looking nasty. Freezing makes them look even nastier. No worries. The inside is just fine and the peel is the only packaging that they need to survive the freezer.

Grab and Go

Notice how I demonstrated the proper technique of not overmixing the muffins. It is not a unmixed bit of flour you see, but superior muffin technology.

It's been a busy week. Lots of meetings and activities and play dates. It's end of the quarter for school, so there are last minute projects, assignments, and tests to study for. I said yes way too many times and now I'm paying the price.

Turns out I wasn't the only mom last night that was spread thin. Most of the friends and acquaintances I saw last night, all arrived the same way I did. Out of breath, sweating, scattered, and cursing the fact that all activities like this seem to be planned for right around dinner time.

Last night was Young One's first middle school orchestra concert. He's been so excited to start playing the upright bass after two years of playing the cello. This big, bad instrument has been his goal since starting orchestra.

I know that part of it has to do with the fact that it's the biggest instrument in the orchestra. You know, a kind of, "mine is bigger than yours" mentality. He walked around in his almost a tux uniform, parading the big bad thing in front of as many of his classmates as he could. I overheard him telling a bunch of kids that it weighs, "more than I do."

I was lucky enough to chat with a more experienced parent of a bass player. She gave me some helpful hints on how to navigate life with an instrument that has it's own zip code. I had volunteered to rally some sixth grade Mom Troops to chaperon the kids before the concert. Orchestra kids are really great kids, so really, there wasn't much to do. Of course, I found someone to chat with!

One of the things I learned when I was working full time plus on our business was to have a lot of grab and go things in the freezer. Muffins or banana bread can round out a cheese stick and a glass of milk to make a quick meal. It's also portable, as in, "GrabamuffinIfilledyourwaterbottlealreadyIknowyou'resickofstringcheesegetsomeanywayandgetinthecar."

Last night was the concert, today is the Pumpkin Run at school, tonight is a meeting for Confirmation guides, and tomorrow I'm participating in a math placement focus group for school. Friday is a dance at school and Young One is going to a friend's house. Saturday is Halloween and Sunday church and then I'm going to fall on the floor. Monday morning it starts again.

Apple "Clean out the Cereal Cupboard" Muffins

1 cup flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg--freshly grated is best

1 large apple, peeled, cored and chopped fine

1 cup skim milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil--you could sub applesauce, I did and they turned out great

1 egg or the equivalent of egg substitute

2 cups Raisin Bran or high fiber cereal with fruit--I used Kashi something or other with cranberries-- you could use all the leftover cereal you have, you know those bottom of the bag amounts that aren't enough to fill up a husband or kid with, but end up in your cupboard languishing until you either throw them out or feed them to the birds. I wouldn't recommend the cereals that are really just big bags of sugar because not only do they look frightening in muffins (trust me), but they don't taste very good either.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl. Set aside. Peel, core, and chop apple. Mix milk, vegetable oil OR apple sauce, and egg, whisking well. Add wet ingredients, apple, and cereal to dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Do not over mix. Place in equal amounts in muffin tins and bake for about 15 minutes. Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

If you want to freeze and bake later, freeze in paper liners in the muffin tins overnight and pop out into freezer zip bags. You can pull them out and bake from frozen (increase baking time). Or bake and freeze, defrost in the microwave for quick grab and go breakfast, in the car "meals, or snacks.

Pleather Should be Outlawed

First of all, unless your Rhianna or Madonna or going on Jerry Springer's show, you should never, NEVER wear leather pants. Leather pants take a level of confidence (and small thighs) that most people do not have.

Today, I followed a lady through the grocery store, listening to the crackles and screeches of her obviously not leather, really tight pants. Her outfit was complimented by a muffin top the size of Manhattan and a knit winter hat with a large multicolored pom-pom. A daring ensemble, yes, I will give her kudos for that. I like people that march to their own drummer, but this poor soul was sadly out of step.

I'm no fashion model. I wear thrift store clothes, which means sometimes I'm really put together, but other times, it's Levis and a long sleeved t-shirt (the suburban mom uniform). I feel guilty for judging this woman. Perhaps she is soon to appear on What Not to Wear. I hope so. Maybe I was on one of Jon Quiniones hidden camera, what would you do, would you step in and help the baby trapped in the car kind of stories. Would you inform this woman that she's making a fool of herself in too tight pleather pants?

Apparently, in this case, I wouldn't step in.

