Tofu...what do you use it for?

[zoebartlett]

This may sound silly, but I can''t stop thinking about a meal I had at an Asian restaurant a couple weeks ago. It had tofu, cellophane noodles, veggies (carrots, bok choy, green peppers, scallions, mushrooms), and brown rice. The cellophane noodles were an amber color but I couldn''t quite pick out what the flavor was. I thought the combination of noodles and rice was interesting and I''m not sure that the dish needed both starchy items, but man, was it GOOD!

Anyway, I also use tofu with brown rice, a little teriyaki sauce (or other sauces that I find in the grocery store), and peppers (either red or green). I''ve never made miso soup but I love that also. I think I''ll try that one soon.

What are your favorite tofu recipes? I don''t have any recipes to post because I kind of just throw things together and hope they turn out well.

 

[zoebartlett]

In case anyone would like a few recipes, here are some I found. They look yummy!

http://www.fatfree.com/recipes/tofu/

 

[chrono]

I use it in soup, steam it with a mixture of minced seafood on top, stirfry with vegetables and/or minced meat, stuffed and baked, the list goes on.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/20/2008 10:27:05 AM
Author: Chrono
I use it in soup, steam it with a mixture of minced seafood on top, stirfry with vegetables and/or minced meat, stuffed and baked, the list goes on.

I would like to try it again, but I couldn't get on with it.

Hey Chrono, wot you doing here on a weekend??

 

[chrono]

Working.

It sucks to be working on the weekend. It would be nicer if I was paid OT for it but I guess not. At least my family will be meeting me for lunch today.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/20/2008 10:54:55 AM
Author: Chrono
Working.

It sucks to be working on the weekend. It would be nicer if I was paid OT for it but I guess not. At least my family will be meeting me for lunch today.

Oh blast...not every weekend I hope??

Great you have a nice lunchy to look forward to!

 

[angel_nieves]

I love tofu; I think I use a 1lb of tofu every other day. I use it in stir-fry’s, soups, pasta bakes, everything, even cheese cake. I am vegan also very very lactose intolerant so I have recipes for tofu ricotta, tofu cream cheese and so on. I have tons of food blogs that have tofu recipes and nifty little tricks for cooking tofu.
Here is a recent pic of a yummy tofu sammy.

 

[Lorelei]

Macie that sammich looks deelicious! I will have to try it again one day....

 

[angel_nieves]

It takes practice just like everything else. Lorelei are you in the Uk? If so I found some UK websites about tofu-soya.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

I grill it on the BBQ with slicecd lemon. Yum.

cheers--Sharon

 

[chrono]

Dang! It''s making me hungry. It looks so yummy!

Lorelei,
Yeah, I have to work the next few weekends.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/20/2008 11:14:51 AM
Author: Chrono
Dang! It's making me hungry. It looks so yummy!

Lorelei,
Yeah, I have to work the next few weekends.

Oh no....poor you!!

Is it a tax year catch up or something?

Macie, yes I am in the UK. I would love to see those websites when you have time please!

 

[angel_nieves]

Here are a few links

On this page the third recipe down is yummy, however I did use store bought orange marmalade.
http://veganyumyum.com/

I love this recipe for quiche
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/12/mini-crustless-tofu-quiches.html

I use this recipe for cheese cake however I changed a few ingredients to make s’more cheese cake and mint chocolate chip cheese cake.
http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=235

Also this blog has wonderful links to tofu recipes and critics of them.
http://eatair.blogspot.com/

This is a good recipe for stuffed shells using tofu. I also vary the recipe to make “ricotta” for other dishes.
http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=244

This is a more of an informative link with some good recipes.
http://www.safetyofsoya.com/

Here is a link about all the different types of soy products
http://www.foodsubs.com/Soyprod.html


Hope all these links don’t overwhelm you ( I also have tons more).

 

[angel_nieves]

This is also the best way to prep tofu for a dish.
http://hubpages.com/hub/How_to_Cook_Tofu_Like_the_Pros

 

[baby monster]

Miso soup is super easy - dilute miso paste with hot water and throw in some green stuff and/or silken tofu. I like to marinade and pan-fry firm tofu to make pita pockets with veggies and hummus. When I make cream of broccoli or any other pureed soup, I blend in silken tofu to thicken it and give it more body. It also makes the soup low-fat since there is no need to add cream or milk to get that mouthfeel of creaminess. The silken tofu can also be used in dips instead of cream cheese.

I tried to make tofu desserts but they don''t taste right to me, so I just stick with regular ingredients.

 

[Lorelei]

Excellent links Macie, thank you so much!

 

[baby monster]

Date: 4/20/2008 12:06:28 PM
Author: Macie

I love this recipe for quiche
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/12/mini-crustless-tofu-quiches.html

Macie, this looks really good. Do these come out similar to real thing? I tried to make tofu quiche in the past and it came out super heavy and dense.

 

[angel_nieves]

Baby monster I haven’t had real quiche in ages, my hubby after going over seas and experiencing balut eggs can not stand the smell or taste of eggs.
However I used tofu that had been frozen then thawed in the recipe and it turned out wonderful. When you freeze tofu and then thaw it out it ends up a different texture less dense if you know what I am trying to say.

 

[baby monster]

Date: 4/20/2008 12:42:26 PM
Author: Macie
Baby monster I haven’t had real quiche in ages, my hubby after going over seas and experiencing balut eggs can not stand the smell or taste of eggs.
However I used tofu that had been frozen then thawed in the recipe and it turned out wonderful. When you freeze tofu and then thaw it out it ends up a different texture less dense if you know what I am trying to say.

