The SOY ZONE - diet that helps balance the body

1. Roast peanuts in toaster oven or under broiler, stirring once or twice, 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside.

2. In large skillet or wok, heat peanut oil over high heat. Add tofu and stir-fry 5 minutes. Add half of garlic and half of ginger and stir-fry 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

3. Place turnip tops in steamer basket over 1 inch of boiling water, or in small amount of water. Cover and cook until tender, 10 minutes. Set aside, lid ajar.

4. In small bowl, mix together vinegar, tamari, arrowroot mixture, maple syrup and chili sauce; set sauce aside.

5. In same skillet over medium-high heat, stir-fry onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, remaining garlic and remaining ginger, 5 minutes. Add water if needed.

6. Stir up sauce and add to vegetables in skillet. Cook, stirring, until thickened. Add tofu and heat through, about 3 minutes. Serve hot over bed of warm turnip tops, sprinkled with scallions and roasted peanuts.

PER SERVING: 391 CAL.; 20G PROT.; 17G TOTAL FAT (2G SAT. FAT); 42G CARB.; 0 CHOL.; 961MG SOD.; 11G FIBER

a sample weekly menu

With menus like these, you'll never feel deprived. In fact, you'll probably wish you'd been eating like this all along!

Monday

Breakfast: Banana-Berry Sundae
Lunch: Tofu Enchiladas
Snack 1: Zone Strawberry Ice Cream
Dinner: Baked Golden Dumplings with
 Saucy Dip
Snack 2: Cinnamon Peaches with Ricotta

Tuesday

Breakfast: Spinach and Tofu Quicherole
Lunch: Tofu Vegetable Kebabs
Snack 1: Zoned Muffins
Dinner: Chunky Miso Soup
Snack 2: Very Berry Smoothie

Wednesday

Breakfast: Cheese and Veggie Melt
Lunch: Tureen of Curried Tempeh, Tofu and
 Vegetables
Snack 1: Zone Cocoa-Banana Freeze
Dinner: Stir-Fry Tofu with Peppers and
  Peanuts (recipe at left)
Snack 2: Apple Kanten with Maple Tofu

Thursday

Breakfast: Asparagus Frittata
Lunch: Tomato Fennel Soup with Tofu Basil
 Pistou
Snack 1: Blueberry Muffin
Dinner: Easy Bar-B-Q Tempeh and
 Vegetables
Snack 2: Nectarine Freeze

Friday

Breakfast: Cheddar-Apple "Galette"
Lunch: Three-Bean Salad with Smoked Tofu
 and Mustard
Snack 1: Peaches-n-Cream Yogurt
 Smoothie
Dinner: Tempeh Taco Salad
Snack 2: Chocolate Yogurt with Fruit

Saturday

Breakfast: Mediterranean Gratin
Lunch: Cold Tempeh Salad
Snack 1: Zoned Muffins
Dinner: Individual Baked Tofu Souffles with
 Gravy and Roasted Vegetables
Snack 2: Lemon Meringue

Sunday

Breakfast: Sicilian Cauliflower-Egg Frittata
 with "Sausage" and Peppers
Lunch: Vietnamese Spring Lettuce Rolls
 with Peanut Dressing
Snack 1: Classic Antipasto
Dinner: Barley Mushroom Soup
Snack 2: Peaches and Cream Yogurt
 Smoothie

RELATED ARTICLE: zoning your kitchen

Let's face it: Most of us aren't going to make any dietary changes unless it's easy. Our busy lives don't leave us a lot of time to spend hours in the kitchen preparing complicated dishes for every meal. But here's an overview of what you should take OUT of your kitchen, and what you should replace those foods with to make the most out of the soy zone.

Get rid of:

white and brown rice
pasta
breakfast cereals, cereal-based
  nutrition bars
instant mashed potatoes
polenta, couscous, bulgur and
  grains other than barley
  and steel-cut oatmeal
bread (even whole-grain),
  breadsticks, tortillas
ice cream, sorbet, nondairy
  frozen desserts
potato chips, corn chips,
  pretzels, crackers
cake, cookies, other sweets
white and whole-wheat flour
cornstarch
sugar
juice
sugary sodas
sweetened yogurt
honey