I :heart: Tofu

Who'd have thunk it?  I started eating tofu several months ago because I wanted to expand my food horizons and all that jazz.  I was wary but I quickly discovered that when prepared correctly it's quite tasty.

Correctly prepared consists of draining thoroughly between towels and two weighted plates for several minutes, preferably an hour.  Then I slice the tofu into small cubes or triangles and marinate them in olive oil and either soy sauce or balsamic vinegar and whatever spices and herbs suit me that particular day.  I've sauteed the tofu in a skillet with mixed results.  I think I've discovered that braising chunks of tofu in the marinating liquid is best.  It provides the greatest consistency in texture.

Two of my favorite tofu-containing dishes, for your drooling pleasure:

This is quinoa, prepared in a tabouleh salad.  The recipe is from T.  She's an awesome cook.  I haven't actually eaten any of her food but the pictures she posts of her food make me wish I had eaten it.  Lots of it.  For the purpose of full disclosure her recipe did not have tofu in it but I added some because I wanted to.  Also, I put mushrooms in it this particular time because I was lacking some of the other stuff that I would normally put in it.  Yum.

This is spaghetti squash, recipe courtesy of me.  I roasted the squash in the oven.  After the strands were separated out I tossed in some sauteed onions, garlic and mushrooms.  There are also tomatoes but I don't saute those because they get too mushy.  Instead I remove the pan from the heat and add the tomatoes so they are just barely cooked by the heat of the vegetables already in the pan.  I added in an alfredo sauce which was quite creamy and delicious.  (And yes, there is a chip on my plate.  Please ignore it.)

I have also made pita sandwiches with tofu that was marinated in olive oil and lots of red pepper flakes for a spicy kick. The tofu and wheat pita were accompanied by shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sliced avocados and sharp cheddar cheese. Those were really, really good.  Unfortunately, I did not take any photos of those.

Anyway, those are a few of my recent forays into tofu consumption. You should try them. You know, if you've never tried tofu but have been curious about how it might fit into your diet. Or not. I suppose it's not necessarily for everyone.