Tofu and vegetarian dishes

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whatevergirl

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I am really getting into incorporating tofu into some of our meals…I made an eggplant lasagna, no pasta used–and added tofu into the layers…I also have been eating tofu sushi, and some tofu smoothies. I really love how it takes on whatever flavor you add it to.

I’m a little dry on tofu ideas and recipes though…and just curious if you have any? I don’t eat a diet high in carbs, so pasta is not really an option–if you have any strictly vegetarian dishes to share…I’d be very grateful.🙂
 
Check out www.savvyvegetarian.com. My two favorites are the Spicy Tofu Rice Pilaf and the Tofu Burgers. There’s a quiche recipe on there that sounds good, but I haven’t tried it yet.

A simple stir fry that I’ll do–marinate tofu in soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and garlic and then fry it. Stir fry veggies (I like peppers, onions, and carrots, but practically any mix will do). Add tofu to veggies and serve over rice.

I recently made up a marinade for tilapia but I think it would be good with fried tofu, too. I used orange juice, orange zest, sesame oil, and ginger.
 
aurora77 said:
Check out www.savvyvegetarian.com. My two favorites are the Spicy Tofu Rice Pilaf and the Tofu Burgers. There’s a quiche recipe on there that sounds good, but I haven’t tried it yet.

A simple stir fry that I’ll do–marinate tofu in soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and garlic and then fry it. Stir fry veggies (I like peppers, onions, and carrots, but practically any mix will do). Add tofu to veggies and serve over rice.

I recently made up a marinade for tilapia but I think it would be good with fried tofu, too. I used orange juice, orange zest, sesame oil, and ginger.
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I am not eating rice much these days–but it sounds delish all by itself too.🙂 Thank you!!! I am going to check out that link.
 
oh my gosh, aurora! Thank you for that site link…I love it…chock full of information! Did you read the article about the woman who is 110 years old??:eek: Wow–great stuff!👍
 
I know there is some debate about how good/bad soy is for women, the good side - I do not like Tofu so it is a non-issue for us 😛

Have you thought about brown rice? We made the switch awhile back, and it has so much more flavor and umph. I also like the whole wheat pastas. Can you tell, I like my rice and pasta.
 
kage_ar said:
I know there is some debate about how good/bad soy is for women, the good side - I do not like Tofu so it is a non-issue for us 😛
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Me too! Years ago everyone assumed that vegetarians lived on nutmeat, which we hate, and now everyone thinks we live on tofu, which we can’t stand either. I wish I did like it but I just can’t. I think it’s the texture - very similar to foods I couldn’t tolerate as a child but which I was, ahem, “strongly encouraged” to eat anyway. (Loads of pasta served up here too and occasional brown rice.) But savvyvegetarian is an interesting link that I will check out as well.
 
I can’t eat tofu much any more, but when we did eat it a lot we found locally produced fresh tofu from an Asian grocery tasted much better than the vac packed stuff. (the kind in a tub of water where you change the water every day).
 
Before I came to Asia, I thought I hated tofu. Then I realized that the tofu I had in Canada was just badly prepared. Tofu in Korea is incredible.

Koreans use tofu in soup a lot. Try making soup using a thin, strongly flavoured broth, with lots of vegetable chunks, and drop some medium-hard tofu and seafood in at the last minute.

There’s another soup which is spicy red pepper broth, with lots of soft tofu in it (like dessert tofu, but unflavoured). It’s about 50% broth, 50% tofu. Drop a raw egg in at the last minute of cooking, and serve with rice. It’s fabulous. Put whatever vegetables you want in there, too.

Hard tofu can also be dipped in an egg-spice mixture and fried, then added to stir-fry dishes. I’ve also had barbecued tofu, cooked on a stone over coals. Mmm… You could put the egg-dipped fried tofu with some sweet-and-sour sauce with breaded shrimp if you eat shrimp, for a yummy treat.

There’s also a chocolate tofu mousse if you want a dessert recipe.
Take one package (12 oz? 16 oz?) of soft dessert tofu, any flavour you want. Put it in the blender and add two or three large ripe bananas. Melt a bar of dark chocolate and pour it on top, then blend. Pour into bowls (1/2 cup per serving) and refrigerate for at least two hours. Serve with cool-whip and berries. If you’re worried about fat, replace the chocolate with a generous serving of berries, but the dessert will taste more tofu-y.
 
I have a problem deciding what texture to use with what dish…
lets see there is firm, soft…etc:confused:
 
My favorite vegetarian meal is Special K "meat"loaf. I have made it at least five times and only got the recipe less than a month ago! It seems we have it every Friday (though I often feel guilty eating it cuz I think it’s sooo good!)

