What to Do with Tofu?

We cut it into slices, dip them in cornstarch, and fry them until golden. THey are cripsy outside and tender inside. Then make a dipping sauce of soy sauce, rice vinegar, rooster sauce, chopped scallions, crushed garlic, chopped ginger, and sesame oil. My 2 year old loves this!

I make tofu tacos which my husband will actually eat. I agree with the other posters that you need to press out the extra water. I use extra firm and wrap it in paper towels with a tea towel around the outside. To press it, I just put it between two plates and set something else on top (cookbook, another heavy bowl, etc) I cut it into sticks, heat up a little canola oil in the skillet and coat it in taco seasoning (more than you would use for chicken or beef). We use a generous amount of shredded cheese on top too. The cheese makes all the difference. This isn't low fat by any means.

We are not vegetarian, but I make a lot of meals without meat. There is only two ways that I like tofu. One is extra firm tofu, seared to a crisp in a wok/pan and added to stir fry, etc. Second is silken tofu added to a protien shake or smoothie. It really isn't that tasty! And although its promoted as a health food, soy isn't all that healthy - it goes through a ton of processing. So I'd recommend you start looking at beans, veggies and grains instead. I can post some recipes if you want.

I made tofu the other day for the first time, and it turned out pretty tasty! I cut up some tofu and put in a skillet with some olive oil and garlic. I then cooked and cut up some bacon to add a little flavor (you don't need much). And I mixed it all with some sweet peas and rice. I know you said "vegetarian", but like you said, tofu doesn't really have taste so I had to add a little bacon. Hope it works for you.

It's all about the seasonings or sauce! Probably the easiest way to introduce it is in a stir fry. A sweet chili sauce or teriyaki are good choices - just get your veggies tender crisp, add cubes of tofu until heated through, add sauce and serve over rice.

Another way that I love to eat tofu is to cube it then fry it in a couple tbsp of oil until golden brown on the outside (make sure that you cover it with a screen cause it likes to pop). Then sprinkle a little salt and munch away. It's soft on the inside and chewy on the outside. My oldest daughter likes it too.

For the above recipes, make sure you use an extra-firm tofu and press the water from it before you use it. Just remove it from the package, place a couple of folded cloth or paper towels underneath and on top and then place something heavy on top (like a sturdy pot) and let sit for 15-20 minutes.

You could also make tofu smoothies for breakfast too. Use the soft tofu for those recipes though - it mixes up much better.

We also use the Boca chicken patties every once in awhile too. It's really good with a little Frank's hot sauce and blue cheese on it - although it is a little on the spicy side. It's not tofu, but it is lower fat soy-based product to replace a meat item.

Have fun!

Hi K.,
You're right, tofu really doesn't have much of a taste, that's what makes it so versatile. If you like the flavor of pizza, buy some extra-firm tofu and marinate in in the oven with a mixture of a little vinegar, tamari (or soy sauce), water, oregano, and garlic. Bake it for about 1 and 1/2 hours at 350. You can do the same with BBQ sauce or any grilling sauce you like. You can make kebabs, grill them, make a top on salads, or serve them cubed in a casserole. With the soft tofu, you can crumble that and incorporate it into salad dressings or sauces. It adds some texture and takes on the flavor of the sauce or dressing. You can find a lot more recipes on the internet and the back of the packages of the tofu itself. Good luck and yummy eats!

Hi There! Just make sure you press it between towels or paper towels before using it to get all the water out. I started doing this and it changed the tofu completely. I hated it at first and now I love it.

Tofu Scramble!!

Garlic, onions, mushrooms, carrott, chopped and sauteed in a pan of olive oil. Crumble drained tofu into the mixture and cook for atleast 10 minutes. You can add red peppers, tumeric, any spices you like really. I always add vegetarian chorizo to it and potatoes.

It's so good!

My mom tried the tofu thing. She cooks very healthy foods. She tried 30+ ways to sneak tofu into our diet growing up. It was always nasty. I hate tofu and still refuse to eat it as an adult.

If I may offer an alternative suggestion. Quinoa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa)

Quinoa is the only grain that is a FULL protein. Mom added it to salads and main dishes. She'd cook up a batch at the start of the week, store it in a jar in the fridge, and add it to meals as she made them. It is extremely filling. It has a pleasant, mild taste and texture. It gets a bit bigger when you cook it.

