I have been changing the way I eat...and I need some help. Does anyone have some yummy tofu recipes, they have actually tried and enjoyed?

The most importtant thing to know about tofu is that it's best used after draining for about 10-15 minutes, so it won't make your dishes watery and it will maintain more of a solid shape during cooking. Try some of these concoction's of mine:

For breakfast:

TOFU SPINACH SCRAMBLE

Sautee 1/2 small onion and chopped garlic in olive oil with a sprinkle of curry powder. Add fresh chopped spinach. Add drained, crumbled firm tofu, & salt or Mexican style seasoning to taste. Put to plate, topped with tomato slices (either cold, or slices that have previously been sauteed lightly in olive oil as well)

TOFU W/ THAI CURRY SAUCE

1 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon red curry paste, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
14 ounces extra-firm tofu, preferably water-packed
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups baby spinach
1 medium red bell pepper, sliced

To prepare sauce: Whisk coconut milk, cilantro, curry paste, brown sugar and salt in a small bowl.

To prepare tofu: Drain and rinse tofu; pat dry. Slice the block crosswise into eight 1/2-inch-thick slabs. Coarsely crumble each slice into smaller, uneven pieces.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add tofu and cook in a single layer, without stirring, until the pieces begin to turn golden brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Then gently stir and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until all sides are golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes more.
Add spinach, bell pepper and the curry sauce and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are just cooked, 1 to 2 minutes more.

-should make about 4 servings, serve with rice.

GREEK SALAD W/ TOFU

-serve with warm pita/flour tortilla & store bought hummus (or make your own by smashing up a can of chickpeas with garlic, lemon juice, salt and sesame paste).

3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped red onion or scallion
6 black olives, pitted and chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup drained and crumbled firm tofu
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 small tomato, coarsely chopped
1/2 small cucumber, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1. Combine feta, onion (or scallion), olives, lemon juice, oil and oregano in a medium bowl. Add tofu and mash with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
2. Add tomato, cucumber and parsley to the tofu mixture and stir to combine.

an easy way to drain tofu is to wrap it in some paper towels, then set it in the sink and put something kinda heavy on top, like a can of beans or something heavy enough to squeeze out the water but not so heavy that it rips the block of tofu apart. then, yeah, like ottensen said, let it drain for about 10 minutes or so.

i'm impatient though, so i usually end up wrapping my tofu in paper towels and squeezing a few times, then i go ahead and cut it up, then i gather all my tofu pieces in paper towel and give one more squeeze. it's not as good of a technique as letting it drain for 10 minutes, but it can do the trick if you're too antsy to wait (like me)

i like to make very simple tofu curries or stir fry dishes - i cube up the tofu (use EXTRA FIRM tofu, for the love of all that's good and holy!!! if you use silken tofu, it will end in tears, trust me) and then i sautee the heck out of the tofu using wok oil, or any cooking oil i can find that has a bit of flavor. if you use regular oil, maybe throw in some minced garlic?

while i'm sauteeing, i like to crack fresh black pepper over the tofu - the pepper embeds in the tofu and makes it even yummier. and if i'm making a curry dish, then i go ahead and sprinkle some curry powder or garam marsala powder on the tofu. by the time i'm done, it's nice and crispy on the outside and it has lots of flavor.

THEN i add veggies - be creative and throw in whatever you want. a good trip to the farmer's market will usually yield some fun options. leeks and thai eggplant are two big favorites in my house, though whatever's in the crisper can work. cut up the veggies and throw them in the pan you were sauteeing the tofu in, and if your pan has a lid, you might even want to turn down the heat a little, put on the lid, and let everything steam for a bit.

THEN, have a good sauce picked out - target, trader joes, whole foods, and just about every grocery these days has thai or indian-inspired simmer sauces. i love them all. when your tofu and veggies are at a point where you think they're just about ready, add the whole jar of simmer sauce, then get a pot of rice started, and when the rice is ready, then your simmery tofu and veggies should be ready.

if you're cooking for one, you should have quite a bit left over to take to work or to have for lunch the next day. if you're cooking for a family, you should have plenty left over for seconds.

this has been one of my favorite things to do with tofu for years.

recently, we've been experimenting with mock duck and jackfruit from our local asian market. jackfruit is very fleshy/meaty and can be used pretty much just like tofu in a dish like this, and it has a really interesting nutty flavor. i haven't quite mastered cooking with it yet, but i've been enjoying trying to figure it out.

good luck!

MoniGram said:

Not really - upsets my tummy

BUT

in all the juicing info I was reading - there are many "tofu" juicing recipes

who'd a thunk it

What Anxy said.



That's pretty much what I do with mine, but I do make some of my own sauces or doctor up the ones I get. Also - once my tofu is drained I sprinkle w/Bragg's liquid aminos and let that soak in a bit. It's a lower sodium soy sauce with all the amino acids that are good for ya in it!

If you're trying to be calorie conscious, you don't need a lot of oil. I always only make one serving at a time, so I only use a quarter of the block of tofu and I use only 1 teaspoon of oil for that which is around 45 calories. I use flavored oils like toasted sesame or a garlic and onion oil. And of course, the fresh cracked pepper.