I’ve got my whole family, minus one aunt and uncle, hooked on it. So here goes:

1 box Special K (not the family size - just the regular one)
1 large tub cottage cheese (any curd size)
3 eggs
1/2 onion sauteed in butter or oil - we chop ours into big chunks, others finely chop their onions
1 cup pecan meal (we just put chopped pecans in a little food processor till it’s got the consistency of sand), but you can buy pecan meal. (Can also use walnut meal but I’ve never tried this).
Seasoning - anything you like that you would normally use on meatloaf. Sometimes I use a meatloaf seasoning packet, sometimes just a bit of garlic, sometimes nothing at all.

Mix all ingredients together, scoop into 9x13 greased pan, pour ketchup on top (or BBQ sauce or gravy - whatever you prefer on your meatloaf).

Bake at 350 for 45 mins to an hour. We always need the full hour. You want it to come out looking like meatloaf - dark brown and a bit firm. If it comes out looking light brown and wet then it’s not done yet. I always finish the bake with the oven on broil for awhile to crisp up the ketchup. YUMMY!

DH loves this meal. Loves it so much that he usually eats leftovers for breakfast, lunch and dinner the next day. 🙂
 
aimee said:
I have a problem deciding what texture to use with what dish…
lets see there is firm, soft…etc:confused:
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If you’re making a stir fry or baking tofu, use extra firm. For the tofu burgers, I use firm (it’s got more water, so it binds together better). If you’re using tofu in place of milk, like in a potato soup, or in a dip, I’d get the silken kind. My favorite is Azumaya tofu. I get it at Wal-Mart. It’s got added calcium, so it’s a little more healthy.

Isn’t that such a great site! I’ve gotten so many great recipes. One of my favorites is the spicy red lentil and sweet potato soup. It’s a wierd brownish red color when it’s done, so it’s not all that appetizing to look at but it’s delicious! Sweet and spicy at the same time.

I second the brown rice suggestion. I only eat white rice now if someone is serving it. I get this brown basmati rice from our local health food store and it’s amazing.
 
aurora77 said:
If you’re making a stir fry or baking tofu, use extra firm. For the tofu burgers, I use firm (it’s got more water, so it binds together better). If you’re using tofu in place of milk, like in a potato soup, or in a dip, I’d get the silken kind. My favorite is Azumaya tofu. I get it at Wal-Mart. It’s got added calcium, so it’s a little more healthy.

Isn’t that such a great site! I’ve gotten so many great recipes. One of my favorites is the spicy red lentil and sweet potato soup. It’s a wierd brownish red color when it’s done, so it’s not all that appetizing to look at but it’s delicious! Sweet and spicy at the same time.

I second the brown rice suggestion. I only eat white rice now if someone is serving it. I get this brown basmati rice from our local health food store and it’s amazing.
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I was going to ask that, aurora…I typically buy firm tofu, but have noticed the different ‘types’ at the store…I’m excited that Publix carries a wide variety…because I remember a time when you could really only get tofu at Whole Foods or health food shops.

I’m curious…how do you make them into burgers? Using the firm kind?

I love mushy foods…and I just love how mushy the tofu ended up in the eggplant lasagna I made last night…yum–and loaded with protein! I really do better if I limit my pasta and bread intake daily–and just feel tofu also fills me up. Keep the ideas flowing!👍
 
puzzleannie said:
I can’t eat tofu much any more, but when we did eat it a lot we found locally produced fresh tofu from an Asian grocery tasted much better than the vac packed stuff. (the kind in a tub of water where you change the water every day).
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hmmmm…really? Thank you this post–I’ll have to see where the Japanese restaurant where we order sushi gets theirs (if they tell us ha) It’s funny you say that, because the sushi version and the tofu we used last night, had a different taste…
 
thanks for the advice…this will be good info especially for Lent.
 
there are many different varieties, tastes and textures of tofu, depends on how it is prepared and there is a lot of variance, do some experimentation. it is not a generic product. one of my kids faves was fried tofu, firm, cut in slices, pressed between two plates over a drainboard using cans as weights to get all the liquid out, cut in cubes and fried in hot peanut oil, served with dipping sauces of any flavor you can think of.
 
puzzleannie said:
there are many different varieties, tastes and textures of tofu, depends on how it is prepared and there is a lot of variance, do some experimentation. it is not a generic product. one of my kids faves was fried tofu, firm, cut in slices, pressed between two plates over a drainboard using cans as weights to get all the liquid out, cut in cubes and fried in hot peanut oil, served with dipping sauces of any flavor you can think of.
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that sounds good…theres all types of dipping sauces…👍
 
whatevergirl said:
I’m curious…how do you make them into burgers? Using the firm kind?
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I use the recipe on the above website. I drain mine, using a couple dish towels and my flour cannisters to press the water out. Squish it up and then add the flour, oats, spices, to it. Mash it together to form patties and fry. My big learning experience, don’t flip them too quickly, otherwise they fall apart.

I like the burgers fresh the best, but they also freeze well. They can be hot from the microwave in a couple of minutes.
 
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