Can anyone give me a fast, easy recipe using tofu?

[Bunny]

My daughter (the picky one) will eat chicken, but won't eat red meat at all, and eats fish but very little. It's a big struggle to try to think of new things for her to eat. So we discussed tofu and I made a few recipes. The first was tofu sloppy joes. Verdict? :puke: (I tried it and I agree with the :puke:)

Next we made tofu and chicken stir-fry with vegetables. Sounds good, but Miss Picky hates most vegetables, so the stir fry consisted of chicken, tofu, snap beans, snow peas and a tiny amount of carrots and mushrooms that I insisted be included, and which she did not eat. That's it. It tastes okay, and she eats it, but it's not real inspiring.

I think the girl is working herself up to go vegan on me - she is lactose intolerant and drinks silk, eats soy ice cream, etc. She likes eggs and cheese but it wouldn't surprise me if she decides to stop eating them.

The vegan thing terrifies me because I am so unimaginative and she is so fussy that I just can't imagine what I'll be able to feed her. I've already jokingly told her that I am legally obligated to feed her until she turns 18, after that I do not care what she eats. She laughs about it, but this is almost a daily struggle to find something she'll eat.

Are there any fast, easy meals I could put together for her? She loves PopTarts - perhaps a tofu/PopTart medley? :)

[femmedem]

1. Marinate your tofu.

First, press out the excess water by putting a plate and something heavy like a bag of beans or a mother load of PopTarts on top of your firm or extra firm tofu. Let it sit for 15-30 minutes.

Cut the tofu into inch cubes. Marinate it with 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp honey, 2 tsp vinegar, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger, and 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil. A couple of hours later you've got some mighty tasty tofu, good enough to eat raw, but also good in stir fries.

Head on over to the Animal Rights/Vegetarian Group. They've got a huge thread of recipes for you.

Edited because I never proofread until after I've posted. :(

[Bunny]

3. Of course! The AnimalRights/Vegetarian Group!

How come I never think of these things first? Thanks for your recipe, that sounds like something she might actually eat. :thumbsup:

[Burma Jones]

19. Yes, you can also use that marinade with thick tofu slices

Bake the Tofu until you like its texture and then serve it with some Tahini dressing made by thinning tahini with some Good Olive Oil and Lemon Juice......

[femmedem]

21. Oooh, thanks. That sounds good. eom.

[tigereye]

2. saute the tofu with oil and some mild spices

add tomato sauce and put it on spaghetti. Great cheater veggie meal and usually loved by all.

or get her a veggie or vegan cookbook and make her cook! ;)

(there probably are poptarts somewhere that fit that bill.)

[Bunny]

5. Sounds great - Did I mention that she doesn't like Italian food?

:eyes: No spaghetti, rigatoni, ravioli, etc. And she's 1/2 Italian!!! :mad:

I may try to wiggle around with this and put it on a pizza, though. She actually likes pizza. Thanks! :thumbsup:

[spinbaby]

4. Bread it and fry it.

Like chicken fingers without the chicken. Tofu is also quite good in soup.

[Bunny]

7. Well, she likes chicken fingers, so she just may like this too.

Thanks! :thumbsup:

[graywarrior]

6. Get this book. Jess is a friend of mine.

http://www.hipchicksmacrobiotics.com/

[Bunny]

8. That sounds very interesting. I could actually benefit from better

eating too, this may help me and Bunny Jr.! :thumbsup:

[LeftyMom]

9. Try using the pre-marinated flavored tofu.

It's pretty good on sandwiches and in stir-fries, which is nice for tofu novices.

I like to press the water out, slice my tofu thin (use firm or extra firm for this) then cover it in barbecue sauce and bake it. I usually serve BBQ tofu with garlic mashed potatoes and some seasonal veggies.

How old is the picky daughter? If she's old enough to cook, turn her loose on vegweb or with some cookbooks (we have threads in VVAR on good cookbooks) and have her pick out things she'd like to try.

Oh, one more thing: as far as veg protein sources go, seitan is much easier to cook than tofu. Just use it anywhere you'd use chicken, it's a bit firmer but otherwise tends to fill in the same niches in recipes. Tempeh is also a good thing to experiment with and easier to use than tofu.

[Bunny]

10. I will look for the pre-marinated kind.

Picky girl is 15, and can definitely learn her way around the kitchen - I'll have her go online and see what she can come up with. Do they make vegan drink supplements (like Ensure) that she could drink if she's not eating very healthfully? Thanks for the advice! :thumbsup:

[Miss_Strawberry]

11. Do what my mom did...

and tell her she's making her own meals from now on... :)

[Bunny]

12. Oh lord - if I did that she'd eat nothing but PopTarts, HoHo's, frozen

pancakes, and cheese sticks!

[unpossibles]

13. I like freezing my tofu then thawing it - it makes it firmer

(also unless using it for something creamy, buy the extra firm tofu instead of the silken variety).

You should press the water out either before freezing or after thawing, and marinating it helps also. If you forget to marinate it, baking it with BBQ sauce or similar is good too, or fry it.

The trick to tofu sloppy joes/chili and other similar items is to get a tougher texture cook the hell out of it. I brown my tofu for quite a while when making sloppy joes so it gets a better texture.