Lemon and Ginger Tofu with Beautiful Sauce

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1 pack firm tofu (about 400 grams or 14 ounces)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, freshly grated
2 tablespoon chopped spring onion (shallots)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon chilli paste, more if you like (sambal oeleck, if not available use chopped fresh red chilli)
2 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoon water
4 tablespoon lemon juice
freshly grater rind of 1 lemon
1-2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
pinch of salt
6-8 tablespoon coconut milk
steamed jasmine rice
steamed vegetables (I use a frozen mixture of Thai vegetables, with carrots, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, capsicum etc.) )
coriander leaves to garnish, if you like

Directions:

A delicious Thai inspired dish, which looks beautiful on a plate with colorful Thai vegetables. Substituting the lemon juice and rind for lime also works brilliantly and makes it much more Thai.

1) Cut tofu into slices of the size you desire, I cut it into about 12 rectangular pieces

2) Mix together garlic, ginger, spring onion (shallots), coriander powder, cumin, chilli paste, soy sauce, water, lemon juice, lemon rind, sugar, 1 tablespoon of the oil and the salt in a dish to make a marinade. Stir it well so all the flavours bond.

3) Place the tofu in the marinade making sure each piece is well coated, cover and leave in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, 2 or 3 hours would be ideal.

4) Heat a frying pan up to medium-hot and put the rest of the oil (1 T) in it. Take the tofu out of the dish letting excess marinade drip back into the dish (do not discard the leftover marinade!) and cook tofu in pan for about 5 to 10 minutes, until nicely browned.

5) When tofu is cooked, put it aside and keep it warm. I keep mine on a plate in the grill on the low setting.

6) Turn the pan down to low-medium and pour the leftover marinade (chunky bits and all) into it, stir for a minute or two and add the coconut milk, turning the heat down to low as you do so. Bring to the boil or until it reaches the desired consistency for the sauce (I like a thick sauce, but not too thick) and its all ready.

7) Place the tofu on the steamed rice and pour the sauce over it. Serve the steamed vegetables next to the rice, garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy!

Serves: 3

Preparation time: 30 min


http://vegweb.com/index.p...ic=10831.0

The only time I even touch Tofu, is in my Miso Soup.

You can actually substitute tofu for thinly sliced eggplant and a variety of mushroom (diced, chopped, and sliced for texture), and it tastes just as good, if n not better in some recipes--especially curries.

ITALIAN STYLE TOFU

1/2 pound fingerling potatoes, scrubbed- or chopped potatoes, skin on,
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 ounces oyster mushrooms, thickly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound firm tofu—drained, patted dry and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
One 12-ounce jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and thinly sliced
3 ounces mozzarella cheese, lite or soy style, coarsely shredded (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons prepared pesto

DIRECTIONS
Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook over moderately high heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and slice the potatoes crosswise 3/4 inch thick.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the potato slices and cook over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 6 minutes. Add the tofu and roasted red peppers and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and lightly mashing the tofu, until the ingredients are combined and heated through, about 5 minutes. Add the cheese and 1 tablespoon of the pesto and stir to melt the cheese. Transfer the scramble to a platter and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of pesto and serve.

This makes about 6 servings, but can be cut in half to make a less. Serve with whole grain crusty bread, and/or simple green salad with vinaigrette.

GREEK LEMON RICE SOUP

4 cups chicken broth (pref.low sodium)
1/3 cup rice
1 12-ounce package silken tofu (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 1 tsp. dried
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1. Bring broth and rice to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the rice is very tender, about 15 minutes.

2. Carefully transfer 2 cups of the rice mixture to a blender. Add tofu, oil and turmeric; process until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Whisk the tofu mixture, lemon juice, dill and pepper into the soup remaining in the pan. Heat through.

Serves four, but recipe an be halved easily.

Thanks everyone...I can't wait to try some of these recipes!

Best tofu recipe I ever had is simple and it goes like this...

Get a block of tofu, drain and center it on a decorative plate, you know, a real showpiece...

Set your tofu in the center of your table, light some candles.

Now go outside and grill a steak. When done allow the meat to rest, keeps the juices in.

Sit down at your table and eat the steak while staring at the tofu.

C'est Magnifique!!!

RenHoek said:

Sounds like dinner to me : )

RenHoek said:

MoniGram said:

hell naw

but good luck you might like it better than i do lol

MoniGram said:

I had tofu last night in my stirfry - I get these flat marinated squares (not the fried tofu puffs) which I cut into strips and throw in with vegies and rice nooodles

Anxiety said:

I find that mickey mouse baby thing disturbing all lying there on the ground and twitching

RenHoek said:

Christopher said:

I love tofu in my Miso soup...and I have really grown to love soy milk...so I thought why not try it.

MoniGram said:

ooooh! I will have some of that today! I found a long lost sachet of it in the pantry yesterday

ZombieKitten said:

Miso soup!

ZombieKitten said:

you said sachet...

RenHoek said:

the master says satchel

RenHoek said:

sachet, sachet, sachet

omg, I'm gonna open a sashay as well also too now

Anxiety said:

lentils! beans!

BlackAdder7 said:

renhoek already beat you to the obligatory carnivore joke for this thread.