Interesting. I''ve only tried freezing firm tofu to get different texture, not silken like the recipe calls for. How does the texture change if you freeze silken tofu?

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks for the links Macie! I''ve flipped through some of them and they look great.

 

[angel_nieves]

Humm.. I hope I describe this right. When you get silken tofu you know how it is a nice creamy texture that is impossible to press without smoshing it, after it been frozen over 24 hours it is still delectate, but has a firmer quality so it can be pressed. I hope that helped.

Oh and my hubby informed me that I used lite firm tofu in the quiche recipe so that had something to do with the texture.

 

[shimmer]

I love tofu!!!

Here is the best recipe I have ever had....Orange Beef-Style Tofu Stirfry

I use fresh oj, and broccoli stir-fried with garlic...yum!

 

[Aloros]

It goes really well in a vegetarian lasagna. I made some last week - one for a potluck at work, and one for home.

It was a hit!

One of the nice things about tofu is the way that it absorbs the flavors surrounding it.

 

[angel_nieves]

Babymonster, hmm I have never really had any problems with my tofu desserts. However I put my tofu and other dry ingredients in the food processor until a smooth consistency then mix in liquids.

Actually I am working on making Flan like dessert right now in the oven using tofu. If it works out well and chills correctly I post pics tomorrow.

 

[E B]

Macie,

Do you have Tofutti in the UK? They make a tofu cream cheese that is DELICIOUS. Great tofu sour cream and ice cream sandwiches, too. My husband, who can eat "real" cream cheese and sour cream loves Tofutti.

For some reason, unless tofu is made to look like something else that isn't square and jiggly, I can't get over the texture. Even thinking about it makes me gag. Though I had two different slices of tofu cheesecake that were soooo good. One was pumpkin "cheese"cake, and the other was brownie chunk "cheese"cake.

 

[angel_nieves]

Ebree actually I am in the Us. I have never tried Tofutti Better than cream cheese. I have heard rave reviews about it and would love to try it.

 

[Elmorton]

Thanks for starting this thread! I've been trying to transition into a veggie diet, and the one thing that I've never liked is tofu...

...but earlier this week DH and I went to a hibachi grill and I had tofu and veggies - the tofu was seared on the hibachi in some butter and seasoning and I swear, I've never tasted anything so good! I felt like I was eating veggies and cheesecake bites (...if that was a good combo..). Now that I know that I CAN like tofu, I'm excited to try cooking with it - and everyone has provided some excellent places to start!!

Does anyone have a good tofu veggie burger recipe? Now that it's warm, DH wants to grill out a lot, and I really want something that I can throw on there other than veggie kabobs - and while I don't mind boca burgers, they're kindof expensive and I'm convinced there's a better, fresher alternative.

 

[baby monster]

Date: 4/20/2008 8:04:29 PM
Author: Macie

Babymonster, hmm I have never really had any problems with my tofu desserts. However I put my tofu and other dry ingredients in the food processor until a smooth consistency then mix in liquids.

Actually I am working on making Flan like dessert right now in the oven using tofu. If it works out well and chills correctly I post pics tomorrow.

The trouble I have with tofu desserts is not the consistency but the flavor. They just don''t taste right to me. There is an ''off'' flavor.

Btw, I tried Tofutti ice cream and let''s just say it is not my cup of ice cream

 

[baby monster]

Date: 4/20/2008 9:46:47 PM
Author: Elmorton
Thanks for starting this thread! I've been trying to transition into a veggie diet, and the one thing that I've never liked is tofu...

...but earlier this week DH and I went to a hibachi grill and I had tofu and veggies - the tofu was seared on the hibachi in some butter and seasoning and I swear, I've never tasted anything so good! I felt like I was eating veggies and cheesecake bites (...if that was a good combo..). Now that I know that I CAN like tofu, I'm excited to try cooking with it - and everyone has provided some excellent places to start!!

Does anyone have a good tofu veggie burger recipe? Now that it's warm, DH wants to grill out a lot, and I really want something that I can throw on there other than veggie kabobs - and while I don't mind boca burgers, they're kindof expensive and I'm convinced there's a better, fresher alternative.

I'm glad you found a place that cooks tasty tofu. Quite often people dislike tofu because they haven't tried it in dishes that were well-made.

I have a recipe for veggie burgers though you'll have to pan-fry them, otherwise they'll fall apart. I have to admit that most of the time I buy Morning Star Mushroom Lovers veggie burgers instead of making them from scratch

.

Tofu Burgers
Makes 8 burgers

Ingredients:
1 block/285g/10½oz firm tofu
50g/2oz bulgar or 100g/4oz cooked millet or rice
2 fl oz/50ml hot water
1 small onion, very finely chopped
50g/2oz mushrooms, very finely chopped
50g/2oz carrot, grated
1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp dried mixed herbs or 2tsp any fresh herb, coriander, dill etc.
2 tbsp whole wheat flour plus a little extra for coating.

Break up the tofu with your fingers into very small pieces. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and squeeze well to shape into burgers.
(As the mixture is very sticky it will help if you dip your hands and utensils in cold water). Refrigerate for an hour or two. For a crisp coating, toss the burgers in a little whole wheat flour before frying. Pan-fry the burgers in oil, a few at a time. NOTE: it is most important to fry tne burgers in very hot oil to avoid disintegration and get a tasty crust.

 

[oobiecoo]

I like miso and have had other tofu dishes before... but I tried to slice and sautee it about a month ago and it smelled TERRIBLE! I haven''t been able to eat it since. Did I do something wrong? Or is it possible that it had gone "bad"?