Six Small Meals a Day, 250 cals each

[channlluv]

Oh my god, Murienn, you just saved my life with that Clean Eating Magazine link. Thank you!

[Blueberry]

Roxy-

I've never had tofu go bad sealed in the package. And I've eaten it way out of date.

This sounds good as a start for a tofu "cream" soup. If I'm using it like that, I just heat it - I don't really "cook" it....

PS - Glad you're starting to be on the mend

[OakLeaf]

Well, my experience with tofu is the opposite ... it's never all that fresh in the packages from the grocery store, and it sours pretty quickly. Personally I wouldn't eat it if it's past the expiration date, or even if it's inside the expiration date but the water is yellow and bubbly or sour. Silken tofu in the shelf-stable packaging probably keeps a long time, though.

It depends on what you want to do with it. If I want a squash or carrot bisque with tofu, I just break up the cake into chunks after the vegetables are tender, throw it in and blend the whole thing with a stick blender (don't forget to pull out the bay leaves or bouquet garni before blending - btdt and it wasn't pretty ). For burgers, I drain it, then squeeze out as much water as I can by hand, then just crumble it and mix it with the other ingredients. Pretty much the same thing for quiche. For sauces or dressings, you'd want to blend it smooth first and then mix in your other ingredients and warm it.

Don't go overboard with soy though. It can aggravate PMS and other estrogen-dominance issues. Some is good IMO, but there's such a thing as too much.

[Blueberry]

Oak -

Very interesting - maybe I've been lucky? In any case - I always use the smell test first

[ny biker]

I eat margarine on my waffles every morning. It's supposedly made with yogurt, and I think the calories per serving are a bit lower than some other brands. My parents use margarine made with olive oil, but that brand isn't available here.

[tangentgirl]

Trader Joes makes a really good seasoned and baked tofu.

[sookiesue]

For a couple of quinoa recipes, check out the blog "101cookbooks" by Heidi Swanson. "Heather's quinoa" is easy and tasty, and could last a few days in the fridge if divided up into smaller portions. I've never bothered with roasting the tomatoes, but I'm sure that would be tasty. The "Double Broccoli quinoa" is great, too - but it might not be great for you depending on how broccoli affects you gassy-wise : ) You could skip the cream in the recipe or use silken tofu to make the pesto creamier.

She also has a recipe in her book "super natural everyday" for quinoa patties, if you can find it at a library. I found them a little bland (sounds like that would be good for you), but pretty tasty and easy to keep a bunch in the fridge for snacking. Seems like you could easily add in flavors that you like to make it suit your preferences.

Consider trying tempeh instead of tofu if you are looking for a non-meat protein. I find it easier to cook with because it stays firm and has a chewier texture, you can use it anywhere you'd use meat. I use it in burritos, chili, stir fry, everything when I want a protein blast. Again, you have to consider how this (and tofu, actually) would affect you, gassy-wise.

Best wishes and a speedy recovery to you.