TOFU! Any suggestions?

14aviles

I went to a pot luck and somebody served tofu chocolate pudding. It was genius! But how do you cook yours? I'd really like to bring it in as a staple and need some recipe ideas. Thx :flowerforyou:

CEHayes73

I like a firm teriyaki flavoured tofu in a stir fry with lots of veggies. Also silken tofu in smoothies is a great way to add some protein.

MissMollieD

Bump, I'd like some too.

Jugie12

Not going lie. Tofu pisses me off.

Wezlfuss

bump~

SpecialKitty7

I have a dish that i use ground chicken breast, and an equal amount of tofu, some panko an onion and an egg white. Mix it all up like a burger, toss on some wosteshire and cook it on the stovetop. Smash it thin while it cooks. They are great. I'm sure there's more in it, it's just not coming to mind at the moment.

Sabine_Stroehm

Mostly we add it to stir fried vegetables.
Or scramble it for breakfast with spices.

My hubby is a genius at grilling it, but I can't seem to master that.

Sarauk2sf

Not going lie. Tofu pisses me off.

Was it mean to you once?

pamelak5

slice it about 1/4" thick. brush lightly with olive oil. Bake on parchment for 10 minutes at 400, flip and bake for another 10minutes. It turns kinda crispy and delicious. I love to have that with whatever sauce I am into - chili sauce, barbecue sauce, satay sauce, fresh salsa, etc.

jching29

Just cut it up into 1/2 inch cubes, toss into a tupperware with 2 parts soy sauce (lower sodium), 1 part sesame oil, and 1/2 part chili oil. Shake it up, and leave it in the fridge for a few hours, turning once in the middle to make sure it all gets equally marinaded. I love eating this over rice, or with grilled veggies...or even plain, as a snack it's delicious, and really kicks a craving for salt.

mini72

Bought it today for the first time ever but just dont think we will get on!

TGKvr

Mexican pizzas! Or at least that's what we call it:

Saute tofu with onions & peppers
Using standard whole wheat tortilla shells, layer as follows:

Shell, spread with salsa, sour cream, and cheese (or skip any of those). Sprinkle tofu, onions, peppers, and anything else you want (I usually do corn and/or black beans). Add another shell, press down. Repeat, top with another shell spread lightly with salsa and topped with shredded cheese. Bake for about 10 minutes until top is slightly brown.

sl1ngsh0t

This book is great, albeit for desserts only: http://www.amazon.com/Great-Good-Desserts-Naturally-Sensational/dp/0967310806

karylee44

OHHHH... .a couple of years at a vegitarian summer camp.. and now can't look at the stuff..

it seemed to show up in EVERYTHING we ate..

ick..

nikkolec

Curry!

it's also good to add to smoothies

KaraokeGuru

Tofu really doesn't really have a flavor of it's own so it will take on the flavor of things you put it with. I love making a strawberry banana smoothie and putting it in there for the protein. You can't even tell it's in there!

psychofantasy

Just started eating tofu and I like it. Here are some recipes I've tried:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/barb-a-fu/detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/lime-curry-tofu-stir-fry/detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/garlic-ginger-tofu/detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/personalrecipe/63131730/szichuan-tofu-and-red-bellpepper/detail.aspx

That should be enough to get you started!

Jugie12

Not going lie. Tofu pisses me off.

Was it mean to you once?

LMAO not particularly... the carnivore in me just sees it and says, "HEEEEEELLLLLL to the NO!" It masquerades as meat but it's so devastatingly NOT meat... the texture... flavor (or lack thereof)... presentation... it's all just so wrong! I understand the point of it and I respect those who can partake of it with gusto. Me? Fire up the grill, baby!

I'll try anything once or twice though :bigsmile:

DrBorkBork

re: Tofu, any suggestions?
Run away!!!

lol

Gilbrod

Turn it into a good milkshake

mrsRhughes

I love tofu! (I'm not a vegetarian ... I used to be, though, and still LOVE tofu! However, I also love a good steak :-p ) The most important thing about it is to make sure you 'drain' it properly! Take it out of the package and set it on top of paper towels (on top of a cutting board) with more paper towels on top and something heavy on top of the paper towels. I usually set a can of soup or whatever I have in the pantry! Let it sit for 30 minutes. (The paper towels will soak up all the extra moisture, making the tofu less 'heavy' when it's cooking, and less likely to fall apart!)

