Tasty Tuesday: Experiencing with Tofu

On Sunday, I do my normal routine produce shopping and decided to pick up some Tofu. 

Tofu (豆腐, tofu?), or bean curd[3] is a soft white food made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks. It is of Chinese origin,[4] and part of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese[5] and others.[6] There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu that has been processed in some way. Tofu has very little flavor or smell on its own, so it can be used either in savory or sweet dishes, and is often seasoned or marinated to suit the dish.  via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofu

So, since Tofu has very little flavor I am going to experience with marinating and seasoning my Tofu.  I hope to try this recipe sometime this week and I will update you on my thoughts.

Pasta Tofu and Veggies
Delicious combination of fried tofu, pasta and veggies, delicious with a variety of sauces, like pesto, tomato sauce, or fresh herbs & olive oil.

Vary the sauces, veggies and pasta, add parmesan cheese or grated mozarella on the side if you like, and you can serve this for several meatless meals a week.

This tofu pasta recipe is high protein and high calorie, an ideal dish for active metabolisms, athletic people, and growing children or teens.

4 - 6 Servings: For a lower calorie version, omit the olive oil, and skimp on the sauce. Double the veggies and half the tofu and pasta. Skip the parmesan cheese, and sprinkle a little more Braggs. Add some digestive spices like pepper, cayenne, cumin, mustard or ginger to the marinade.

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Ingredients:

1 lb extra firm tofu

Braggs liquid aminos

Optional: fresh or powdered garlic and onion

1 lb pasta, penne or rotini

4 medium carrots

2 stalks broccoli

1 cup fresh green beans, pepper, or celery

2 - 4 Tbsp olive oil

Optional: tomato sauce or pesto

Optional: Fresh or dried basil and oregano

Optional: Fresh ground pepper, dried ginger, cumin, cayenne or black pepper (add to the marinade)

Directions:

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil

Slice the tofu in 1/2 X 1" pieces

Place in a bowl, sprinkle with braggs, and shake or stir

Let tofu sit for a few minutes

Heat the oil on medium/high in a heavy non stick or well cured cast iron pan

Optional: add 1 Tbsp minced garlic or half an onion, chopped, to the oil

Add the tofu, fry 5 minutes each side, turning with a spatula (that's the fun part)

Prep the veggies and place in a steamer basket over boiling water

Cover & steam for 5 - 10 minutes, until just tender

Add the pasta to the boiling water, bring back to boil, stirring, reduce heat, cover and simmer 7 minutes, or until al dente

Drain the pasta, add a little olive oil, sauce or pesto if you want, and/or fresh or dried herbs like basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme

Add the veggies & tofu, and mix gently

Serve hot sprinkled with parmesan or mozarella cheese, or fresh basil
 
Keep the Faith!
 
Until next time,
~E