How gross is tofu?

cheshirequeen

tofu doesnt taste like anything, so it doesnt taste bad or good. i make a scrambler. throw in all the veggies, veg cheese and veg meats(im vegan). also the silken tofu i use for smoothies and have even made a peanut butter pie with it. and cheesecake. whatever you can think of, you can put it in. good luck.

Reasie26

An actual recipe for you (my favorite) - tastes very much like Panda Express's Spicy Orange Chicken (used to be my favorite)

Spicy Orange Tofu
Makes: 1-2 servings, Prep time: 5 minutes, Cook time: 20 minutes


Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 block extra firm tofu (frozen, thawed, drained, and pressed)
   
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, chopped
   
½ cup water

¼ cup orange juice
 
2 tablespoons lemon juice
 
3 tablespoons vinegar

¼ cup soy sauce

½ cup packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or adjusted to your taste

2 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ cup water


Hot cooked rice



Directions: 

Cut tofu into bite sized pieces and sauté in 2 tablespoons oil until browned.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, sauté garlic and green onions in 1 tablespoon oil until garlic is golden.

Add water, orange juice, lemon juice, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and pepper flakes.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium.

In a small cup or dish, mix together cornstarch and water until thoroughly blended.  Pour cornstarch mixture into sauce, stirring constantly.  Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until sauce thickens to your liking.  Remove from heat and combine with tofu until completely coated. 

Serve over rice.


You could also add some veggies to the tofu mix - bell peppers, onions, carrots - whatev...

ohmywonwon

I love tofu in a sweet and sour stir fry or san choy bow

L00py_T0ucan

Ive had it at chinese places, where they just have the little squares, and it's fun to squish against your teeth, but that's the only point I see....

Some places (particularly Buddhist restaurants) are really good at preparing tofu in different textures - they don't just offer it as the little white squares to squish against your teeth. Sometimes the bean curd is dried in flat sheets and rolled up, sometimes it's cubed and fried (nice combination of smooth inside/crunchy outside), etc. They do a lot of interesting mock-meat dishes.

That said, you might just not like tofu. I love it, but i love it as tofu and not masquerading as say, a hot dog. :sick: (tofu pups - ew)

You can prepare your gross 'sponge' :noway: :laugh: with all sorts of aromatics and condiments - I agree with the folks saying that it will absorb the flavor of whatever you are cooking w/ it.
-ginger
-garlic
-scallions
-soy sauce
-sesame oil
etc.

You get the idea. Have fun!

hexrei

Are you vegetarian/vegan? If not, I can't see a lot of reason to use it, it's not particularly tasty. Go with trimmed and grease-drained meat instead.

L00py_T0ucan

Blech! Absolutely can't stand the stuff. Another reason I'll never go vegan/vegetarian. If it would have to be a source of sustenance, I would rather just die.

Really? the main reason I won't go Vegan/Vegetarian is BACON :smooched:

estjames

I made Tofu Alfredo with it from a SparkPeople recipe that I like. Other than that I do not like making it for myself since I think when I make it is gross, but sometimes I get it from a restaurant since they know how to prepare it.

frugalmomsrock

I *LOVE* tofu. I make tofu scramble for breakfast/brunch, I make tofu kabobs, I freeze it a couple days, thaw, and strain it really well and then use it for BBQ'd tofu slices, I put it in stir fry or pancit (similar to stir fry). It's good. It can taste like whatever you want it to. You can use it instead of eggs in cheesecake, make pudding out of it.... it's endless!

PeaceLoveVeggies

Ive had it at chinese places, where they just have the little squares, and it's fun to squish against your teeth, but that's the only point I see....

:noway:

GlenWalterGal

For me it's the texture I can't get past. I have no idea what to do with it except cut it into squares and that's when I get the icky texture...

