I have bought canned soy beans at the health food store, though I have also seen them a Central Market (an H-E-B grocery store chain). I have used them in veggie chili. Tasted them plain - they aren't bad so I would think you could mix them in most anything that calls for canned beans. One thing I have noticed is that canned soybeans have a goo-ey gel like stuff all over them so rinse them well. ~ Suzie

I went to a health food store in Lufkin saturday. They had a 1 pound 6 ounce package of soy flour. The wanted $3.09. Their 1/2 gallon of soy milk was over a dollar more than the grocery store. It was the same brand. I left empty handed. I will try HEB for the canned soy beans. Thank you Suzie,
Daniel

I have not been all that pleased with soy flour - would rather use wheat or oat flour for baking.
Re: soy milk. If you are new to soy stuff - you really have to watch the dates on soy milk and also buy it from stores that have a high turn-over rate. I find that it goes bad quicker than cow's milk. I have found soy milk a month past date on the shelves at our corner grocery store (Tom Thumb). Trust me, a day past expiration and you don't want to open it! Don't even want to think how bad a month past date would be. Soy milks really vary from brand to brand so it pays to try a few out. I buy Silk brand in 1/2 gallon size. I also buy individual serving ones for my son at Whole Foods, their store brand. (Good to take with us when we go out to eat.)
Prices at health food stores tend to be all over the map. I shop mainly at Central Market (H-E-B), but also at Whole Foods and two small independent health food stores. My son has terrible food allergies which makes food shopping and cooking interesting. Anyway, the two health food stores are generally cost a bit more, but they are closer if I run out of something. (Central Market is an hour drive, but I try to go weekly.) But the smaller health food stores can have great sales. The other day one of them had jars of pasta sauce, dry cereal, etc. 1/2 off as it was near their expiration date. Each store is different, but worth checking out. Also, I have noticed that Super Target is getting more and more organic products on their shelves. They also sell soy nut butter (like peanut butter, but made with soy nuts in a peanut free facility - important with a nut allergy.) I do not care for soy nut butter (grew up on the real stuff!), but my son likes it. A guy at the health food store told me that the soy nut butter was good mixed with honey for a sandwich or added to a smoothie.
~ Suzie

I can get frozen or fresh green soybeans. Kinda expensive because they don't have a high turnover rate. Perhaps in an area where there was a large asian population they would be cheaper because there would be more demand. These green soybeans are called "edame."

Dried soybeans take FOREVER to cook, they are one of the slowest cooking dried beans, and that is an already slow cooking category. Also, they aren't the best tasting on their own, so I imagine there isn't much demand for the dried beans. I've heard of people buying the dried beans, cooking up a big batch and then freezing them in small portions. I like so many other beans better I've never bothered with them, and besides, I like my soybeans in the form of tofu! You can find the dried soybeans in larger health food stores.

However, the BEST way to go with dried soybeans is to look for something called "soy grits." I'm not sure if they are just plain dried beans crushed, or if they are parboiled before they are dried. But soy grits are a wonderful product that cooks must faster than a dried soybean. You can add them to rice and casseroles, soups and chili. They're a little pricey, but you add them in small amounts. I guess you can add them to other things too, but I just use them primarily with brown rice--yummy!

DH is vegetarian, mostly vegan. One of the meals we like is when he takes the shelled, fresh frozen soybeans (edamame - Bill likes sno-pac or Cascadian Farms)and cooks them with frozen mixed vegetables. He toasts some whole wheat or seven grain bread and cuts it into cubes and mixes it with the drained veggies. Then he uses soy parmesan cheese and a few tablespoons of Newman's salad dressing to give it some zing. He calls this meal "comfort food."

He has also lately enjoyed buying the edamame in the shell and shelling a bolwful as he eats them. I like the flavor of soybeans very much. They do not have the mushy texture of lima beans and have a pleasant, almost nutty flavor and a crisp texture.