It's expensive, but it'll make your other food stretch longer. You can find it at health food stores. Not many of Mom's health food kicks managed to stick to my adult life. This one did.

Using tofu crumbles instead of ground beef for sloppy joes is actually really good. It's a great meal for kids, and with the sloppy joe sauce, they probably won't even notice the missing meat since the texture is the same. Good luck :)

First and foremost...add it to foods with lots of flavor. Tofu takes on the flavors of what it is added to so if you have mild flavors and spices your tofu is not going to be very tasty. Secondly, dice it fairly small so you don't get large bites of it. Third, always make sure that it is warmed thoroughly-cold tofu is nasty. Fourth, you may want to start purchasing the firm tofu to begin with. Then you can try the others later when you are more comfortable with adding it to your diet.

One thing that other people else mentioned, but I'd like to clarify about tofu taking on the taste of what it's cooked with. I learned the hard way that you have to cook it WITH the seasonings/flavoring. I've found that if you add the seasonings/flavoring AFTER it's cooked, it's too late -- all you get is sponge-tasting tofu.

I've made a tofu blueberry cheesecake. Tasted great. Looked disgusting. Haven't figured out how to fix that.

Good luck and enjoy!

I know you already got great responses, but I had to throw mine in. The best thing I ever learned that helped us enjoy tofu is this- I buy the extra firm, then I cut it into chunks or "sticks" and I freeze it. Then I bake it or use it however I'm planning. It makes it have a meatier texture. We did not like tofu because of the texture and that solved that.

What I used to do for my daughter was coat the tofu in graham cracker crumbs and let her dip them in yogurt. It was her favorite snack.

Also, because my whole family is vegetarian I have asked all of our doctors about any concerns with soy. They have all said it is fine, and even beneficial.

Tofu picks up the taste of what ever you cook it with. I put it in Lasagna, Spaghetti, Stir Fry, Casseroles. It's also really good in smoothies.

Hi K.,
While tofu is a good source of protein please make sure it is an unadulterated form. The way the Japanese process it it good, but americans haven't quite figured it out yet. Check out a book called "the stone age diet", But if you look to replacing certain items with tofu products on a limited basis it will be beneficial for your family. Just remember to much soy adds estrogens. So limit quantity. The best thing is all organic products. A bit pricey but Costco has organic meat, milk, cheese, salsa, etc. at a very affordable price.

Tofutti makes the best MOCK icecream, sourcream, creamcheese, etc. You won't even know you are eating tofu. You can pick these products up at any health food store.

Hope this helps. G

We do it in stir fry (try a Boulder Veggie Bowl at Tokyo Joe's).

Check out the Deceptively Delicious from the Library. There is a good recipe for Tofu nuggets instead of chicken nuggets.

I'd remember 2 things:
Press it in a towel or paper towel to get the water out for a couple of hours first, then marinate it. Tofu doesn't have much taste on its own, so it will take on as much flavor as you give it.

I am a vegetarian, but I actually only sometimes use tofu. I have heard that the phytoestrogen (I'm not sure exactly what it is) isn't very good. To have more vegetarian meals, it's actually pretty easy to substitute for the meat in recipes or just leave it out. One thing that I've used as a substitute before is potato. An easy dish that we have is spaghetti. We put vegetables like broccoli and green bell peppers in the sauce.

If you do use tofu, I'll second what someone else says - tofu will taste like whatever it was cooked or marinated in. One thing we do with tofu is marinate it in the fridge before cooking and eating it with rice. The sauce has tangerine zest, soy sauce, fennel, a little sugar, cooking wine, and maybe a couple other things. Then we eat it with tangerine pieces.

I'm vegetarian and just found a great way to prepare tofu!

The recipe is at:
http://hubpages.com/hub/How_to_Cook_Tofu_Like_the_Pros

It makes restaurant-quality tofu that has a great texture--my 6 year old really likes it!

Good luck!

Check out Asian cookbooks or look for Asian recipes online. I never knew I liked tofu until I lived in Asia. By itself, tofu doesn't taste like much, but it is great at absorbing flavors, so it goes well in savory/spicy sauces. A lot of the Asian tofu recipes also use some meat for flavor.

