I'm talking TOFU throwdown here people - help me out!
So my carnivore husband came home for a couple of weeks (he works out in Alberta, comes home every 2 months or so - I live in Ontario). Where he works, he eats in a cafeteria style place where they offer a wide array of what sounds like great food (which is good, because my man can EAT). The place always offers veggie options, as many of the young people (this is a mountain-located hotel that attracts university aged students as seasonal workers) are vegetarian. But the gal who runs the place (a friend of my hubby) is adamant that the food be nutritious and as a result, most of the veggie options incorporate tofu. Amazingly enough, my husband tells me he is now interested in exploring tofu as an ingredient. After I picked myself up off the floor, I panicked. I've been veggie, I'm now firmly omnivore, but I've never developed a "taste" for tofu. I've read about it, served it to my milk-allergic daughter when she was an infant (then I discovered she was actually allergic to soy too! All in the past now), and picked around it in pad Thai - that's about it.
But I'm there - I want to create the ultimate tofu challenge for a meal when my man returns in November. His children are absolutely horrified by the idea of tofu - so I have a tough room. But I want to showcase different tofu types in different dishes and see if we can't become a more veggie family.
Help me SEs!
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18 Comments:
Maybe this will help?
Tofu and Rice Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
1 C. uncooked brown rice
2 C. water
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (12 oz.) package extra-firm tofu, drained and diced
1 3/4 C. marinara sauce, divided
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
2 red bell peppers, halved and seeded
2 orange bell peppers, halved and seeded
2 C. shredded mozzarella cheese
8 slices tomato
Directions
Place rice and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes, or until tender. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and stir in garlic and tofu. Cook about 5 minutes. Mix in 1/4 C. marinara sauce, season with salt and pepper, and continue to cook and stir until tofu is evenly brown. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Using a wooden spoon or spatula, press an equal amount of rice into each pepper half. Layer rice with remaining marinara sauce, and 1/2 the cheese. Press equal amounts of tofu into the pepper halves. Place 1 tomato slice on each pepper, and top peppers with remaining mozzarella. Arrange stuffed peppers in a baking dish. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is melted. Serve 1/2 of each color pepper to each person. Yield: 4 Servings.
Hillary
Chew on That
We also have recipes for tofu lasagnas and such.
Chew on That at 1:09PM on 09/24/08
I don't have any specific recipes, but I do have a texture tip: to make the texture denser and more "meat-like," wrap the tofu in a piece of absorbent cheesecloth, place between two cutting boards, and put a heavy book on top. Wait a few hours, and voila, drier, more firmly textured 'fu.
Lilly at 1:21PM on 09/24/08
Oooh, nice tip Lilly!
Chew on That at 2:11PM on 09/24/08
This website is excellent of innovative vegan recipes and suggestion - http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/ The author incorporates tofu into 'typical' meals. I made her vegan lasagne on the weekend and it was the best (it uses tofu instead of ricotta)
shazza at 2:24PM on 09/24/08
The book Vegan with a Vengeance has a good-looking recipe for spanokopita that uses tofu. I also really like tofu scrambles and baked tofu.
KarynMC at 2:32PM on 09/24/08
@Lilly - I do that too! Though with paper towels instead of cheesecloth...
For great Tofu recipes, head over to 101 Cookbooks. Heidi's got a ton of delicious recipes.
Here are some that my beefy Midwestern husband likes:
Grilled Chimichurri Tofu Sandwiches
toasted sesame noodle salad w/nori-crusted tofu
Steak and Tofu Lettuce Wraps
Sausage & Tofu curry stir-fry
Straight up delicious Curry Noodles
bitchincamero at 2:59PM on 09/24/08
I think tofu is best if you freeze it overnight, then defrost and press out the moisture. It gets a chewier, "meatier" texture.
marzipanda at 3:23PM on 09/24/08
This is also not a recipe. One mistake I find that people often make is to try to disguise the tofu as a meat, to make as meat like as possible. Tofu is in fact a delicious and tasty thing.
So my suggestions are like so: Try dishes that incorporate both meat AND tofu--like roasted chicken with soy sauce and tofu stuffing. Try replacing something ELSE with the tofu--a caeser salad where deep fried tofu replace the croutons. And lastly, try blending it in to dips or soups, like so: http://thegastrognome.wordpress.com/2008/09/17/end-of-summer-soup-cold-and-spicy-tomato/
dagoose at 3:48PM on 09/24/08
i agree that 101 cookbooks has a bunch of recipes using tofu. I use it but not that much, generally in stirfrys.
I cut it in slices and press it for about 2 hours in between a thick layer of paper towels and a heavy stack of dictionaries. I fry it in a non-stick skillet sprayed with a bit of canola oil and then marinate the pieces in a soy sauce or tamari, lemon juice and crushed pieces of ginger mixture for about 30 minutes. Then, throw them in the skillet again... to dry a bit and stir fry with lots of green pepper and onion pieces. Take the marinade left over mix it with 1 tbs of cornstarch and that's the stirfry sauce. Serve over brown rice.
I also use it the same way for sandwiches, or my Toston Sandwich, where the bread is substituted for mashed green plantain pieces. Don't know how readily available those will be in Canada.
You could also try these frittatas, which are pretty tasty IMHO.
