Overheard, and: recipes?

[resonant]

Overheard at the coffee shop:

Guy, wrapping up a long monologue punctuated by mhms and other encouraging noises from his female companion: "And they're all like, Dude! What is your secret? And I'm like, Dude! My secret? I'm interesting."

-----

Also, randomly, I've decided I want to eat more soy. Anybody have any fabulous tofu recipes? Ideally ones that aren't as high in fat as the ones in The Enchanted Broccoli Forest?

Comments

In which I'm not helpful at all.

[helenish.livejournal.com]

well, there's always tofu mousse, which is, um, perhaps not what you're looking for, but tastolicious.

You take a carton of tofu and melt down a bunch of chocolate chips - maybe six oz, but you can probably get by with less, and then you put it all in the blender. Then chill overnight to let the tofu absorb the chocolatey goodness, and....chocolate mousse! Only faintly good for you!

My mom used to make Sashi Paneer - which is an indian dish where there's sort of a tasty delicious red sauce that's poured over homemade cheese - except she made it with sauteed tofu instead and boy was it yummy. Hmm. I should make that.

Re: In which I'm not helpful at all.

[ukcalico.livejournal.com]

Tofu mousse! I made that last week, silken tofu + a bar of lindt (http://www.lindtusa.com/images/shop/prod_46-zm.jpg), and added vanilla essence mid-blend, and the next morning was Good.

Also, care2.com has an idea or two (http://www.google.com/custom?q=tofu&sa=Google+Search&cof=LW%3A468%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fdingo.care-mail.com%2Fc2logos%2Fcare2_468x60.gif%3BGFNT%3A330066%3BLH%3A60%3BLC:green;BGC%3Affffff%3BAH%3Acenter%3BGL%3A0%3BAWFID%3A186c8b6331d18984%3B%3BGL%3A0%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.care2.com%2F&domains=Care2.com&sitesearch=Care2.com)...

Re: In which I'm not helpful at all.

[simplelyric.livejournal.com]

If you make that mousse with the extra firm silken tofu and spread it into a crust before refrigerating, it makes a great pie, too.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Well, it sounds delicious, but "stuff to do with a bag of chocolate chips" is not one of the food categories that I'm lacking ideas in.

[rusty76.livejournal.com]

I don't eat much tofu (about the most exciting thing I do with it is cube it in my salads) but edamame is pretty good if you're looking to add soy.

[aethereal-girl.livejournal.com]

On a completely different subject, I was pointing this out to camwyn and I realized that it applied equally well to you.

I found your lj when Teresa Nielsen Hayden (http://www.nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/) posted a link to this entry (http://www.livejournal.com/users/resonant8/44061.html).

TNH, as you may or may not be aware, is an honest-to-goodness Editor at Tor.

So, while she won't be able to help you with your category romance (unless the characters are immortals with powers beyond the ken of ordinary humans, and even then, who you want is Melissa Singer, not Teresa), you can take satisfaction in the fact that you have managed to interest an editor in your work.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Wow. That totally floors me. Yes, indeed, I know who she is -- she is (or has been) one of the editors of the Year's Best Fantasy collection, which I worship.

I wonder how on earth she stumbled across that post?

She's got a cool journal, too. I friended it immediately.

Soy and the Single Girl

[vickita.livejournal.com]

Make oatmeal with soy milk. I don't know what it is about it, but oatmeal is even *better* when you make it with soy milk. And bananas.

Mmmm. Dinner.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Hm. I've used soy milk in recipes (it's especially nice replacing the dairy milk in my wheat-bread recipe -- soy and wheat flavors seem to complement each other nicely), but I don't know if I'd like it in oatmeal.

Of course, I put cream on my oatmeal.

Hence the desire not to add any more fat to my diet ...

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

I've made lasagne with soft tofu instead of ricotta. it's not bad.

What I like best, besides firm tofu in a stir fry, is an eggless "egg salad" tofu spread my friend makes. The recipe should be easy to get, but if you don't get it, let me know and I will ask my friend.

[randomblade.livejournal.com]

tofu with continental (flat leaf) parsley and button mushrooms it's like scrambled eggs without the eggs.

[the-shoshanna.livejournal.com]

Moosewood put out a low-fat cookbook a few years ago, which should have lots of tofu recipes in it (I have a copy, but I'm downstairs and it's upstairs with my other six Moosewood cookbooks *g*). You can also cut fat out of a lot of recipes by sauteing in a little water or broth instead of oil, using way less cheese (use a strong-flavored one) or fat-free ricotta instead of the real stuff (other low-fat versions of cheese I've tried are appalling, but fat-free ricotta is quite good), and so on. (Applesauce or other fruit puree can replace a ton of fat in baking!) I love tofu and eat pretty low-fat, so I'm sure I can dig up a bunch of recipes if you want...

Of course, tofu itself isn't exactly fat-free. I've seen low-fat tofu in the store, but I fear what it might taste like.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Thanks -- it's not so much that I want to cut fat, it's just that I don't want a tofu recipe that involves deep-frying anything in batter, or smothering anything in sauce made of peanut butter, or anything like that. The point is to be a net gain in health!

a recipe: Jerk Tofu

[the-shoshanna.livejournal.com]

The SO and I loved this; it's from the Moosewood low-fat cookbook (which doesn't have as many tofu recipes as I'd hoped, but still). It's easy and yummy, and the jerk sauce would probably be good on chicken or pork too.

