OK, so I bought some Tofu

[Barbde]

Now what in the world do I do with it??
And what should I expect this to taste like/texture be?
I thought it was interesting that some of the flavored tofu had more fiber than carbs!!

[not2late]

Re: OK, so I bought some Tofu

The taste depends on the person. Some people say it has no taste. But I'm one of those freaks who can taste even the tiniest amount of soy, so I can taste a mild soy-like taste with it.

The texture ranges from a smooth flan-like custard to bread pudding.

The way I like to cook tofu is to stif fry it with veggies. Since the tofu can "fall apart" if you are too rough with it, I like to slice it into cubes, dry them off with parper towels, and pan fry the cubes in some oil, until they are a golden brown on at least two sides. Then I toss the other veggies in. Frying the tofu gives them more texture and taste, imo.

I also slice the tofu into 1/8-1/4 inch thick slices, pan fry them on 2 sides, then use them as the toast for shrimp toast things like that.

A more involved recipe is stuffed tofu. Basically you slice the block into quarters then cut the quarters diagonally into triangles. Scoop out some of the tofu in the middle of a triangle side. Stuff the tofu with a mix of meat, veg, etc. Then pan fry it on all sides until golden brown and the stuffing mix is cooked.

[Pineapple]

Re: OK, so I bought some Tofu

Uh oh, more fiber than carbs? Where do you live? Australia, Uk? They already do the net carb count for you, so what you see for carbs is really what you're getting.

[MotherOfGizmo]

Re: OK, so I bought some Tofu

She lives in Florida!

[Pineapple]

Re: OK, so I bought some Tofu

That explains it, Florida thinks it's a separate country (lived in Key West when I was younger, 'twas awesome!).

[Heidi3]

Re: OK, so I bought some Tofu

Barb you bought tofu and did not even tell me

[Barbde]

Re: OK, so I bought some Tofu

LOL. You were off recouperating from Canada! I figured you would find out here!!
So what do YOU do with tofu Heidi?

[sadie147]

Re: OK, so I bought some Tofu

If you wanna stir fry it..put it in a sieve and let the liquid out of it..picks up the taste of anything you add to it and browns nicely. If it's silken tofu you can use it in smoothies or deserts to add protein. there are lot of recipes on the web. apparently you can also bake it and make 'tofu fries' but i'm skeptical about that one LOL.

it is an amazingly low carb food though.

[Heidi3]

Re: OK, so I bought some Tofu

LOL. You were off recouperating from Canada! I figured you would find out here!!
So what do YOU do with tofu Heidi?

ok then

I like it tossed in Asian stir fries ..to be honest that is the only way I eat it ...just make a stir fry and toss it in ..either to replace the meat or with it ..it is also really good in Hot Sour soup or won ton soup....I love it in Asian food only ...I don't do tofu lasagna or anything like that....

[not2late]

Re: OK, so I bought some Tofu

The other thing you can do with it is freeze it for 48 hours then defrost it. The tofu will get a spongy-bread texture. you can crumble that and use it to extend ground meat or you can slice it into cubes, pan fry it and use them like croutons (that's what I did during Induction for croutons). Frankly, since I've found a place that sells tofu puffs, I don't bother with freezing and making tofu croutons anymore.

[MotherOfGizmo]

Re: OK, so I bought some Tofu

I like it in small cubes in Miso soup.

[not2late]

Re: OK, so I bought some Tofu

That's good too, MoG! I remember Pammie (a former mod in Japan) said that cold tofu, sliced into cubes and sprinkled with soy and sesame oil was good. So I tried it and it was!

I have that for breakfast when I don't have leftovers.

[Heidi3]

Re: OK, so I bought some Tofu

oh yeah ..I love Thai curried tofu..Green thai curry with prawns (or chicken)
yummmm here you go ...Barb this is not at all like the other curry you made so it might be fun to try it?

this is a casual recipe and it is low carb and full of flavor just plug it into fitday if you want the entire count..
Green thai curry with prawns (or chicken)
curry paste (this can be made in batches and stored in the frig for a long long time!)
toss the following into a blender or food processor
4 jalepeno peppers seeded and get those bitter white ribs out
4 fat cloves garlic, chopped
1 small bunch of green onions
the whitish tender bottoms of a small bunch of lemon grass about 1/3 cup
1 small bunch of fresh cilantro washed and dried (I use a salad spinner for drying herbs)
1/4 cup canola or other neutral oil
juice of 2-3 limes depending on how juicy they are
1 tablespoon shrimp paste or Thai fish sauce or leave it out
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon of ground turmeric (optional but good)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
blend or process until this forms a paste
this is the fresh version of the Thai Curry you find in cups at SE Asian Markets or in some grocery stores..(.looks like this and you can use this if you like it is great and most curry pastes do not have sugars in them check labels But fresh is of course better http://importfood.com/cpmp1405.html )

peel and devein a pound of prawns (or a lb of boneless chicken cut up),drain cube a block of firm tofu or two if you are not using any meat, slice a cup of celery, open a can of sliced water chestnuts, open a can of sliced bamboo shoots (unless like I am lucky enough to be able to get locally buy them prepared and whole and slice them up) a bright red bell pepper sliced up, one nice sweet onion sliced up ..all the ingredients should be cut about the size of the prawns so the stirfry looks nice
If you do not want to do any prep you can buy stir fry veggies by the bagged salads in the produce section of the market...

Now open and stir up a can of coconut milk
pout 1/4 cup fish sauce....PHU QUOC is the absolute best fish sauce on the planet...bar none..if you can find it buy it and try it!!!!


in a hot wok or large skillet heat some oil (peanut oil is best for this) and stirfry the veggies for about a minute or two alone until they are partially cooked, then add the prawns or chicken and the curry paste. Stirfry everything around over high until it is all coated with curry paste ..and the prawns/chicken are partially cooked. add the fish sauce and coconut milk bring to a low boil stir then add the tofu and cook only until it is heated through..


tips and options..
-if you are eating fruits a mango cilantro salad with lime goes great with this...
-you can deep fry the tofu first (I do that it gives it much more texture and holds up better in the curry) if not be careful with it.

-I love go toss in a handful of chopped fresh Thai basil just before serviing

-this goes really well with shiritaki noodles


for garnishes I always have some salted peanuts partially smashed in a bowl
chopped hot peppers
dried crushed red peppers
limes quartered
toasted coconut chips
diced fresh tomatoes
whatever you like the more garnishes the better!

enjoy ....

[Heidi3]

Re: OK, so I bought some Tofu

I like it in small cubes in Miso soup.

yum...

[MotherOfGizmo]

Re: OK, so I bought some Tofu

Here is a website, I didn't go thru the recipes, but you know what is Atkins friendly and what isn't, check it out

http://www.tofu-recipes.com/fried-tofu.html