Wanted: Easy Ways to Prepare Tofu

Tofu is great. You could also try seitan and tempeh, found at health food stores. You can stir fry tofu, bake it, and even mash it with all kinds of things. My website has tons of recipes!-www.weelicious.com

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Tofu-Parmigiana/Detail.aspx

I give my son the breaded tofu minus the tomato sauce. I also used the medium tofu instead of firm. Enjoy!

**Oh, adding this: Once you open a tofu container... be sure to store any leftovers in water... the same level as the tofu. Tofu must always be stored in water and in the fridge. Very important... or it will not last long and go sour. Tofu will store well in water and for a good amount of time. Once it gets "slimy" then throw it away.

Tofu comes in various textures: "soft," "firm", "medium." What you buy depends on personal preference or on what you are cooking... ie: the firmer kind for frying or making Tofu "steak" or stir fry and what not. Softer one's for anytime.

**Here's some links for other recipes:
http://www.eaglesnesthome.com/tofufaq.htm
http://www.recipegoldmine.com/tofu/tofu.html
http://www.treehuggingfamily.com/tofu-recipes-for-kids/
http://www.google.com/search?q=tofu+recipes+for+kids&...

My kids loved tofu too.
Tofu can be eaten as is straight from the box... cold or room temp.

Or, stir fry it. Or, make a sauce of soy sauce, and sesame oil... this is a common way to eat it in Hawaii, Asian style.

Or, cut it up in small cubes, and put in in Miso Soup. Kids also love Miso soup, and it is healthy. Recipe: Miso, water, soy sauce to taste, tofu cubes. Amount of ingredients is up to you and to taste. But, Miso is concentrated, so about 1/4-1/2 cup to about 4+ cups of water is good. Then simmer it until heated through. That's it.

Lots of ways to prep it... just look online... there are many recipes. Lots of it will be Asian styles/flavors.

Good luck,
Susan

One way I really like is to put extra firm tofu in a slow cooker/crock pot with vegetables and seasonings - whatever you want really. The tofu will take on the flavors of everything else!

Hi V.,

I used to give my son tofu left and right, until I read about the possible dangers of soy. 20/20 did a show about it, but unfortunately it's been taken off their website. You can find plenty online, though; most of the problems seem to be due to tofu's phytoestrogens. The issue is especially important for boys. Here's a website with some interesting links, if you want to check it out: http://www.tarrita.com/interest.htm.

Of course I'm not saying you shouldn't give him tofu. Just thought that more info is (almost) always a good thing.

--R.

Take coconut oil and fry it lightly. Then, stick the firm tofu on and cook both sides till brown, about 7 min. total. Coconut oil is the only oil you can cook that doesn't go rancid and is actually good for you.

Hi V.,
My kids liked tofu when they were little too....I used to just cut it up plain and put soy sauce on it. Bon appetite! J.

My son likes firm tofu just fine cut into small chunks and "stir-fried" in a skillet with a little bit of Smart Balance or butter. He has simple tastes! :-)

By the way, moms, I'm really surprised at how many moms are afraid of tofu because of the natural estrogen claim. Our pediatrician said it is not a concern--she said it's the protein staple of much of the world and that it will not turn boys into girls, for example. And, tofu is a good choice for protein especially if it's replacing a high-saturated fat meat entree.

But, I imagine that all foods should be eaten in moderation. I'm guessing that it wouldn't be great for anyone's body to consume large amounts of anything. I'm sure that some people are more sensitive to certain foods than others, and since everyone's genetic make-up and metabolism are different, soy products may indeed affect some of the population negatively but not others.

The only thing that we noticed when my son was eating a lot of tofu when he was younger was that it stained his teeth (temporarily--it came off at the dentist's office). The dentist said that brown rice will do that too, and he said that some of his patients of Asian descent often have badly-stained teeth. But now since my son is older and eating more foods, even this has not been a problem.

:-) D.

Hi! My son loved tofu too! My daughter hates it...go figure. Anyway, my son would eat it cold just cut up when he was a baby (1st soft, then medium) then as he got older, he loved it with cheese melted on top, we would just heat it up in a skillet w/ a litle butter and let the cheese melt on top. Then he would eventually eat it OUR way...which was in stir fry, pasta, soup...whatever. The cool thing about tofu is that it takes on the flavor of whatever your cooking. Good luck!