Also, it makes a difference what kind of tofu you use. It comes in different textures - silken, soft, medium firm, and firm - and these are used for different things. And some of the tofu available in regular grocery stores is just plain nasty! Whole Foods does good tofu, and Nasoya is okay. House or Pulmuone brands, available in Asian markets, are quite good. The Kikkoman shelf-stable stuff is gross.

If there is an Asian grocery in your area, go and start asking questions. Usually the folks who run such establishments are happy to educate "newbies" on how to cook with Asian ingredients. If you're lucky, they may even share a few family recipes.

Tofu is quite versatile. You can mash it up and put it in lasagna instead of the ricotta, or mashed up and mixed with refried beans for the stuffing of enchiladas or stuffed peppers. It is good cut up and baked with seasoning or tamari sauce, then put with stir fry. You can mix it in with scrambled eggs, quiche, cheese cake, etc. You can cut it into slices and grill it for a tufu BBQ sandwich. It is great cut up in miso soup. Google recipes and many should come up. I would suggest buying the organic brands because soybeans are often GMO or produced with a lot of agro-chemicals.

We love tofu! I use extra-firm tofu the most. I dice it ad add it to gravy and vegetables and make a wonderful pot pie. . . . I also have a great recipe for using a combination of firm and silken tofu as a substitute for ricotta in vegetable lasagna and my kids can't leave it alone as a cracker dip--they scrape out the food processor with Wheat Thins. I also like to dice it and then bake it, on a lightly greased cookie sheet, at about 400 for 20 minutes to kind of dry it out and firm it up, and then serve it with teriyaki sauce over rice. So easy and yummy. I also have a great recipe for a dairy-free chocolate cream pie involving tofu and melted chocolate chips. It's rich and if you like dark chocolate it's irresistable. My father-in-law, who is the king of meat and potatoes, asked for seconds! You can also bake sliced of extra firm tofu with a coating and have it be comparable to pieces of Shake 'n Bake chicken. That recipe is fairly famous in the vegetarian community as a great Thanksgiving option--Google "Tom Tofu" and you'll find it. It originally appeared in the cook book "Vegan Vittles."
I like the cookbooks "The Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook" by Robin Robertson for great, hearty vegetarian cooking. The pot pie recipe is in there. Another good one you could probably get for next to nothing used online is "The Compassionate Cook." It's PETA's coobook from the mid-90's and even though I'm not a fan of PETA's publicity stunts and tactics, the recipes are good. The ricotta recipe is in there, and some great desserts, too. "The Moosewood Cookbook" is the ultimate vegetarian classic. It has lots of great soups and lunch ideas, but not a lot of tofu-specific ideas.
Message me if you'd like my specific recipes. Good for you for eating lower on the food chain! Good luck!

Mock Chicken Tofu! It's yummy & I put it on my salads & I'll bet your kids may even like it as is, warm. Do as Kristen M said below, by first slicing the tofu, press between a towel to take water out & then cube them, I like
small cubes. Heat up some olive oil, get the pan med-hot & brown them. Take off from heat & add maybe a TBsp. of Bragg's Liquid Aminos (it's a liquid all purpose seasoning made from soy) Spike seasoning & Brewer's Yeast Flakes ( the largest flakes you can find) You can find all these in a Health Food Store, or in the Health Food Section of King Sooper. The Brewer's Yeast has tons of Vitamin B in it & it tastes nutty. You don't have to use Spike, you could use any non-salt seasoning you like. Enjoy!

Hi K.,
Before you incorporate tofu (or other soy products) in your family's diet, you might want to learn more about the problems of soy.
Soy has been promoted (very successfully) as a health food without regard to its damaging effects. There is plenty of science showing its ill effects but it hasn't made it out into the mainstream (and the soy industry would like to keep it that way).
The best source of information on why soy should not be a regular part of anyone's diet (especially children) can be found at http://westonaprice.org/soy/index.html. There are links on this page to hundreds of scientific studies on soy. This site is offered by a nonprofit foundation whose mission is to educate worldwide about nutrition issues.
I hope this is helpful to you. I share this with you in the hopes of saving you and your family some of the heartache I've seen.
B.