_ADecadeUnderTheInfluence

Tofu is awesome! the easiest thing to make is scrambled tofu.--tumeric and tofu in a skillet. boom. tastes/looks like eggs. add some nutritional yeast and seasonings (such as salt & pepper & sriracha)

puddintane

i just kinda winged it (no pun intended, lol) i sauteed some fresh mushrooms in a non-stick pan, while they were cooking i drained a block of firm tofu. once the mushrooms were browned, i just roughly broke up the tofu and added it to the pan. for the sauce i used crytsal hot sauce, a small amount of butter/margarine, and a splash of lemon juice, cooked that till hot and then poured it over the mushroom tofu mixture. put a couple of slices of provolone cheese, (or whatever cheese you like) on a roll and then just added the mixture. (my husband also adds a bit of blue cheese dressing to his!) we both really love this! i would add a photo of one but im new and don't know how to do it, lol

sambfox

I have discovered that most people who don’t like Tofu have only tried under cooked. The water needs to be pressed out and it needs to be cooked not just warmed up.
Try frying it for at least 30 min on medium heat then sprinkling it with nutritional yeast and your favorite herbs.
Wild Wood Organics tofu is vacuum packed and there for less soggy and has a firm chewy texture.

clocklady

Chocolate Mousse.
1 package Mori-nu lite firm tofu
2 heaping tbsp raw cacao (or regular cocoa, but that's missing all the good stuff.)
1/4 to 1/2 cup almond or soy milk ( I use unsweetened)
2 tbsp sugar or sweetener of choice (can use stevia)

Put it all in a blender adjust to taste and chill. Delicious guilt free chocolaty goodness!

I just started getting into tofu. I wanted to up my protein intake a bit. I've used it in stir fry, made mac and cheese, and added it to my smoothies. So far no complaints. If you're going to stir fry or bake it make sure you marinate it or it will have no flavor.

thesuperchunk

I love it but I always fry it until golden brown and crispy. Try it, it's good. Just pat it down a bit so it's not wet anymore or it will stick to the pan.

Natihilator

Tofu gets such a bad rap

Two words: MARINATE and BAKE

I marinated some extra-firm tofu in a ginger-sesame-honey-soy sauce and baked it up. My little European grandmother (who loves her full-fat salty meat and potatoes) tried a piece and kept eating it, not knowing what it was, and she LOVED it. You need to know how to season and cook it correctly.

And it's NOT just for vegetarians, I am a meat-eater but really enjoy having tofu dishes too

it_be_asin

It is so gross you should send all of it to me. Srsly. I will just have to eat all of it for you....

it_be_asin

Also, how to cook everything vegetarian has extensive information on the preparation of tofu.

amyleehealey

If you find tofu 'gross' I can only say you're probably cooking it wrong.

'Soft' tofu is moreso used for scrambling (egg substitution), for making food, sauces etc thicker or in desserts (ie. vegan styles sorbets, mousses etc.)

'Firm' tofu is great for pasta sauces for added protein, stirfrys, curries, sandwiches.. anything really. Fried tofu is the best in my opinion.

The point of tofu is to adapt the flavour of the marinade or sauce you are using. You can buy readily made marinated tofu that is amazing too.

If you don't like it... simply don't eat it...

LoveMyArmyMedic

I used to feel the same way, but... my husband and I tried this recipe and now we're believers. (from cleaneatingmag.com):

Portobello Mushroom Stroganoff

Serves: 8 / Hands-on time: 30 minutes / Total time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
• 12 oz whole-wheat egg noodles
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 4 oz white mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 8 oz portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 14 oz medium-firm tofu, pureed in blender or food processor
• 8 oz low-fat sour cream
• 8 oz low-sodium beef stock
• 1 tbsp unsalted tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp dried dill

INSTRUCTIONS:
Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Heat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over high for 1 minute.
Reduce heat to medium-low, mist with cooking spray and add onion. Sauté for about 8 minutes or until caramelized. Add white and portobello mushrooms and garlic. Mist with cooking spray, if needed, and saute until cooked, about 5 more minutes.
Add tofu, sour cream, stock and tomato paste, and stir until smooth. Stir in seasoning, salt and pepper.
Pour mushroom sauce over cooked noodles. Serve topped with dill.

Nutrients per 1-cup serving: Calories: 140, Total Fat: 3.5 g, Sat. Fat: 0.5 g, Carbs: 18 g, Fiber: 1 g, Sugars: 3 g, Protein: 9 g, Sodium: 140 mg, Cholesterol: 15 mg