Good Luck...
MadelynRodriguez at 6:08PM on 09/24/08
I like to put tofu in yellow Thai curry instead of chicken or some other meat. The yellow curry sauce is tasty enough to play well with the tofu. I brown the cubed tofu in a little oil first, then toss it in with sauteed onions, carrots, and potatoes (and I really like Trader Joes' yellow curry sauce) and sprinkle in some fresh cilantro, and serve it with steamed Jasmine rice. Easy dinner. Now I'm hungry for some.
buffy at 7:14PM on 09/24/08
I love tofu (firm) in stir fry with a good soy/ginger/hoisin sauce with lots of veggies. I like how the tofu acts as a sponge and absorbs the sauce, God I have to make it now that I think of it. I also like tofu in salads (again firm). Some people make like fried chicken and put it through a egg bath and then a through flour but with tofu's case corn starch then fry it. It's okay, but I like it not dipped and fried because it absorbs better this way. I like it in soups too like a rich chicken soup yum.
pjracz10 at 5:00AM on 09/25/08
Ok, this marinade makes everything (including tofu) taste good:
3 T. soy sauce
2 T. olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced or put through the microplane
1/2 t. crushed red pepper
1/2 t. dried thyme
Combine these ingredients in a plastic bag. Add up to 1.5lbs of your favorite protein. Marinate overnight.
It's a good idea to get as much moisture as you can out of the tofu before marinating it. I cut an extra firm block in half horizontally and then place it for at least an hour between paper towels with a weight on it. The I cut it up into chunks and marinate it.
Tofu cooks up crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside on medium high, about 2 minutes per side, in a nonstick pan.
Good luck!
Amandarama at 7:33AM on 09/25/08
I'm also a confirmed omnivore, but I absolutely love tofu! I eat it several times a week. (Weird? Maybe.) One way that non-tofu eaters seem ok with it is in a scramble. Chop it up and scramble it with veggies (especially lots of onions and garlic, but also chopped broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, whatever you've got) as you would eggs. You can even start with half eggs and half tofu and slowly wean toward all tofu. Depending on what you put in it and how you spice it up, you can have this for any meal.
Enjoy!!
CookiePie at 12:37PM on 09/25/08
Ooo. Tofu can be a fantastic part of a meal -- if not the WHOLE meal -- if you do it up right. For me, this usually means frying the stuff. And adding a tasty sauce. Tofu tends to pick up whatever flavor you pour onto it.
Here are a few recipes from my blog to try out.
Thai Butternut Squash Soup (from Moosewood's Simple Suppers Cookbook -- a GREAT resource for all things tofu and veggie)
Sesame-Garlic Marinade
Sesame-Garlic Stirfry
**Note: I typically use extra-firm or firm tofu. There are many choices, but I feel that these two work best in everyday meals.
Again, the key is getting the tofu to take the tasy flavors you want to give it. This means often pressing the moisture out. There are instructions for that in the post about the marinade. Check it out! Maybe you'll end up loving tofu as much as I do!!!
makemethod at 1:52PM on 09/25/08
I'd go with a good ol' Cantonese ma po tofu dish. I actually don't have a good recipe, but I'm sure you can find one by googling or they even have pre-made packet mixes on the Asian aisle at most groceries for the less cooking-inclined. It's a nice spicy bean-paste and soy-based sauce which soaks in nicely to the tofu, and non-vegetarian recipes usually incorporate ground pork as well, which makes it easier for tofu newbies.
misskris15 at 2:47PM on 09/25/08
My parents used to deep fry firm tofu when they made tempura when I was a child. MMMMMM, so good. Top it with a bit of soy sauce, it's good on it's own.
Websites with Asian recipes often have recipes for tofu. Because I either take after my parents or have a taste for it because I was raised with a lot of it, I tend to go for Japanese recipes. http://www.justhungry.com is one I've been reading lately.
cmtigger at 10:42PM on 09/25/08
Oh, just an addition here- at the Japanese market last weekend, they had a sample booth out for an organic soft tofu. It was very simply served with a scoop of the tofu, a soy sauce based sauce and chopped green onions on top. Very good, but not something I'd like in too big of a serving.
cmtigger at 10:43PM on 09/25/08
This is how I got my fiance to try tofu. Its definitely a simple dish, but once you eat it, its as addicting as crack.
Tofu Peanut Stir-Fry
INGREDIENTS
* 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
* 1 (16 ounce) package frozen stir-fry vegetables
* 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
* salt and pepper to taste
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 1 cup cornstarch
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 (14 ounce) package firm tofu, drained and cubed
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 3/4 cup peanut sauce
* 1/4 cup chopped cashews(you could use peanuts here if you don't like cashews)
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat, and cook the vegetables until tender. Mix in the ginger, and season with salt and pepper. Remove vegetables from skillet, and set aside.
2. Place the eggs in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Dip tofu cubes first in the egg, then the cornstarch mixture to coat.
3. Heat the remaining oil in the skillet or wok over medium heat, and cook the coated tofu 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Stir in the peanut sauce and peanuts. Continue to cook and stir until sauce has thickened and tofu is well-coated. Serve with the vegetables.
steamsoldier at 3:20PM on 09/27/08