At some point, when you're overweight, you have to decide whether to venture into the big gals section of the store. This woman was obviously in need of taking this trip. Here's the deal girls. No one can see the size on the tag of your clothing unless they know you really well or are somewhere they shouldn't be (or their doing your laundry, and in that case, I say, look all you want). If you need to rip the tag out to feel better, go for it, but BUY THE RIGHT SIZE. Honestly, ladies, you will look thinner in the right size than you will in the size you want to be, but should not be stuffing yourself into.

In her honor, I made some fruit leather, the only leather you should have in your house that isn't furniture or shoes. Fruit leather is a great way to use up ripe fruit. This time around, I made Apple Mango. Pear, berry, and just plain apple are other favorites at our house. You can buy individually packaged fruit leather in the health food section of your store (NOT FRUIT ROLL UPS. THOSE ARE NOT FRUIT. THEY'RE CANDY OR GREAT FOR FIXING LEAKY PIPES). Purchased fruit leather runs about seventy cents for a one by four inch piece. Why not make it yourself?

It's not Pleather it's Fruit Leather

Chewy, sweet, and packed with good for you stuff like vitamins and minerals and all that junk. Points depends on what fruit you use.

I'm not even going to put this into recipe format. It's really so easy. Take some fruit, peel it or don't. Take out pits and seeds and cores and all that stuff that you don't eat. Roughly chop and place in a pan. Cook with a little water until soft. Puree in a food processor. Most of the time I just stick my hand mixer in and blend it up, leaving it a bit chunky. I guess you can make it without cooking the fruit, but I always cook it. Then put it on low heat in your oven or in your food dehydrator (I use a dehydrator that we got for our wedding that we surprisingly use quite often.) until dry, but still flexible. Cut in pieces and wrap individually if you must, or just cut it and put in a zip bag.

Day Glo Teeth

I watched Working Girl the other day. Seems it's on all the time. The 1988 hair, makeup, and clothes are sometimes laughable, but the story is great. Remember it? Melanie Griffith is a secretary, attending night school, and trying to work her way up. Sigourney Weaver plays her conniving boss. Harrison Ford is the love interest, who coincidentally looks a lot like my dad, which is why I could never have a thing for him. It's a Cinderella story, set in the corporate world. I love it. Carly Simon won an Oscar for Let the River Run, as she so very well deserved.

As I was watching, I couldn't put my finger on what was so different about how the actors looked. Was it just the hair, makeup, and clothes? No, it was something else. And then it hit me. It was their teeth. Their un-whitened, perfectly natural teeth. And they were beautiful.

Have you noticed that super bright white teeth have become commonplace? I look at Regis Philbin and I want to put sunglasses on. Sorry, Reg, no one your age has teeth that bright. And it looks wrong. I actually think it makes you look like you're trying much too hard, like you're older than you are.

We've become a society of perfection seekers and we can be brutal to those who aren't perfect. Jessica Simpson was recently crucified for gaining a little weight. There are television shows, websites, and radio programs that are dedicated to ripping apart actors and entertainers. Every little wrinkle, bulge, or age spot is critically examined. Pictures are drawn on, cruel comments are made, and God forbid someone in the entertainment industry runs an errand without makeup on or in clothing that wasn't put together by a stylist.

I hate every bit of what this does to those people and what it's doing to us and to our children. No one ever reaches perfection, it just isn't possible. White teeth, faces frozen from Botox, body weights that aren't possible to achieve without starvation, and sizes of zero just aren't real.

Maybe it's better to say that we are perfect in our imperfection. I love every quirk, every difference, big, little, tall, thin, freckles, you name it.

It worries me that one day, we'll all look the same. Bleached teeth and all. Just like our commercial areas--all the same restaurants, all the same chains, no individuality in sight. What a boring world that would be.



And in honor of all those WHITE teeth, a White Bean Dip. I know, the relationship is a stretch, but it's late and I'm tired! I could have said, this goes out to all the Dips of the world.

Weight Watchers White Bean and Garlic Spread
Great served on pita chips or use it on a wrap as a sandwich spread.

2 (16 ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped (1 teaspoon)
1 lemon, juice and zest of
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 cup toasted nuts (optional)
1/8-1/4 cup olives, sliced (optional)
2-3 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped (optional)
rosemary sprigs (to garnish)
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all the ingredients (except the rosemary sprigs and optional ingredients) in a food processor and process for about 30 seconds (until smooth). If desired, add the optional ingredients (tomatoes, olives or toasted nuts) and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes (or overnight). When ready to serve, place the bean spread in a bowl and garnish with rosemary sprigs.
WW POINTS per serving: 2
Nutritional information per serving: 130 calories, 4.8g fat, 3.8g fiber

I'm a Little Bit Crunchy

I was called a tree-hugger recently and secretly, I was a little pleased, but also I found it pretty funny. I'm not a typical tree-hugger. I live in the 'burbs. I don't wear clothing made of hemp or attend protests. I'm not Vegan and I don't drive a hybrid. Yes, stereotypes these are, but I think the name tree hugger in itself is a stereotype. We've just got to think of a better name. Hugging trees can lead to bark scratches on your face; a look I find rather unpleasant.