I really like it in stir-frys, but I also LOVE to bake it!! Once you chop it up into cubes, toss it with some soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, crushed red pepper and let 'marinate' for about 30 minutes ... bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes. It gets a little crispy and is seriously SO GOOD!! (I hate measuring, so just throw in about a tbsp. of the soy sauce, a few squirts of honey, and maybe a tsp. or so of the sesame oil!)

sazzyp1973

a good pudding!
225g/2 cups red berry fruits such as strawberries, raspberries and redcurrants

300g/11oz packet silken tofu

45ml/3 tbsp icing sugar

65g/1/4 cup demerara sugar

Method:

Halve or quarter any large strawberries, but leave the smaller ones whole. Mix with the otter berries.

Place the tofu and icing sugar in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

Stir in the fruits and spoon into a flameproof dish with a 900ml/3 3/4 cups capacity. Sprinkle the tip with enough demerara sugar to cover evenly.

place under a very hot grill until the sugar melts and caramelizes. Chill in the fridge before serving


(to have less sugar you can replace demerara with a calorie free sugar substitute)

MeToJem

replying so I can keep up with the info

Twilightsunflower

i have been thinking about eating more of it since i always seem to miss my protine macro lol.. i have only ever had it in a smoothy before but it was super yummy

berries, silken tofu, milk and blend...

it has been a while but i think you can add yogurt to it in place of the milk and some ice... good thing is its really hard to do it wrong

Spudeata

re: Tofu, any suggestions?
Run away!!!

lol

Love the quote above, gotta agree with you! One of my good friends is vegan which is fine by me, we all make our own food choices, but it's not when she tries to force tofu on me - I keep telling her it is evil :devil: ......but I have seen many say that it is okay in a smoothie, so I might get some silken tofu and try it - it will make her happy if I like it!!

Moxie42

For me, the trick is to cut it into little cubes (mine are maybe half an inch cubed) and marinate it overnight (or as long as your time allows). It soaks up the flavor that way so the tofu itself actually tastes good. Then I pan-fry it in olive oil or Pam until the sides start to brown. Then I add stir-fry veggies and a little bit of whatever sauce I used as a marinade (my favorite is a sweet-spicy sauce). If my calories allow it, after I marinate the cubes, I'll roll them in flour so they are lightly coated before they go in the pan- that helps give them a slightly crispy outside. Even my fiance, who always claimed to HATE tofu loved it and gets all excited when I make it!

Adding: extra-firm is best for this. And pat it with paper towels to get as much excess moisture out as possible before you cube it.

spiregrain

I never got people thinking of tofu as a meat substitute. It's not traditionally used as one, but it is a protein, so it occupies the place in the meal of a protein. Sometimes you'll see traditional dishes that use tofu, eggs, shrimp, beef, chicken, whatever, a mix. It's just it's own thing.

You know you can make it yourself at home and it's amazing? Instructions easily found via google.

It's good for frying, as many have said. I also like to mash it up and make a dish that might be comparable to egg salad, with fresh crunchy veggies and some seasoning. In savory dishes you'll tend to use regular tofu (probably Extra Firm) and in sweet or blended dishes use silken tofu. Yummy.

There is a cookbook by Tal Ronnen called 'The Conscious Cook' that has an awesome recipe for a tofu based veggie burger made with Old Bay seasoning. You top it with a cold salad of cubed apples and beets, some horseradish cream, and serve it on top of a salad of grilled corn with tomatoes and basil. Best. Thing. Ever.

markadop

I grab a brick and nom on it.

msgremmy

My favorite tofu recipe is manicotti made with firm tofu, spinach and Parmesan cheese. It's delicious!

I also stir fry tofu, bake crispy tofu, and yes, I use tofu in desserts. Ooh, it's also great in soup-- non-chicken stock; spinach, cubed extra firm tofu, soy sauce and sesame oil= heaven! You can add other veggies, too.

LordBezoar

I have found that there are two keys to using tofu:

1. Realize that it really has little/no inherent flavor--that is to say, it tastes of whatever you cook it with and will add nothing to the overall taste. This is why marinating is so helpful.

2. Make sure you get the correct firmness for your application. Making a pudding? Get silken. Plan on grilling? Get firm or extra firm. But whatever you do, do not try to switch those around. You will end up with grainy pudding or nothing left on the grill.

I think that Tofu gets a bad rep because it is one of the best known and therefore easy to obtain veggie protein sources--though, Seitan and Tempeh have been getting around more and more lately. In any event, although tofu is one of the most common, a lot of people have no idea how to use it well. To those of you who said you didn't like it, I'm willing to bet that most of you had it prepared poorly. It would be like only ever having boiled chicken and never trying it grilled, broiled, fried (gasp!) or breaded and baked.

leslieanne1010

bump