Need Tofu Recipes for Finicky 16 Month Old

Hi J.,

My friend gave me this idea when my son was about a year old. Blend the tofu with peanut butter (equal parts tofu and peanut butter)and honey and put it into ice trays to make "ices." Obviously these are allergenic ingredients and if you or anyone in your family have allergies to nuts you need to proceed with caution and/or blend with fruit. This also comes in handy with teething time. It keeps them busy (and messy) trying to eat the COLD cubes, so be sure he's in the highchair. Another more time consuming way to use tofu is to freeze, defrost, and squeeze out the excess water, and then use it like chopmeat--needs some soy sauce, garlic, salt, dry mustard to give it some flavor. You can lightly saute and then add to spaghetti and sauce. I also used it instead of egg in fried rice--2T of oil, 2 crushed garlic cloves sauteed, then remove the garlic and add the crumbled tofu and 1T of soy sauce. Use brown rice instead of white. You can throw in peas and bean sprouts, too. If you don't have a fried rice recipe, let me know and I'll be more specific. The good thing about it is everyone will like it for dinner.

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Place firm tofu between two plates and let drain for 1/2 hour or so. "Dry fry" sliced tofu (cook in a lightly oiled pan over medium heat, turning regularly). It makes it into a cheese-like consistency. My 8-month old will self-feed small chunks and crumbles of it. I throw out anything we haven't used after a few days. But don't worry, he's getting enough food and plenty of protein. The less you stress and try to force food on him, the better he'll respond to your offers of food later.

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Hi J.

My 15 months twins LOVE tofu. The easiest way to serve it is to cut a slice of firm tofu into cubes and serve it "naturel". You can also spread some pesto on a slice, sprinkle it with breadcrumbs and cut it into cubes.

Tofu can also be stirfried with any vegetables and spices your baby likes.

After opening I usually keep tofu in a tupperware for up to 5 days and replacing the water it is in daily.

Another good source of protein that isn't hard to chew is eggs.

Good luck!

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I bought soft tofu and just cut it into bite size pieces and put it into a bowl. My daughter is now 26 months and I still give it to her the same way and she loves it. It is straight from the package. I drain the water and put in new water daily.

I am now thinking about trying hard tofu and see what I can do with it for her. She is the same way with meat but sometimes I can get something into her.

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just get the extra hard tofu at the store and cook it with soy sauce. my son loves it!

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J.,

The best (and worst) thing about tofu, is that it doesn't taste like anything. It tastes like whatever you put it into.

I don't believe (AND ANYONE please mail me to correct me if I am wrong, since I intend to do this later on) you have to cook tofu.

You'll have to try silky to firm tofu, to see what your son likes. I would start with the silky. Drain it well, and squish (carefully, so you don't lose half your brick) it so you get as much of the 'tofu water' out as possible. You won't get it completely dry, but well, that's what I do. I haven't heard of any uses for this water, either.

You can add tofu to anything your son eats, and puree it together. It will add a little different flavor, so be sure to try it a bit before giving up.

Put it in applesauce, prunes or some other fruit or vegetable that he likes that is strong enough to mask it.

Start half and half, so that you get a fair amount of protein in before he either 'catches on' or gets full. (I do this with rice cereal. :) Sneaky!)

I would NOT try the tofu cheese, especially if he likes real cheese. You've got protein there already (and it does NOT taste the same, although it doesn't taste bad).

I use my leftovers in 48 hours or less (well, they rarely last that long anyway) simply because I don't know how long I have for them. They have always tasted good to me (cold or hot even) in that amount of time. I think the same holds true for chicken and pork, too, but I'm guessing there.

A recipe YOU might like is: prepare the tofu, put some olive oil in a fry pan, and sizzle the rest of the water out of it, until it gets crispy on one side. Then drizzle a little (measure before if you are watching your salt) teriyaki sauce, and flip it, adding a little more olive oil if you need it. You can add your favorite herbs and spices too. I've used oregano, basil, and a few others and it's turned out so well, even my husband eats it. :) I don't know where herbs and teriyaki stand on the baby's list of things to try, though, so you'll have to look that one up.

I also have it on good authority, that it makes a good sandwich, sliced, with tomato and pesto sauce (in lieu of mozzarella, and less fattening, too!)

Good luck!
M.

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You can also get pre-seasoned tofu. I get Trader Joe's firm tofu in Thai seasoning. It's in the refrigerated section. It may sound exotic, but my daughter loves it!! Really. She often clamors for "fo-fu." She's 21 months old now, and has been eating it for months (can't remember exactly). And, call me lazy, but the best part is that all you do is cut it into little chunks and you're ready to go!

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Hi,

I know you had a lot of great responses but I just have to add something!

We first introduced tofu (firm or extra firm goes over best with our kids) by cutting it into slabs, then rinsing, pressing and draining (the more water you press out, the better consistency it has) with paper towels then coating with applesauce and baking at 350 until hot. Then cutting up into bite sized cubes. After your child gets the taste for it, try Nasoya extra firm cubes (already cut up for you and they are much firmer than regular extra firm tofu) and throw them in any meal you make. For example, "beef" stew, casseroles, mac and cheese, even salads!

I hope your little one ends up loving tofu. Good luck!

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