It all depends on what type of tofu you get. Probably the most tasty tofu is deep fried tofu. Some is fairly fatening, so be careful which type you buy, but there are some lower fat versions too. Also, if you can't find deep fried tofu (usually available at asian markets), try extra firm tofu. It stands up better. Usually, tofu takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it in. Try some fun sauces, like sweet and sour (cook it with pineapple, green peppers, onions and serve over rice), or kung pao (hot! cook with celery and peanuts!), or even just put it in a terryaki stir fry. You can also try getting soft tofu and blending it into things like spaghetti sauce.

Good luck!
J.

I am not a vegitarian but I really enjoy tofu. When I was pregnant I could't keep down much of anyhting for 18 weeks. The smell of meat was horrible so I made fruit and veggie smoothies and added tofu...taste great. When my son started on solids I gave him tofu regularly. I started mushing it in his veggies or whipping it in his sweet potatos etc. Then when he started on finger foods I cubed it and rolled it in crushed cherrios. It is a great source of protein and it taste great cold or hot..it all depends on what you mix it with.
GOOD LUCK

Look at Vegetarian Times magazine. They have a web sight and have several easy ways to cook things like tofu. Tofu will take on any flavor you give it. So if you saute cut up tofu in soy sauce and olive oil, it will taste great. Or saute it in Butter, and let it get brown, add some vegetables. If you just start experimenting you will find ways to cook it. Do not be afraid to add anything you want, and use it as a substutute for meat. If you look in Whole foods, or Sunflower market, you will see little packets that add flavoring too. Ask them at the front desk about season packets for tofu. I hope this helps.

K.,
My mom used to make homemade yogurt with tofu. She would add what ever berries she was in the mood for, a bit of honey for sweetner, and occasionaly she would use it in smoothies for us kids, we loved fresh fruit with ice and spring water.

Edamome.

Ok, so it isn't exactly tofu. It's immature soy beans in the pod. And soy is what tofu is made of. Costco has a box of smaller packets in them, in the frozen veggie section. I poke a couple holes in the film over the top and put it in the microwave for 2 min. The pods aren't really edible, so take them out of the pods to eat (just like snow peas).
The are an amazingly good snack and don't need butter or salt or anything.

One note: soy is a source of phyto-estrogen (I think that's the term). It's an estrogen-like substance found in some plants. It's not a problem for most people, and actually used by some as a homeopathic substitute for estrogen therapy (again, I'm pulling this from the dregs of my memory so I may not be completely accurate). But if you are on estrogen therapy or have any condition that is affected by estogen levels (like high risk for breast cancer) you need to moderate your soy intake. Some tofu as part of a healthy diet shouldn't be a problem. Just don't go soy-crazy.

I love tofu. It's all about the texture, then flavor. Baked or fried is best. Dry it in a clean dish towel, maybe with a little weight on it (dish w/soup cans). Then cube it, spray with Braggs/soy sauce, fry on all sides or bake in oven with like seasonings. We serve that with cesaer salad instead of chicken.

Also, cube it & marinate in soy sauce, sesame oil & seeds, a little rice vinegar & hot sauce- so good- eat it with a salad or with soba or udon noodles.

Tofu fajitas- buy a fajita marinade- cut the cube in half long=ways, grill it & then slice & serve w/grilled veggies & tortilla. Learned that from Casa Alvarez in Boulder theirs rocks.

Buy it prepared from Whole Foods to get the gist.

Also marinated on kebabs or barbeque style, scrambled & fried with lotsa stuff like eggs, etc. Enjoy.

Well, this is a dessert. But I think your kids will like it! You get a box of instant pudding mix and replace the milk with a package of tofu, beat with mixer and chill. YUM! Otherwise, I think you're best off cutting it small and sneaking it into casserole type things, such as lasagne. I've tried things such as replacing the meat in stir fry, and while it tastes fine I miss the texture of meat. Even the extra firm is too soft for me. One thing you might try that isn't tofu per se, but still soy, is Boca Burgers. Ironically, my kids won't eat them now as teenagers (probably because they know what it is!) but really liked them as younger kids. I love them! You just cook them and put them on hamburger buns with all the fixings. You can find them in the freezer section in the grocery store. Good luck!