I was raised to respect our environment. That phrase, "Take only pictures, leave only footprints" was family law, but we didn't use that cutesy phrase. My dad would have choked on it. Hey, I choke on it, but if it works, so be it.

I've been known to delve into other people's garbage to take out recyclables. I limit my carbon footprint (another little catch phrase that I think is stupid). I don't buy bottled water. I've been bringing my own shopping bags to the market for years (thankfully, people rarely stare now!) I don't use my car very much and when I do, I combine trips as much as possible.

I do everything I can to make sure that my son's world will be better than my own. It's the tree-hugger name that I don't like. It lends this sort of us versus them feeling. It labels like minded people with something that isn't very well received by other folks. In fact, it's getting just as big of a rap as liberal now is. I think there's got to be another title that isn't quite as polarizing. I'm a wordie. I love to play with words and I can't for the life of me come up with another title. What I want is a word that means, I'm not an extremist, I'm just doing the best I can to limit my impact on the world without being political, vegetarian, a hippie, a Birkenstock wearing mom who makes her kid eat Kefir and Tofu, or a radical. Environmentalist is a whole mouthful and doesn't quite hit it.

If anyone can think of a word for those of us who don't quite fit into the tree hugger mold, let me know. I, for once, am speechless.

Crunchy Granola

Finally, a lighter version of granola, which those of us who are watching what we eat know can be a major diet breaker. Granola, so called health-food, is typically full of fat and calories. This granola recipe still provides high flavored crunch with less fat and calories and comes in at 3 Weight Watchers Points per serving.


3 cup(s) rolled oats
3 cup(s) ready-to-eat puffed rice cereal
1 cup(s) Perky's Nutty Rice Cereal (in your Natural foods section) or Post Grape-Nuts
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Syrup:
2/3 cup(s) unpacked brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2/3 cup(s) water
1 TB real almond extract
1 TB real vanilla extract

After baking:
1 cup(s) raisins
1/2 cup dried cherries

Place brown sugar, cinnamon, and water in a saucepan, heat over medium high heat until almost boiling. While heating, place oats, cereals, and nuts in a large, greased baking pan. Mix to combine dry ingredients. Once almost boiling, remove syrup from heat and stir in flavoring extracts. Pour syrup over dry ingredients and granola well to combine. Press with back of spoon to form some granola clumps (the technical term for this is smooshing). Bake at 300 degrees stirring often until toasted, about 30 -40 minutes. Cool on wax paper. Stir in raisins and dried cherries.

I like to bag this recipe in individual 1/2 cup servings to keep portion control easy. Young One loves to take this to school as a snack. It's wonderful as a stand alone snack and great with yogurt or fresh fruit and yogurt.

Wanna Date?

My Great-Grandma Nettie had one measuring cup. It really wasn't even a measuring cup, I don't think it had any markings or measurements on it. It was red, faded plastic. For all I know, it was a detergent measuring cap! She didn't have or need a lot of kitchen tools and yet, she was a fantastic baker and wonderful cook.

I was so lucky to have gotten to spend as much time with her as I did. She was always present at Grandma and Grandpa's farm. They had moved a little pink trailer for her to live in right next to their big, white farmhouse. Grandpa would have morning coffee with her every day. She listened to the radio, and sometimes listened in on the party line (Country folk shared a single phone line. You had your own unique ring, so you knew when a call was for you. But, many people listened in on other conversations. Hey, this was before cable!). Great-grandma had an amazing button jar to sort through. She also had a jar of pennies that we could play BINGO with. The local radio station played the game over the air waves. You'd call in if you won. It was a simpler time and our family was always together.

Great-grandma moved into a senior living apartment that had a lot of great hallways for silly grandkids to run through. It also had an old fashioned Coke machine where you could get a bottle of soda pop for a dime. It even came with a crabby guy named Charlie who would yell at us and teach us new words while waving his cane in the air. My cousins and I loved to visit her. Her little apartment overlooked the street and she watched the world go by with the ever present background blaring of her TV "programs" (soap operas). I remember once she told me that the high school kids that were walking past her window to the bowling alley for gym class were all going to get Mononucleosis because they kissed all the time. I was young. I was impressionable. I didn't know what Mono was. From that moment on, I feared bowling.