Soy (tofu) boosts estrogen levels...be careful feeding it to your son, especially. I don't think it's terrible occasionally, but it is powerful. I developed a grapefruit sized cyst on my ovary about 10 years ago and my doctor told me to stop eating soy products; it was gone in 2 weeks when I went back for another ultrasound. I'm not saying it's horrible - just be careful :)
I have heard of mommies mixing meat in with potatoes so they don't feel like they have to chew it. Maybe that would help?

My daughter loves tofu as well, I just steam it and put some kind of sauce on it like sweet and sour or even bbq sauce (don't ask me she likes it).. but just to let you know don't give him too much tofu.. I've read that giving children a little tofu is ok... but not more than that... specially for boys... it messes up their hormones somehow.. fyi (i don't remember the exact details of the article i read but a friend mentioned it to me as well)

Hey V.,
You have a couple of good responses already. So I will just add that if your child is still on foods like applesauce, etc., you can puree the tofu and add it to any baby food, or puree it with any of your own cooked vegetables or dinners like mac n cheese. I give it to babies with any leftovers I have and mix it in. Mix it with fruit, or puree it. Stir fry it with rice and egg, and add any veg you want. Puree it and add it to any sauce you make. I even put it in spaghetti sauce. You can sneak it into pretty much anything you want. :) I use organic though, especially with children.
Have fun,
V.

My kids love tofu. Here's a receipe that they and many adults love: Orange Tofu. http://www.recipezaar.com/136875

Lynne E

Most of the time, you can throw tofu into soups and foods with sauces (not italian, though) and it will be yummy. If you make chicken soup, toss in some extra firm tofu at the end. If you cook a stir fry, toss some tofu in. I like to make salmon with teriyaki sauce and it is great with tofu in it. The tofu will soak up the flavor of whatever you cook, so it will introduce your boy to the flavors of the other foods, but give him something less challenging to eat.

I have also bought pre-seasoned tofu at Trader Joes. Since it has a flavor a lot of times I will just cut a strip and warm it a little in the microwave for the baby to eat.

Please don't give tofu to your son. It is only safe to eat fermented soy products: tempeh and miso. PLease research more into the dangers of unfermented soy.

Just wanted to add my 2 cents....both of my boys have been eating tofu, and LOTS of it! since they were 12 months old (they're now 5 and 8) We've never had any kind of related problems (and yes, I have read about "the dangers of soy") they also drink soy milk, eat soy yogurt, etc as we do not do dairy products. Anyway, they are both as healthy as can be! At that age we actually started with just some firm tofu straight out of the package, cubed and maybe microwave it for a few seconds so it isn't so cold. Our fave way to eat tofu now, is the "firm" kind, cubed or cut into strips and lightly pan fried in a light oil such as canola (the tofu will soak up flavors so don't use a strong oil like olive oil)then we put teriyaki sauce on it or add it to stir fry, or put it in a broth with some noodles. YUM!

My kid's favorite tofu is the "high protien" tofu from trader joes...especially good if you are looking to get him more protien.
My 5 year old likes when I make him "tofu steak" by slicing the tofu to make 4 rectangular "steaks" and by frying it in a pan in either cooking spray, a little oil, or butter, for about 4 min on each side on med-high, then at the last minute, I put a little teriyaki sauce (I use soyaki from TJs) on the "tofu steak."
My 2 year old prefers when I dice the tofu and fry in about 1T butter (I know its not the healthiest option but it browns the tofu mildly) on med-high for about 7-8 minutes. Then I give some "dipping sauces" he thinks are fun. This can be like teriyaki or sweet and sour or even bbq sauce.
When the boys were your son's age, they actually liked the tofu plain and raw, just diced up in finger food sized pieces...
Good luck!

That's awesome he likes tofu, its great and healthy and saves the highly mistreated animals raised for consumption.
I recently tried tofu mixed with salsa (I love El Gran Burrito, and the Green Burrito's salsa). I just cut it into pieces add salsa and somewhat mush it. It's soo good, and the salsa is healthy as well.

And basically you can mix anything with it, as the tofu takes on the flavor of what you mix with it. Try different things even spinach, applesauce just about anything.

I recently stopped eating meat and Tofu has become my best friend, experiment. Try some vegetarian and vegan sites, they have fabulous receipes, that are quick and easy.

Hope that inspires you, have a great day.
EO