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I became a vegetarian in January of 2010 and ever since Tofu has been my best friend. Many people who have never tried tofu before automatically assumes that it doesn’t taste good or do not have the desire to eat it. Shamelessly enough, I use to be one of those people until I became vegetarian 🙂 I mix tofu in my salads, make sandwiches, mix it in a stir fry or simply eat it as is. You can season your tofu although I hardly do that, garlic, salt free seasoning, herbs, etc adds a great taste to tofu.
Tofu also called bean curd in other countries is made by coagulating soy milk and soy beans and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. It is very popular in many East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisines. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu that has been processed in some way. Tofu has a good flavor and can be used in savory and sweet dishes. It is often seasoned or marinated to enhance a dish.
Some nutritional benefits of Tofu:
As you can see tofu is packed with protein! Many people ask me how do I stay so muscular and toned since I am vegetarian and I tell them “there are many foods other than meat that have protein it” !
In addition:
- Tofu helps improve cardiovascular functions and helps to reduce blood clots
- Rich in minerals for energy and antioxidants
- Strong muscles and bones
- Inexpensive
- Helps lower cholesterol
- Packed with calcium and protein
- Tofu has low sodium and fat content
Tofu, is available in three textures: firm, extra firm and silken. Silken tofu has a custard-like consistency and is usually substituted into dressings, protein shakes and desserts. Firm and extra firm varieties are usually cut up into chunks that stand up well to marinating and can be sautéed, grilled or baked. Tofu itself is rather bland, but strongly absorbs the flavors used to prepare it. I usually get the extra firm and cut it up myself like you see in the picture.
Cooking tofu is easy, I simply cut it up and place in the oven for about 20-25 min on 350F or simply put it in a stir fry.
If you have never tried Tofu I highly recommend you try it at least once! I think you will like it 🙂
Thanks for reading as always! -LJAY HEALTH
L-Jay Health 
Like you, I looked at Tofu with a high degree of suspicion but having “bitten the Tofu bullet” last week am impressed with it. I think on its own its a little bland for me but with a hint of Soya sauce its pretty good!
Nice! Im glad you liked it! Very nutritional dish!
Thank you for that little chart. I didn’t know the iron content was so high in tofu, and I’m always looking to get more sources of iron into my diet since I am anemic.
I love tofu and reading this makes me feel very hungry. My concerns about it are that it ultimately means adding airmiles to my food and I don’t want any GM in my diet. However, my daughter loves it, too, so as a treat it’s a lot better than ice cream 🙂
Thank you for sharing. I am researching tofu now since I am seriously considering going vegetarian. As a woman my concern is the estrogen levels. Have you come across information on it?
I love tofu, too! I’ve been a vegetarian for about 8 years now. I wouldn’t say I’m a tofu cooking expert, but I do like to stir-fry it in different recipes.
Congrats on all of your fitness and health goals – you are awesome! Oh, and thanks for visiting my blog, too!
I love tofu. My husband, a former vegan, hates it. Curious, I thought. Anyway, I make a mean mapo tofu from a Bon Appetit recipe. Visit my blog again for the link.This stuff is SUPER hot. Be forewarned!
I tried tofu a couple of times many years ago, once in stir fry which was pretty tasty (though the consistency was odd which subsequently overrode the taste for me) and silken in a desert. My friend had made the desert and it was fabulous, I made it and let’s just say the opposite of fabulous…I’ve never been back since. Maybe I’ll give it another chance…..
Tofu? I completely forgot about it. I can eat it on my Gluten-Free diet, I’ll bet if it’s made of beans and it has protein. Another option. Thank-You.
I LOVE tofu, unfortunatly for me, I developed an issue with soy and haven’t been able to eat it. So many of my recipes use it as I was vegan for years (I now only include dairy in my diet but infrequently) I miss it so much! Have you tried the baked tofu? it comes pre-seasoned in the dairy aisle. I used to use that crumble it up and it made an awesome filling for lettuce wraps!
Thanks for the share! I will definitely look into it!
Tofu is pretty much eaten here in Asia.. bet you havent tried one type of tofu.. its “SMELLY TOFU” in Hong Kong.. I love em to bits.. just bear with the smell you will love it.. (oh it smells like sewer on a hot day)
Lol no thank you. What is it called?
it is called Smelly Tofu ..
I think Tofu has changed in taste over the years, or I have. I tried it 20 years ago when it was considered hard core veg or hard core dieting. It was the most vile thing I had ever eaten. Wife and I decided to add to stir fry and it was very good. Mind you I will never stop eating meat! When it comes to burgers and dogs I either go turkey/chicken or will buy veggie dogs and burgers.
Great alternative for the burgers (chicken or turkey)!
I used to be vegetarian so tofu used to be a big part of my diet. These days I still include it, just not as often. A favorite dish is sweet chilli tofu & eggplant dish – its delicious!
Sounds really good! Thanks for the suggestion! I am a big fan of egg plant as well.
Interesting post. I wasn’t aware of the nutritional benefits of tofu, though I do eat it, mostly in soup.
Tofu is delicious! I must go get some now!
I appreciate your enthusiasm about tofu but I’ve tried it on a number of occasions and while it does have great health benefits, it’s just not for me. Maybe I haven’t had it in the right recipe yet :>)
I like silken Tofu in my shakes and dressings. I prefer the extra firm for most everything else, including my eggless scramble. A little mustard powder ( a little) and turmeric make it taste eggy, to me.
I am now going to marinate some tofu for tomorrow’s salad:) Awesome topic!
Thank you!! Glad you liked the topic 🙂 Enjoy your salad!
I too thought it was “gross” but now I love tofu! I try not to eat too mich as every other story you read says tofu is good and then its not so goo, uggh. Another good meat substitute is tempeh
I love it scrambled up with some garlic and nutritional yeast! I could seriously eat that every day! 🙂
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