Great-grandma moved her red measuring cup to her apartment with her and she continued to be a great baker and wonderful cook. She measured by proportion and cooked by feel and had many recipes right up inside that white haired head of hers.

I wish I had her recipes. I wish we would have taken the time to have her write them all down. In fact, if you have a wise one in your family that's getting up there in years, have them write things down for you, film them, set down memories!

Grandma made fantastic Date Cookies and Date Bars. I'm sure they involved a pound of butter, another pound of brown sugar, and a pound that goes on your thighs each time you eat one. I created this recipe when I was craving Grandma's date anything. I found a basic recipe online and then lightened it up tremendously.

I hope you enjoy them. I think they're quite delicious and taste ALMOST as good as Grandma's.

Date Bars

Serves 24 at 3 WW Points per serving.

1 package regular yellow cake mix
1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
2 large bananas
1/2 cup egg substitute or two eggs
1 1/2 cup dried dates
1/4 cup pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place first four ingredients in your mixer bowl. Mix on low until combined, turn to medium-high and let it whirl until mixture is light and fluffy (approximately 2 minutes). Lower mixer speed and toss in dates and pecans. Mix until combined. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour batter in pan and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before cutting (if you can wait that long!).

Dill Pickles-- A Victorious Review

Remember when Young One convinced me, on Meet Your Teacher Day no less, to make homemade dill pickles? Well, I promised that if they were a successful endeavor that I would share the recipe.

I think I've been wary to try making them since trying a bad batch that my mom made. Her pickles didn't stay crisp one time she canned them. I thought, for sure, that they were more difficult to make than they were.

Mine are wonderful! And really so very easy. The author of the recipe recommends letting them sit 8 weeks before sampling, but we could only stand to wait 4 weeks. They taste like Milwaukee Dills or Gedney Baby Dills. Yum! And pickles are a zero Point food!

There really is something very satisfying about canning. It's thrifty, that's for sure, but what I love best about it is looking at those rows of jars when your job is done. They're so beautiful (oh, bear with me!) and it looks like you just did something very homey and old fashioned for your family. I hope I get the chance to do some more this fall!

Dilled Green Beans is another great recipe to can. Delicious pickled green beans are a great treat to put on your relish trays during the holidays. I bet you could just sub whole green beans in the recipe below and they'd be delicious. Process time would be less.

Give it a try, this recipe is fool proof. Don't skip a step. I found it on All Recipes and want to give credit where it is due. Thank you Sharon Howard. You're brilliant.

Delicious Dill Pickles

"This recipe for Kosher style dills was given to me 25 years ago by a farmers wife who grew cucumbers and it has never let me down. The two things I have found critical to crisp dill pickles are soaking the cukes in ice water for at least 2 hours and ensuring the brine is at a full boil when poured over the dills."

8 pounds 3 to 4 inch long
pickling cucumbers
4 cups white vinegar
12 cups water
2/3 cup pickling salt
16 cloves garlic, peeled and
halved
8 sprigs fresh dill weed (a small little section of dill, not a whole head)
8 heads fresh dill weed (a big whole, top of the dill plant)


Wash cucumbers, and place in the sink with cold water and lots of ice cubes. Soak in ice water for at least 2 hours but no more than 8 hours. Refresh ice as required. Sterilize 8 (1 quart ) canning jars and lids in boiling water for at least 10 minutes.

In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine the vinegar, water, and pickling salt. Bring the brine to a rapid boil.

In each jar, place 2 half-cloves of garlic, one head of dill, then enough cucumbers to fill the jar (about 1 pound). Then add 2 more garlic halves, and 1 sprig of dill. Fill jars with hot brine. Seal jars, making sure you have cleaned the jar's rims of any residue.

Process sealed jars in a boiling water bath. Process quart jars for 15 minutes. NO LONGER than that! Jars will snap sealed as they cool if they don't in the water bath.

Store pickles for a minimum of 8 weeks before eating. Refrigerate after opening. Pickles will keep for up to 2 years if stored in a cool dry place.

Cinnamon Apple Snacks

Before

After...YUM!

My dad had over 300 apple trees. I was raised around apples, so I know apples! We don't have the orchard in the family anymore, my dad has been gone four years now this October. Apple season always has me thinking of him. He raised the best tasting apples in the world.

Apples are a great snack. Young One was complaining, though, that all the apples in the house were bruised. I didn't want to remind him that he was the one that picked them all out at the market last week! Because I sorted so many apples as a kid, picking them out at the grocery store is easy for me. Young One doesn't have that art down yet! So, I needed to figure out a way to use up these apples, without baking a pie (which I just can't have in the house right now without a little more advance planning).


