tofu, was: intro

[Guest guest]

Hi Donna,

 

I buy locally made water-packed tofu, so I'm probably not much help in

offering tofu brands available iin a wider market. But I'd highly

recommend working with firm or extra firm (if you can find it) tofu. The

soft or medium stuff is great for smoothies and puddings, but terrible for

stews, stir-fries or anything where you want to keep it in large chunks.

 

As for marinating the tofu, I buy pre-made marinates. As much as I love to

cook, I don't have the patience for making them from scratch, getting the

herbs just right, etc. These days there are dozens of bottled marinates

for meat available. I usually choose a more natural one with less sodium

and no or fewer preservatives and pick whatever I think will enhance the

dish I'm making. I cut it into the size pieces I want, place it in a

single layer in a dish, marinate it and let it sit in the fridge for

several hours before cooking. I also frequently buy herbed tofu, rather

than the plain. I've only seen herbed tofu in water-packed storage though.

 

As for cooking it, I'm quite intrigued with Jeffkuk's idea (thank you!) and

plan to give that a try. Other ways I prepare it....

*saute or stir-fried. I try to stir it and flip it as little as possible

to keep it from breaking apart. I often cook it in a separate pan from the

vegetables and add it when its cooked to avoid breakage.

 

*grilling-this is a bit harder, but it tastes great. I cut it in larger

chunks than usual, spray a piece of foil with a little non-stick cooking

spray, lay the tofu on it and place it on the cooler part of the grill (too

much heat and the outside browns too fast and it sticks to the foil). I

turn it once. I'll often serve grilled tofu with grilled aspargus and

portabella mushrooms.

 

*add it in chunks to soups or stews and stir gently and as little as

possible. I also add it late in the cooking to avoid breakage. If I've

got time and I think of it, I'll marinate the tofu in the soup or stew

broth, so it takes on the flavor and then add it to the whole soup or stew

so it can heat through near the end of the cooking time.

 

*make tofu crumbles to add to chilis, stews, spaghetti or other pasta

sauces, use in tacos or burritos. I put a block of tofu in a ziplock

freezer bag and freeze it overnight. The next day I take it out and let it

thaw. The freezing and thawing completely changes the texture; the tofu

becomes like a sponge. I then squeeze out all the excess water and am left

with crumbles of tofu, which I seanson for whatever dish I want to use.

 

Hope these ideas might be helpful. We eat a lot of tofu around here. Our

2 year old just loves it, so its a great source of protein for her too.

 

Denise

 

***************************

Denise & Jani

newmoon

moms to one living child, Rowan Kelly, born 6-26-98 &

4 spirit babies: Cassidy, m/c 8/99, Mandy, m/c 10/99,

Keegan, ectopic 1/00 and Molly, m/c 8/00

Spirit Child list manager spiritchild

 

" Friends are the ones who know the song in your heart and can sing it

back to you when you have forgotten the words. " (source unknown)

[Guest guest]

Wow Denise! You had some great tips! Thanks alot! I have trouble with tofu in

the frying pan and flipping it too...it breaks apart so easily! But I love it

! Thanks for the tips!

Lucky for you, your daugter likes it! Thats great! Thanks again!

Beth