Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

sounds good!

all this talk about food is makin me hungry!

This simple recipe only takes less than 5 minutes to fix.

Drain cold 1 silken tofu and cut about 1/2 inch square pieces.
Grate fresh ginger root and squeeze about 2 tablespoonful juice in small bowl.
Add about 3 tablespoonful Japanese soy sauce to ginger juice.
Mince 1 green onion (scallion) and add to soy/ginger sauce.
Dip cold pieces of tofu in soy/ginger sauce and enjoy!

I made something really cool with tofu tonight, it had chinese five-spice, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and a bit of cayenne pepper... no recipe, I just sort of made it up as I went along. While it was cooking, I thought "gee, wasn't there a thread about things to do with tofu?"

So, here's the thread... revived.



Wow, I guess I've really learned a lot in the past year and a half. Like, for instance, that "silken" tofu and the tofu sold in tubs full of water are not necessarily interchangeable in recipes. (Like many other things, I learned this the hard way.)

I love to bake tofu!! all I do i cute the tofu in 1/2 long ways, then cut into triangles, then i make a sause of braggs liquid amino, juice of 1/4 lemon, few dashes of sesame oil....take the tofu first and press the water out of it, dip tofu into sause and put on cookie sheet bake @ 400 degrees for about 5-7 min <more or less depending on your oven> then enjoy!!

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Nature is ancient, but suprises us all....Bjork

putting sauteed tofu on salads..

I think tofu gets a really bad rap, from most, esp my non veg friends and co-workers. Tofu can be an amazing food, it all depends on what you do with it. I think what turns most of it, is it's texture. I've been to restaurants that serve traditional chinese restaurant style foods substituted with tofu. But they've used soft tofu, that doesn't go very well in a Sesame Tufu dish that is supposed to be a mock Sesame Chicken dish. I've also found that using a soft tofu that has not been squeezed can fall apart and cumble when cooking with it. That can be bad when that is not your intention.

Silken tofu makes great puddings, mousses, and cupcake fillings!

If you have the time, freeze the drained firm or extra firm tofu overnight. I freeze mine in a tupperware dish. Thaw it the next day. When you are ready to prepare it, cut the brick in half and squeeze as much of the water out of it as you can without crumbling it. Now you can marinate it, batter and fry, bake, saute, crumble. Freezing and draining the tofu gives it a really good firm and chewy texture! It makes amazing fajitas and mock ricotta cheese for stuffed shells or lasagna! To much water in tofu can be boring and adds no exciting texture if you use it like that all of the time.

Just suggestions, to each his own! Also, if you're interested, some tofu will state on the package that their tofu is made from non-GMO soybeans. The price seems to run in-line with those who do use lab beans

Make sure to use the right type of tofu for the right use. I think many people dislike tofu because they've used the wrong kind. And also because they don't see it for what it is: a raw ingredient, like flour, that needs to have something done to it.

Asceptically packaged, 'silken' tofu, like Mori-Nu, is good for blending to make puddings, dips, even smoothies. It is NOT good (texture-wise) for stirfrying or baking.)

The water-packed tofu is good for stirfrying, baking, broiling, cutting up and eating as-is on salad--make sure it's fresh, though---marinating. You can also freeze it and then thaw to create a more crumbly texture that, when the excess water if pressed out, really soaks up whatever flavors you mix it with (good as a sub for 'ground beef' in chili, tacos, etc. It does turn a bit yellowish when frozen, but that's normal).

You can press a block of water-packed tofu between two plates, with a weight on top, to remove excess water, then marinate, then bake. If you keep the temp lower and the time longer, the tofu gets drier and chewier, and is good for a sandwich addition. Or dice and put in salads.

You can also crumble water-packed tofu and add chopped celery and onions, a bit of vegan mayo and some mustard and some poultry seasoning to make a mock 'chicken' salad. Mock egg salad is similar, with parsley, a bit of nutritional yeast and tumeric and no poultry seasoning.

I've done the saute thing a million times, but I think I need to try the 'fish stick' method. I've seen something similar at a Tibetan place called Tassajara that's right by my house. If any of you have heard of this place, it's most famous for its Tassajara Breadbook.

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"Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn whatever state I am in, therin to be content." - Helen Keller

I have the Tassajara Breadbook! A great book for bread making (which I never really got into...)

does anyone have good ideas on how to make meat subsitutes out of tofu? i am trying to get away from the textured wheat protein stuff...i checked on vegweb but nothing really stood out to me.

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"maybe you'd look at me, you'd talk to me, we could marry, live in this tree. but it's unlikely. you don't like me, and i don't like me, and it's unlikely."

Textured Soy Protein is an easy fix. Making tofu meaty is tough because its already processed. You can really only cook flavor into it or try freezing it before you fry it(it'll change the texture significantly)

I heard that some Chinese restaurants use corn starch (I believe it was) to give the tofu a "skin", kind of like Chicken (I'm thinking General Tso's Tofu), but I'll try to find other ways. If you're really up for making it like meat, you need to find REALLY firm tofu also.

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"Look at what a green thumb this guy has, he just throws plants in water and they root!"
- A good friend talking about my basil cuttings

If you get lucky you'll actually get the tofu skin on your tofu you buy. The outide of the enormous tofu blocks made at factories have a skin on them.

here in the UK we get organic cauldron tofu. I don't think I saw it out in the states, but could be wrong. it's quite firm and perfect for stir fry with broccoli and cashews, then add some soy sauce for flavour, hey presto! bob's your uncle. oh, it helps to half steam to broccoli first, and perhaps add some ginger to the pan beforehand.
simple is always best

oh cashews go in at the very last second! otherwise they go all chewy and rubber like :/