{"id":79962,"date":"2012-09-30T08:00:38","date_gmt":"2012-09-30T13:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/?p=79962"},"modified":"2012-10-01T15:58:41","modified_gmt":"2012-10-01T20:58:41","slug":"how-to-cook-with-tofu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/09\/how-to-cook-with-tofu\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Cook with Tofu"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tofu used to scare me, but now we’re quite comfortable with each other. I pick up a package once a month or so to add as a nice meat-free protein source to my favorite recipes. I find it works best in dishes with very high flavor profiles, such as sweet and spicy pad thai<\/a><\/strong>,<\/a> since tofu lacks much taste on its own but absorbs seasonings well.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Though tofu can be tricky to master at first, once you get the hang of it it can prove quite useful as an alternative and cost-friendly meat alternative in your diet.<\/p>\n

Health benefits<\/strong>: Tofu is a bean curd that’s made by adding mineral salt, such as calcium sulfate, and water to a soybean “mash.” The salt makes the protein and fiber in the soy turn thick and smooth, and it’s then pressed in to a block for packaging. Tofu is a great and cheap source of calcium and vitamin E and is very rich in protein. One half-cup serving contains nearly 10 grams.<\/p>\n

Tofu also boasts such benefits as lowering bad cholesterol, alleviating symptoms of menopause, and even lowering risk of cancer when eaten regularly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nutritional statistics:\u00a0<\/strong>One-half cup of firm tofu contains approximately 88 calories, 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar and 10 grams of protein.<\/p>\n

Cooking methods<\/strong>: There are an abundance of ways to prepare tofu, some more simple than others. Check out this great guide<\/a><\/strong> that includes several preparation methods, as well as a few healthy recipe ideas.<\/p>\n

For a good starting place, know that tofu comes in water and if you don’t drain it, it turns out rather soggy. You can either invest in a tofu press or you simply place the tofu between several layers of paper towels or kitchen towels and apply pressure to the top with either a heavy skillet or a stack of books. Just make sure you have a protective layer between the two – such as a cookie sheet – to avoid dampening or ruining your weight source.<\/p>\n

It’s also helpful to know that tofu comes in hard and soft varieties. Soft tofu has a thick and creamy texture that makes it great for salad dressings, desserts, smoothies and puddings. And hard tofu has a firmer consistency, making it better suited for dishes where it will retain its shape, such as pastas and stir fries.<\/p>\n

Once you’ve properly prepped your hard or soft tofu, you can season and grill it, turn it into a tofu ‘scramble,’ bake it, roast it, add it to a smoothie, or even turn it into a dessert such as a chilled pie or tart. Check out these recipes below for a good place to start. Then, dream up your own concoctions with this delicious and healthy ingredient.<\/p>\n

Recipes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sun-Dried Tomato Tofu Dip<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Stir Fry with Tofu<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mini Peanut Butter Cups in a Jar<\/a><\/strong> from Oh She Glows<\/p>\n

Red Velvet Pudding<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mint Chocolate Fudge Pie<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0from Chocolate Covered Katie<\/p>\n

Also Read:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Easy Ways to Incorporate Soy’s Benefits Into Your Diet<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

14 Ways to Cook with Shallots<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

How to Cook with Lemongrass<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tofu used to scare me, but now we’re quite comfortable with each other. I pick up a package once a month or so to add as a nice meat-free protein source to my favorite recipes. I find it works best … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3695,16],"tags":[8440,9781,1378],"class_list":["post-79962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diet-and-nutrition","category-recipes","tag-homepage","tag-how-to-cook","tag-tofu"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79962"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79962\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80081,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79962\/revisions\/80081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}