TOFU help!

[BirraNulu]

Having been a professional cook for twenty years I have a few ideas for ya. Soft tofu(silken) can be used in place of cream cheese,sour cream and mayo in cold recipes. I.E. Salads and salad dressing. Remember that tofu takes on the taste of whatever its mixed with. Do not over cook it also. It should be the last thing you add right before serivng. You are actually just warming it. Its already been cooked.. My personal fav is using it in Capri salad and now that summer is right around the corner with all those fresh tomatoes and basil. Heres the recipe. Extra firm tofu that has been pressed. ( Take it out of the package drain off water then put in a glass dish with a heavy weight on top of it to expell even more water -usually about 4 hours but can go overnight.) Cut into bite size cubes then toss with good quality balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Then add diced fresh tomatoes and basil. Season with fresh crack pepper and sea salt. Yum!!! Please visit the Epicurious web site for even more ideas.
B

[KnottedYet]

I like tofu enough that I will just eat a slice of it (cold) with some wasabi and tamari. I like the taste and texture of "cotton" style and "silk" style, and this is certainly a fast and simple way to prepare tofu!

You can also simmer a big hunk of tofu in a brown sugar syrup, it ends up kind of like flan, but more delicate. Very nice with a few fresh raspberries on top.

[smilingcat]

I like tofu enough that I will just eat a slice of it (cold) with some wasabi and tamari. I like the taste and texture of "cotton" style and "silk" style, and this is certainly a fast and simple way to prepare tofu!

You can also simmer a big hunk of tofu in a brown sugar syrup, it ends up kind of like flan, but more delicate. Very nice with a few fresh raspberries on top.

Very much like hiya-yakko. cold silken tofu served with shreded ginger and finely chopped green onion on top. pour small amount of soy sauce instead of tamari. Some will even put bonito shaving on top. Very Japanese. I think you might like the ginger instead of wasabi. The taste of ginger is refreshing cool but hot. Wasabi lacks that mint like coolness that ginger has. Very much a summer dish.

Try it you'll like it.
Shawn

[KnottedYet]

Ooooh, that sounds GOOD!

yes, I'll have to try that.

[sgtiger]

Here's some recipes published in a yoga magazine I subscribe to. The silken tofu with soy sauce seasoning is just a variation(more Korean-style) of hiya-yakko that smilingcat posted. The tofu quesadillas are tasty, although I think I used colby jack instead of the mozerella. I haven't tried the eggplant/tofu recipe yet.

Also, DH likes it when I pan fry firm tofu in some olive oil on medium heat until it forms a golden crispy crust on the outside. Then just as you take it off the heat pour over a mixture of soy sauce, minced ginger and garlic, chopped green onions, touch of sesame oil, and, if you like, some red pepper flakes. It may smoke or steam, so be careful. Then immediately transfer to a plate so the sauce doesn't cook to much.

Oh, remember to use the aromatic sesame oil(carmel in color) found in the Asian section of the grocery store made from toasted sesame seeds, not the light colored oil (usually sold in the health food section).

[EBD]

I make baked tofu cubes to throw in salads, stir fries etc - I cook it thoroughly so it is crunchy on the outside and no longer soft and white in the middle.

Recipe:

Take 1 block of firm or extra-firm, sandwich between paper towels and a dry dish towel, and put something heavy on top (like a frying pan). Let sit for 15 minutes or so. This drains out some of the moisture. Then cut into small blocks.
I marinate the tofu in either a combo of soy sauce and a bit of sesame oil, or balsamic and olive oil (the latter needs salt). You need a little oil or the soy sauce will burn in the oven and the tofu will stick. Marinate from 10 min to a couple of hours.
Preheat oven to 400. Cover a baking sheet with foil (if you don't want to clean it afterward!). Arrange tofu in a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes. Gently turn over the blocks, and then bake for 15 more minutes.

Throw on top of salads, noodles or rice, or eat by themselves as a snack!

[Triskeliongirl]

One of my favorites is curried tofu with cauliflower. Cut a cauliflower into bite sized pieces, same with a package of medium firm tofu. Then saute a lot of fresh chopped garlic in olive oil (I do this in a wok), then add the cauliflower and tofu and stir fry with a bunch of good quality curry powder and salt to taste. Mmmm. Tofu is best when it absorbs strong flavors like the curry and garlic in this dish.

[lizbids]

These recipes sound great...can't wait to try them out. I'm especially looking forward to the stuffed shells but that's just 'cause I'm Italian