Courtesy Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, of Green Options
Using tofu in a stir-fry is the most obvious use for this delicious food. And there are a couple things you can do. First of all, tofu has a fair amount of its own fat, so when you cook it, you really don’t need to use any oil. It will get golden brown and crispy on its own without oil. So you cut the tofu up into cubes or slices or patties or whatever size/shape you want, and you place them in a nonstick sauté pan.
Now you just let them get golden brown and crispy on one sided before turning it over. Don’t fuss with it and push it around; just let it get crispy, then flip it. No oil — about 10 minutes each side. While the tofu is cooking like this in its own pan, you can start cooking up your veggies — peppers, onions, squash, mushrooms, whatever you want to add to your stir-fry — in a separate sauté pan. When the veggies are nearly cooked, add your crispy tofu, and your stir-fry marinade, and just stir-fry until the tofu is hot and mixed with the sauce. Serve over quinoa or brown rice.
If you don’t own any nonstick pans, feel free to add a little olive oil to your pan and fry up the tofu that way. Tofu is best when it is nice and crispy. For more ideas, take a look at these tofu-starring recipes courtesy of www.lowfat.com:
Creamy Spinach with Potatoes
Serves 4
1 bag chopped spinach (frozen)
1/2 cup Tofu
1 onion
2-3 potatoes
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/4 tsp. red chili powder
1/4 tsp. tumeric powder (optional)
1 tsp water
Thaw the spinach and blend using a blender till a paste is formed. You may need to add water(in minute quantities) to help the blending process. Add the Tofu and blend further. Chop the onion and potatoes any way you like.
In a saucepan, toast the cumin seeds. When the seeds start to crackle, add the onions and water and sautee till the onions turn light brown.
Add the potatoes and cover the dish. Cook for about 2-3 minutes making sure that the potatoes don't burn (it has happened!).
Add the chili powder and tumeric and stir. When the potatoes are relatively cooked(semi-hard), add the spinach-tofu blend. Stir and let it simmer for about 5 minutes, add salt and let it simmer for another 10 minutes. Should be ready to eat right about now.
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“Stir-Fried" Spinach and Tofu
Serves 2
3 tbsp vegetable stock
1 inch fresh grated ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 big bunch baby spinach
1 container Mori-Nu Lowfat Tofu (Silken)
Mix the first 4 ingredients in a big bowl and add cubed tofu. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes. Heat a well seasoned wok. Pour in marinade, add spinach. Alow to wilt, tossing gently. Add tofu. Warm through. Easy & Quick!
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Tomato-Tofu Over Rice (or Pasta)
10 ripe roma tomatoes
1 large onion
several cloves of garlic (we like lots)
red bell pepper (optional)
1/2 block low fat tofu
Saute the onions and garlic in water or white wine, deglazing them a couple of times. Meanwhile cut up the tomatoes and rinse
and cut up the tofu (I love the White Wave version, since it's firm enough not to fall apart when stirred). Add the tomatoes
and tofu and cook until the tomatoes are nearly ready and add the red pepper. The pepper should be barely cooked.
We serve this over Japanese rice cooked in a rice cooker, but other rices and pasta are also good. If we want more sauce
or the tomatoes aren't exquisite, we sometimes stir in some pasta sauce along with the tomatoes.
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