And as someone pointed out, Seitan is easier to work with and a bit more flexible. I like it in stir fry dishes, stews, etc. We make it from scratch now to make it cheaper - it's not hard, but takes a decent amount of time to babysit it while it simmers for a few hours. You can do something else but have to be home to check on it.

How old is she? Keep in mind that humans' protein requirements are a lot easier to meet than most realize as long as you are eating a balanced meal with veggies, whole grains, and legumes, so tofu is not strictly necessary if you're having trouble. if it makes you feel better, it took me a while to become a competent tofu cook, and I think most don't like it because they have not had it prepared well.

[spinbaby]

14. TVP works better for textured stuff

I use TVP in chili and it's very good indeed. Frozen squeezed tofu makes pretty good "egg" salad.

[unpossibles]

17. good call. I sometimes use TVP for chili or other similar things too

I had forgotten about that.

I found a great mock-tuna salad recipe that replaces the tuna with semi-smashed chickpeas. It's great! Even my cats are fooled (at first). I'll have to try the tofu egg salad.

[malta blue]

15. Grilled Tofu

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
4-5 cloves garlic (chopped)
Mix together to make a marinade.

1 package firm tofu

Cut tofu into cubes and marinate in sauce overnight if time allows.
Grill on bbq or in oven, or sautee in non stick frying pan.

[Beer Snob-50]

16. Boca Burgers

I love the taste of them. Microwavable veggie burgers, different flavors. I slap a pc of cheese on it and throw it in a whole wheat bun. Very good.

I have a vegan friend who comes over once a week for dinner. Mercifully, he likes vegetables and so I make some interesting combos for him (my wife cooks meat for her and the kids)

[jobycom]

18. Tofu Lasagna

Simpler than it my owrdy explanation sounds. I can make it in about ten minutes, not counting bake time or noodle cook time. You sub tofu for the ricotta cheese (Tofu is basically a cheese, after all). The olive oil gives it a chewie-er feel.

Take a pound of tofu, drain, dry, (If you don't know how, just drain the water out, take a towel, wrap the tofu in the towel, and wring the ends of the towel just beyond the tofu, thus wringing out the tofu. Since you will crumble this tofu, don't worry about breaking it up when you wring it out), and crumble with a fork. Mix with a third cup olive oil, and a few lasagna-type spices (I use about a TBS of Oregano, basil, and thyme, and a bit more of garlic powder, though I really just estimate). Mix together and let sit for about fifteen minutes.

Prepare a pound of noodles (you can make a casserole of this and just use penne noodles or something like that, or you can make a lasagna, and layer it). You don't really have to boil them, you could just mix them in with the rest of the mixture, and they will cook, but I always boil them first, anyway).

Mix tofu with two jars of your favorite sauce and about a cup or two of Mozzeralla cheese (or a vegan substitute). If you use lasagna noodles, layer noodles and sauce mixture twice. If other noodles, mix all together and dump in a lasagna pan. Bake covered at 350 for half an hour, uncover for another fifteen minutes (Most everything is already cooked, so you are just heating it up and browning the top a bit, so you can vary this).

Optional: cook two packages of frozen spinach, drain, mix in before layering or mixing with noodles. Or mix any other chopped, sauteed, etc, veggies you like. I've sauteed zuchinni and squash, added sundried tomatoes, mixed in a little pesto (if you're vegan, get vegan pesto). Very quick, and my kids eat it.

[jpak]

20. Not tofu - Gimme Lean "ground beef" soy product burritos

You can make as much as you want...

Fry chopped tomatoes until thickened into sauce (use olive oil)

add Gimme Lean Ground (soy) "beef" to the tomato sauce (some or all of the package)

then add chili powder, fresh chopped cilantro, chopped spring onions, chopped jalapenos (or a little cayenne pepper), a little (vegetarian) prepared black bean dipping sauce and garlic to the sauce to taste.

(that part you have to experiment with)

It comes out a thick mixture that you can spoon into tortillas - add a little grated Monterey Jack cheese and fold 'em up...

Takes less than 10 minutes to make - my nieces and nephews love them...

[marzipanni]

22. Bird That Eats Clouds Tofu

1 lb. firm tofu
2-3 Tbsp. tamari
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. fresh grated ginger
........................................
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp.matzo meal or coarse bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. dried dill leaves
pepper to taste
........................................
oil for frying
Slice tofu 1"x 1"x 1/2". Press 20 min-1hr. Combine tamari, lemon, & ginger.
Marinate tofu 1-2 hrs. Combine other ingredients, except oil, and dredge
tofu in this.
Fry until crisp, serve hot or cold.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I have not made this recipe, it was the only recipe I received years ago
when a friend(?) sent a "favorite recipe" chain letter. I have a fairly
carnivorous husband and son, otherwise I would've tried it by now,
I think it sounds good! I'm going to make 1/2 a recipe, soon...
(if man and boy reject it, I won't have a whole recipe to eat!)

[jberryhill]

23. Tofu

I eat it out of the package.

It doesn't get any faster or easier.

[SPKrazy]

24. Shur...

take sum tofu

put some soy sauce on it

eat it

simple

now is it good? depends if you like that kind of thing

tofu really is pretty tasteless by itself

:rofl:

[rug]

25. Lift lid. Drop in can.

Make a baloney sandwich.