We love dried apples in our house, so I just took it to the next level by adding some apple pie flavors. I hope you give these a try, they really are delicious.



Cinnamon Apple Snacks

About 1/2 an apple's worth of slices is 1 Point. These take quite a while to make, so plan a cool day to be home. I would imagine you could do in a food dryer as well.



Cored and thinly sliced apples, as many as you need to use up-- I like to slice them into rounds

For every two apples that you slice, you'll need 1 TB of raw sugar (Turbinado) and 1/2 tsp cinnamon or apple pie spice

Nonstick cooking spray



Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. If you have a convection oven, use the convection option and set it at 175 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray. Place apples in a single layer on the sheets, spray apples lightly with cooking spray. Mix spices and raw sugar and sprinkle evenly over apple slices. Place in oven. Checking every 30 minutes, dry in oven until dried and your desired crispness. It took about 3 hours in my convection oven. I like them slightly chewy. Eaten warm, right out of the oven, they taste just like apple pie.

Healthy Munchies

I'm a muncher. I always have been. As a child, my mom always said I never changed my infant feeding schedule: six small meals every day. Weight Watchers has got me thinking more about really paying attention to meal times and what I'm eating during that meal. Really being present and in tuned to my body, especially at meal times, really works for me. Learning, listening if you will, to my body has stopped me from overeating many times.

But, I still like to munch. So, I've challenged myself to find munchies for inbetween meals that are zero to very low Points value. Edamame is one of those snacks. One cup of whole pods is only 1 Point (1/2 cup shelled beans is 2 Points). You don't eat the pods, but measuring out one cup of them looks like you're getting a huge serving, which I've found to be one of the secrets to feeling full. You sort of trick your mind that you're getting more than you are. This is a snack that involves a bit of work since you have to shell it, which also makes you slow down and not consume too much. (Although, I do remember some mindless edamame eating at a Japanese restaurant, but that's a whole other story!)

You can find edamame with the other frozen vegetables. Just boil for a couple of minutes, drain, and serve. I like them chilled or at room temperature, so just rinsing them with a little cool water gets them ready very quickly.

Happy Munching!

Something Salty

Wandering our farmer's market, I chatted with a young man who had a beautiful table of fresh produce. I purchased some beautiful turnips and beets for roasting and a gorgeous bunch of greens for munching. And then, I noticed some small, white, shelled beans that I just could not identify. So, I asked him. "Soybeans, for tofu," he responded. Maybe it's time for me to confess that I'm not a huge fan of tofu. Well, I think it's just that, besides Hot and Sour Soup, I haven't really had much well prepared tofu. Maybe I'll try making my own someday, but that's a challenge for another day. I almost walked away at that point and then it dawned on me. I love those little roasted soybeans that you can get at the health food store and since I've roasted chickpeas before, I could probably do the same thing with these fresh soybeans.

So, I bought them, and quickly found out how to roast them on the Internet and decided to follow this spicy version. They're crunchy and salty and slightly spicy. Just the perfect Point friendly snack for those salty cravings. I hope you enjoy.

(I've always wondered, what would happen if you got caught in the salty/sweet cycle? It could be never ending if you think about it.)

Spicy Roasted Soybeans

1/4 cup equals 3 Points. While this seems a little steep, a small servings of these goes a very long way. You can add these to your own snack or trail mix or use to top a salad for some crouton free crunch.

Soak three cups of whole, dry soybeans using either the standard or quick soaking method (below). Spread them evenly over a cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Spray tops of beans lightly with nonstick spray. Sprinkle generously with salt, garlic and chili powder (or your favorite combination of spices). Bake in a 300° F oven, shaking the pan every 15 minutes for about one hour or until soybeans are lightly browned and crisp. I thought it took more than 90 minutes. Cool in pan and store in a covered container or zip bag.

Soaking:
Soaking dry soybeans shortens the cooking time and improves the flavor, texture and appearance of beans. It's an absolute requirement before roasting.

Standard Soaking: In a large pot, add 6 cups of water for each pound of dry beans. Let the soybeans stand at room temperature for about six to eight hours, or overnight. It is unnecessary to refrigerate the beans during this process. Drain, rinse and roast beans.

Quick Soaking: Add 6 to 8 cups of hot water for each pound of dry beans. Heat the water to boiling and cook the soybeans for five minutes. Cover the pot and let the beans stand for one hour. Drain, rinse and cook the beans.