Tofu? Calling all Vegans, Vegetarians, and tofu lovers :)

MissCreepyLovestruck

What are some of your favorite ways to prepare tofu? I am new to the tofu world, and I would love some advice from experienced tofu eaters . So what's your favorite recipe?

ladynocturne

I get a lot of my recipes from http://www.chezbettay.com/

The most important thing to remember is to fully drain tofu so it can absorb marinades properly and not have such a squishy texture.

Another tip is to freeze extra firm tofu a day or 2 before grilling (drain beforehand as well) and it will give the tofu an even firmer texture (it turns yellow, that's normal).

pocketmole

I think that tofu scramble is probably my favorite way to prepare it, but fried tofu is probably my favorite way to eat it ;P

For a scramble I like to cook some onion, garlic, and peppers in a little olive oil then add the crumbled tofu to it. Season liberally (tofu is pretty bland on its own) with whatever spices you enjoy. Personally I tend to go the more tex-mex route and use things like chili powder, cilantro, cumin, etc. I usually add in a couple of tablespoons of good salsa for extra flavor. Most mornings I will also crumble in vegetarian sausage or add some sort of chopped greens to the mix.

I also really like to blend it up with soft cheeses and use it as a layer in lasagna or to fill enchiladas, portobella caps, or hollowed out squash.

MissCreepyLovestruck

Ladynocturne-Thanks for the tips . I will certainly check it out

MissCreepyLovestruck

Pocketmole- That sounds AMAZING!!!! My husband is from Texas, and his mother introduced me to tex-mex. My heart was stolen!!! lol That is definitely something I will have to try

MaryJane_8810002

I used to BBQ mine on a foreman grill with onions and some Brown Sugar Bourbon BBQ sauce.

89nunu

Bump for new ideas!!

Unfortunately I'm very uncreative with tofu, all I do it chuck it into soup (like carrot or squash soup) to make it creamier and add more protein...

AnexRavensong

I love me some tofu pad thai or some pieces in miso soup ^^

enkennon

Baked!

I cut it in cubes after pressing it to get the water out ( press for about 30 mins)

I then cover to cubes in some sesame oil ( Not too much)

Bake them for about 45 minutes at 350-375 or until nice and crispy!

I have heard you can fry them after battering them in cornstarch flour and seasoning mixture. ( not sure you want to fry them as it is not the healthiest way to prepare, but if you are craving chicken nuggets---do it like this and ad dour fav dipping sauce!)

salembambi

fried and dipped in bbq sauce

ahhh yes

TipTopMMR

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-baked-tofu-74358

This is a handly little resource for what I think is the easiest and yummiest way to cook tofu!

There are times when i don't press it and just throw some soy sauce on there and bake it. Turns out yummy!

skywa

i like to eat my tofu in a lot of asian cold preparations, basically marinated tofu with some green onions and sesame seeds. i don't eat much tofu though! first time i went vegan i ate TONS of soy, and all the extra estrogen messed with my body.

pheona76

bump

velveteenalice

I love to stir-fry tofu in sesame oil and soy sauce with broccoli and garlic. It turns out absolutely delicious every time.

ShellyBell999

Not Vegan or Vegetarian but, love tofu. It is a wonderful protein add.
I scramble it up with eggs, peppers, onions n spinach and wrap into a flour tortilla.
Also add it to soups, stews n chili dishes.

keem88

i use it a slow cooker soup - half a block of tufu diced into squares, a can of diced tomatoes with the use, half a head of cabbage choppes, 4 potatoes diced, half a package of sliced mushrooms, half an eggplant diced, a bell pepper or two diced, baby carrots, red onion cut into larger pieces(or any veggies you love) - toss it in the slow cooker, add some vegetable broth and water and spices (i use oregano, garlic, onion powder, black pepper and a little salt) and cook on high for about 4-5 hours or low 8ish hours.

tofu curry - green curry sauce with half a block of tofu diced, red and green peppers, onion and mushrooms. cook with the curry sauce and serve over rice, couscous or quinoa.

slices of tofu (about an inch) marinated with bbq sauce, cook in a skillet serve on a roll with red onion, peppers and spinach.

a stir fry with shirataki noodles or asian noodles or even rice with broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, peppers, onions with either teryiaki sauce or soy sauce or sweet n sour sauce

can crumble up tofu and use it in place of ricotta for stuffed shells or baked ziti - mix in some nutritional yeast and season with garlic and oregano

can also use tofu in a smoothie

MissCreepyLovestruck

Oh my!!! So many delicious ideas!!!!!! I can't wait to try ALL of these!!!

barloski

Laksa is my favourite! And so easy/quick and foolproof. Highly adaptable. You can use any of your fave veggies cut into small bite-sized pieces (like you do for an Asian stir fry). Cauliflower, broccoli, broccolini, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, green beans are also good. The veggies below are the usual ones I use.

Pack of firm tofu (soft is nice too but be careful - it smooches).
Laksa paste
4 button mushrooms - sliced
1 pepper - cut in small pieces
1 brown onion - cut in wedges
3 small bokchoy plants (Asian greens) - roughly cut
1 carrot - sliced thin
1 pack of fresh Hokkien noodles
1 tin coconut milk
2 veggie stock cubes
Bean sprouts
4-6 cups boiling water (I never measure I just go by eye and taste)

Soak the noodles in extra boiling water as per pack.

Cook this all in the one large pan on high heat ... Heat two dessert spoons of Laksa paste in a large saucepan with two vegetable stock cubes. Mush stock cubes down with back of spoon. Stir in a little boiling water and bit of coconut milk to thin it a bit. Throw in tofu and mushrooms and mix around for about a minute to coat. Throw in your veggies, bit more boiling water and coconut milk. Keep adding coconut milk and boiling water bit by bit. The objective is to keep the whole dish very hot but not boiling until all coconut milk has been added (about 6-7 minutes). Add leafy greens and bean shoots last (they only need 1 minute).

Drain noodles and put in bottom of big soup/pasta bowls*. Ladle in veggies and soupy mix on top. Garnish with coriander/cilantro or fresh mint. Enjoy,

*if your saucepan is big enough, throw noodles in the pot and mix through to absorb more taste

barloski

Oh and these are my fave easy-yummy recipes in this PDF you can download. It also references my fave recipe books and the last page has really useful tofu info.

http://animalsadvoc8.info/docs/VegInfo.pdf

^From my website I set up a few years ago.

Love4fitnesslove4food2

I try to avoid it when I can due to the controversy regarding the impact of unfermented soy on the thyroid gland but when I do I like it grilled with olive oil and dipped in BBQ.

The_Raspberry

Bump for the omnomnoms.

KeziaMalik

I was vegan last year (I stumbled and keep meaning to return to it, I'm currently vegetarian) and my favourite way to prepare it was to drain it, press it for about half an hour. Then I marinaded it. Marks and Spencer do a really nice vegan bbq marinade but you can get them anywhere. After that I would toss it through warm salad.

Another thing I liked to do was use it as ricotta cheese on pizza. Id add mixed herbs and blend it until it was the consistency of ricotta. The mixed herbs (just dried stuff from a pot in Sainsbury's) really makes it taste like ricotta.

If you toss it around in breadcrumbs, oil, flour and the mixed herbs and spice you get what tastes like southern fried chicken.

And of course nothing beats scrambled tofu on toast with lots of ketchup.