Tofu.... how can I make it yummy?

[TMarie]

I have several packages of tofu, but don't know how to prepare them. I've tried using tofu in the past but never found any recipe that was very tasty.

Can you help? My husband and kids won't eat it unless it is truly yummy. :o

[Lisa at Home]

http://www.fatfreevegan.com/search/search.pl?Realm=blog&Terms=tofu

I am just starting to experiment with tofu, as I had planned not to eat much soy. But, I am making some special considerations that force me to reconsider it. I have heard that freezing it changes the texture, making it more dense...like meat. I have some to experiment with today.

I have been trying tofu in restaurants so that I could get an idea of what I'm trying to accomplish. My local Chinese place has General Tso's tofu, instead of chicken, and WOW is it ever good!

HTH!

~Lisa

[LoriM]

The trick with tofu is to cook it in recipes that are truly delicious even if you left it out. GRIN. Seriously, think very flavorful stir-fries, soups (like miso) or use the tofu in place of ricotta cheese in lasagna. Tofu alone or as the main ingredient in a dish is never going to be the best. I love tofu, and even I have a hard time eating it straight. I do like cubed very firm tofu marinated in teriyaki and then browned with broccoli and onions.

Think vegetable lasagna. Use whole wheat noodles, then blend/mash the soft tofu with garlic, oregano and salt and pepper. Build your layers of veggies (already partly sauteed), noodles, tofu and mozzerella cheese (if you eat it) and spaghetti sauce, and bake. The tofu works very well at raising the protein content of the dish.

HTH,

LoriM

[Plaid Dad]

Two words: press and marinate.

Tofu is a sponge. When it comes in the package, it is full of water - not tasty. What you need to do is get the water out and your flavor of choice in. Here's how we do it:

Slice the tofu into 1/2" rectangles. Put a clean dish towel on a cookie sheet, place to tofu on top of it in a single layer, put another dish towel on top, and then another cookie sheet or cutting board. Then put a heavy pan or some heavy canned goods on top of that. Wait an hour. When you remove the tofu, it will be much thinner. Now you can soak it in whatever type of marinade you like. We like to use spice pastes (like the spice rubs you'd use for grilling meat, but with a little water added to make a paste) as well as the more traditional Asian soy-sauce-based marinades. You can then grill or pan-fry the tofu.

Enjoy!

[Wendi]

If you're trying to go fully vegetarian, this won't help. I have used tofu in highly seasoned dishes like tacos or enchiladas. I drained the tofu well, and crumbled it. Then I used half the amount of meat I'd normally use, and replaced it with crumbled tofu. My family liked it pretty well that way.

HTH,
Wendi

[Plaid Dad]

Oh, and I wanted to add two things:

Don't be afraid to use tofu in non-Asian dishes. It picks up whatever flavors you cook with it. It's great with Mexican or Indian sauces, or as a substitute for ricotta in Italian dishes (use the soft kind for that).

My new favorite "how to do yummy things with tofu book" is The Flexitarian Table (http://www.amazon.com/Flexitarian-Table-Inspired-Vegetarians-inBetween/dp/0618658653/). It's actually a cookbook that teaches you how to make both meat and vegetarian meals, but the tofu recipes are superb. We've loved everything we've made from this book.

[Lisa at Home]

I love tofu as the main part of a dish. In fact, I probably have gotten to like it too much, so that I am going to have to cut back!:) The General's tofu that I was speaking about above, is all tofu, with just a few pieces of broccoli. It is soooo good!

~Lisa