Tofu question?

well I became a vegetarian and have been one for almost a whole month (i'm so proud.)



I want to learn tofu recipes and even how to cook it. When I go to the store it looks so gross. When I order a veggie delite from subway with the patty (made from tofu) it looks ok and taste delicous and so does all of the morning star products. Why does it look like that? Is it any good? How should I cook it? Have any recipes? ThanksTofu question?
Tofu Skillet Casserole

Ingredients

2 tbs oil

1 small chopped onion

one clove garlic, minced

1 block of tofu, crumbled up

3/4 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese, or cheddar or the like

optional-you can add a chopped green pepper or some chopped fresh mushrooms with the onion if you like (or both!).



Directions

Heat skillet and add oil.

Sautee the onion and garlic til soft (and other veggie if you're adding any...)

Add tofu and tomato sauce and stir.

Add Parmesan cheese and mix.

Sprinkle the jack cheese over the top and place the lid on the skillet, and immediately remove from heat.

Serve as is or sprinkled over noodles or rice.





Kung ';POW'; Tofu



Re-creation of an authentic favorite.



Ingredients (use vegan versions):



1 package of firm tofu

1/2 cup of water(approx)

1/3 cup of tamari or soy sauce

2 tablespoons of oil (i used vegetable oil)

2 tablespoons of rice vinegar

1 tablespoon of sugar (I used molasses)

1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes or more to taste

2 cloves of garlic or more to taste

1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water

1/2 cup of onions (chopped)

2 teaspoons of toasted sesame seeds



Directions:



Freeze tofu overnight for a more.. dare I say ';meaty'; texture. Drain all excess water before you begin cooking.



Cut the tofu into bite-sized cubes. Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat and add the tofu. Fry the tofu, turning every couple of minutes, until golden on all sides. Drain on paper towels.



In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, oil, sugar(again I opted to use molasses), crushed red pepper and cornstarch.



Add to your already medium heat skillet your onion and any other veggies you want if any, (chestnuts, snow peas, or scallions would be so yummy in this) for about 3-4 minutes.



Add your fried tofu and sauce from your small bowl to the skillet and cook for another few moments until your sauce has thickened up.



Serve over steamed rice, (brown or white are BOTH yummy). And sprinkle your toasted sesame seeds over the top.



YUMMY



Let me know what you think and be gentle I bruise easy!!



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Recipe submitted by debkira, 03/12/07



Corn Dogs - Yummy!!!



Ingredients (use vegan versions):



1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vegan sugar

3/4 cup plain soymilk (I use ';Silk';)

1 egg replacer, beaten (I use ';Ener-G';)

vegan ';hot dogs'; (I use ';Smart Dogs';)

vegetable oil

Popsicle sticks or skewers



Directions:



Mix together dry ingredients.



Stir in soymilk and egg replacer.



Put hot dogs on skewers and dip into the batter until thoroughly coated. Fry in hot oil until brown.



Any extra batter can be fried by spoonfuls in pan for ';hush puppies';.



Totally bad for you - but awesome!!!



Serves: 4



Preparation time: 20 minutes.





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Add a Photo to ';Sour Cream Chicken'; Enchiladas





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Recipe submitted by Sprinkles, 12/12/07



';Sour Cream Chicken'; Enchiladas



These are delicious! And the recipe makes a whole bunch. I made 1 pan enchiladas, and will use the rest of the filling for quesadillas



Ingredients (use vegan versions):



8 oz. package ';chik'n strips';, or equivalent frozen, thawed and drained tofu (not silken!)

1-2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled and diced

1 zucchini, diced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 15 1/4 oz. can corn, or small bag frozen

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes , drained (I only used half a can), or fresh diced

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon oregano leaf

6-12 oz. Tofutti ';Better Than Sour Cream';, depending on how much ';dairy'; you like. I used 9 oz. or 3/4 of a container

1-2 Tablespoons chipotle in adobo, pureed or mashed

1 16 oz. can green enchilada sauce, or homemade if you aren't lazy like me!

about 9 6'; corn tortillas



Directions:



First, this recipe would actually make two pans of enchiladas. But I love the filling so much, that I made 1 pan enchiladas, and I am going to use the rest of the filling for quesadillas, and a tasty southwest chicken salad. Roasting or grilling the vegetables is a bit of extra work well worth the time. It gives them so much more flavor.



1. Thaw ';chik'n'; or tofu. If using tofu, squeeze out all water. Dice it up.



2. Drain canned corn or thaw frozen. Toss corn, onion and diced zucchini with a very small amount of oil (just enough to barely coat veggies), broil or roast in oven at 500 degrees until onions start to brown. I actually like mine a bit burnt. You could also grill them.



3. Mix ';chik'n'; or tofu, chiles, onions, corn, zucchini, drained tomatoes, cumin, cilantro, beans, cumin, oregano, chipotle and salt to taste. At this point you could just leave out the ';sour cream'; if you want a less fatty enchilada.



4. Heat up a very small amount of oil in a pan and quickly saute each side of the corn tortillas, just heating through. If you do not want the added oil, you could just cover the tortillas with a damp paper towel and put them in the microwave.



5. Dip the tortillas in the enchilada sauce, stuff and put them in a lightly oiled pan. Top with more sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. I topped mine with fresh tomato and green onion when they came out of the oven.



This recipe comes from http://veganschmeganz.blogspot.com/ and is reprinted with permission.



Serves: 4-6 serving



Preparation time: 45 minutesTofu question?
Tofu is a concentrated protein, and should be eaten in small quantities, combined with grains and veggies. 4 Tblsp is an adult serving. Abandon the idea that tofu is a substitute for meat, therefore big slab of meat = big slab of tofu. Meat should also be eaten this way (sparingly), or better yet, not at all.Serve with pasta and steamed veggies, with a little tomato sauce and parmesan cheese

Serve with rice or quinoa, baked squash and steamed veggies, or salad

Combine with roasted or sauteed veggies and salsa in a wrap

Add to a grain based pilaf, or veggie stew

Cool and make a sandwich or two for your lunchbox
';well I became a vegetarian and have been one for almost a whole month (i'm so proud.)'; - lol I thought that was kinda cute :)



Well I would explain some tofu recipes, but I'm not a good 'explainer' lol..



So I found this site

http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetaria鈥?/a>



- If you scroll down and click on the food names it will show you the ingrediants and directions on how to cook it :)



Here are a few more sites

http://recipeswithtofu.blogspot.com/

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes/soy-to鈥?/a>

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/maindishe鈥?/a>
If your a good cook already you can master cooking with tofu, but it isn't easy to work with. If it was companies like Boca wouldn't be making so much money selling fake meats.

The important thing with tofu is pressing as much water out of it as possible. The water it's packed in has to be removed to get it to soak up flavors from the stuff you cook or marinate it with.