I'm cooking with tofu for the first time. How should I cook it?

I'm generally not a healthy eater, and I haven't had much tofu, so what's a good way to cook it to introduce myself to it and hopefully like it enough to continue to incorporate it into my lifestyle?I'm cooking with tofu for the first time. How should I cook it?
First of all, welcome to the world of soy. It's always a chore to start something new in our lives. There are so many unknowns and things to learn it seems.



Tofu is actually quite easy to incorporate as part of your food lifestyle. And since it's a ';complete protein'; food, it gives you the advantages of meat without the downside of fat and cholesterol.



The best way to start is to add to foods you already enjoy and allow it to take on those flavors.



Do you have a favorite salad dressing that you buy? Pour some in a blender, add a couple slices of tofu, blend until smooth. If that makes it a bit to thick, add a little olive oil and blend some more. Without really changing the flavor, you've added as much as 3 grams of protein to your dressing. If you'd like to make one from scratch, there's a good Tofu Italian Dressing in the recipe category at http://www.soymilkcrossroads.net.



I've discovered that tomato sauces work great with tofu. Just substitute the tofu for the meat. Do you like to put hamburger in your spaghetti sauce? Just crumble up tofu in its place. The same with chili. It absorbs all those wonderful surrounding flavors.



Soups are a great way to add tofu to your diet. Even soups out of a can. In fact, the tofu you add would probably be the healthiest part of the canned soup. Just crumble and add.



Do you make smoothies? If so, tofu takes on these flavors as well. Try a banana or 2, 3 ice cubes, a sweetener (honey, if you have it), about 4 to 6 oz of tofu, sprinkle in some nutmeg, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk (depending on how thick or thin you like it). And if you want to get real healthy here, add about 1/4 cup wheat germ. Then blend away.



Hopefully this should get you started on your new adventure. As you go along, you'll think of new ways to add tofu and come across simple recipe ideas to try for yourself. Enjoy the journey!I'm cooking with tofu for the first time. How should I cook it?
you should add it to a soup. such as hot and sour. but let it sit overnight because if not it does not absorb the taste and the tofu tastes like crap! but it tastes excellent overnight!
why don't you try http://www.spideronweb.com/recipe/ they have nice collection of every type of food.
I prefer the extra firm tofu if I'm going to be slicing or cubing it for recipes, and the silken tofu if I'm blending it for a creamy texture. Tofu is one of those great foods that absorbs the flavors its mixed with. Its great in stirfry's, spaghetti sauce, scrambled eggs, marinated and braised, or even a wonderful carob/cocoa tofu pie. I like it mixed with other foods, particularly stir-fry or marinated and fried and served with a dipping sauce.



1. Drain well and pat dry with a paper towel. Slice into 1/8 inch slices and marinate in Lawry's 30 minute marinade, Teriyaki flavor (you can experiement with other flavors). Drain and saute in 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil until browned on all sides. Add sliced carrots, celery, quartered onion, and continue to saute. Season with salt, pepper, and minced garlic. Add 1 cup teriyaki sauce and 1 can drained pineapple chunks. Cover and simmer until veges are crisp tender.

2. 1 package extra firm tofu, drained; 1 package silken tofu, drained, 1 cube butter, 1tsp vanilla, 1/2 cup carob powder, 1 T cocoa powder, 1 cup honey, 1 graham cracker crust. Blend tofu with softened butter, carob powder, cocoa, vanilla and honey. Pour into crust and refrigerate for several hours before serving.
oooh, not nessary, just stick to salads, if u have ot find way to make it good, its not worth it.
Unless you're going to put it into some kind of Asian soup, I would just throw it in the trash can. Who says tofu is good for you and has good nutrition? It's just a bland substitute for other healthier things (like meat). Try eating veggies and fruits instead.