Jerk Tofu

2 cakes firm tofu (12-14 oz)
1 onion, coarsely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
3 fresh green chiles, seeds removed for a milder heat
3 T soy sauce
1/4 red wine vinegar
2 T brown sugar
2 t grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 t dried thyme
1 t ground cloves
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground pepper

Press the tofu, preheat the oven to 400, and combine everything else in a blender until it's smooth. Drain the tofu, cut each cake into three slices, and cut each stack crossways in an X, so now you have twelve triangular pieces from each block of tofu. Gently toss the tofu triangles in the marinade and place them in an unoiled nonreactive baking dish. Bake for one hour, gently turning the tofu two or three times along the way.

best tofu recipe ever

[jelazakazone.livejournal.com]

Ok, my no-fail tofu recipe is this:
(You can make this vegetarian if you want by substituting mushrooms or something else I suppose -- more tofu maybe.) Also delicious with green peas.


Bean Curd Szechuan Style

1 pound bean curd or tofu
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons dry sherry
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons salad oil
6-8oz ground beef (or pork)
2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
4 teaspoons minced garlic
4 teaspoons chile garlic sauce (or 4 dried chiles, crumbled)
1.5 cups water
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 whole green onions thinly sliced
1/4 cup each cornstarch and water

Cut bean curd in 1/2 inch cubes; place in a colander and let drain for
15 minutes. In a bowl, blend 2 teaspoons soy, sherry and hoisin
sauce; add meat and stir to coat. Stir in 2 teaspoons of oil; let
stand for 15 minutes to marinate.

Heat a wok or wide frying pan over high heat. When pan is hot, add
meat and cook until no longer pink. Add garlic and ginger, stir once
and then add the tofu. Pour in water, 1/4 cup of soy sauce, and chile
garlic sauce. Simmer for 3 minutes, then add green onion. Blend
cornstarch and water, add to pan, and cook, stirring, until sauce
bubbles and thickens.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, that sounds wonderful -- and easy, too. I'll give it a try!

Feedback:)

[jelazakazone.livejournal.com]

Ok, if you try it, let me know what you think. It's a staple in our diet. It was one of dd first foods and remains a favorite with her (at almost 2 years of age:)).

If your kidlet doesn't like spicy foods, you can try making it without the chili garlic sauce and either adding it individually or separating it into two portions and putting the chili garlic sauce in half and not the other. If you do that, only use half the chili garlic sauce though! Hope it's a winner in your house:)

[boniblithe.livejournal.com]

Check the memories section of fandom_ww - there's some tofu recipes scattered through there that are low in fat.

[giglet.livejournal.com]

Edamame is good.

Cube firm tofu, marinate in a sauce that'll make anything taste good. (At the moment, my favorite is Lawry's Thai Ginger sauce -- which is not very Thai, and not very gingery, more like a variation on Italian salad dressing). Heat (if it's cold out) or eat raw (if it's warm out).

But then, I *like* the taste and texture of tofu by itself.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Hm -- the mention of ginger reminds me of my very favorite salad dressing, which I haven't made forever, and which involves fresh ginger, soy sauce, tahini, some vegetables, and lots of lemon juice pureed in the blender. I'll bet tofu would be marvelous marinated in that.

I like the taste and texture alone, too. But I'm the family cook, and I'm trying to please everybody. (Kidlet likes it alone, but not to eat.)

[mzcalypso.livejournal.com]

Interesting? What a notion!

Tofu will taste better in almost any entree if you slice it into strips or cubes and marinate it before cooking. There's a soy-sauce blend called SoyVeh, with sesame seeds, that is great for this. Soy milk is good on cereal, chocolate s'milk is yum as long as you do *not* expect it to be exactly like chocolate milk. And roasted soybeans can be eaten like peanuts, or tossed into salad for crunch. If you're just figuring out what you like, most health-food stores have pre-mixed packets you can add to to soy to make, say, Szechwan stir-fry or no-egg salad. Just check whether you need firm tofu, or one of the softer kinds.

My favorite 'painless' and quick soy food is Not Dogs, an oink-free hot dog that has fooled many of my omnivorous friends. Soy dogs cook faster -- no animal fat, so you have to be careful not to overcook them. Happy experimenting!

Pad Seiyu

[buddleia.livejournal.com]

FoF surfing - here's my tuppence worth:

A riff on Pad Seiyu, a nice, usually chicken, Thai thing:

Flat noodles, egg or otherwise,
Steamed broccoli, in smallish pieces (I usually steam it over the noodles)
1 egg, beaten with a teeny bit of sugar and salt,
Firm tofu, preferably marinated in something nice, flat cubed,
Soy sauce to taste.

Toss tofu and broccoli over medium heat in a wok or large frying pan, just enough oil to stop things sticking.
Pour egg into centre of pan, move around a bit and then add cooked noodles. Stir and cook until egg is done, but not brown.
Dish up and add soy sauce if you like. Coriander on top can be nice, too.

[jadarene.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear resonant8, Happy Birthday to you!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Thanks!!

[jadarene.livejournal.com]

Hope you had a great birthday! :)