Tofu Recipes

[slinkyvagabond]

Cannoli has got to be one of my favorite desserts, but they're typically made with ricotta cheese, so they're off limits now. Usually we've bought them, but I made them once or twice with my mom, and I remember the first time I actually saw tofu I was reminded of the ricotta cheese. Somewhat bland on its own, firm but mush-able, moist, needs to be drained before using. I looked up this recipe (http://www.homeschoolzone.com/m2m/recipes/cannoli.htm) and I'm considering tinkering around with it in the kitchen, but first I need advice from people more experienced with tofu:

FILLING:

3 cups Ricotta cheese (use the full fat kind)--> This could be replaced with tofu, but how much? firm? soft? lite? regular? Another site makes a big deal of using rennet-based rather than acid-based ricotta.

1 1/4 cups Sugar I seem to remember using powdered sugar, kind of thickened up the filling. Using a dry vegan sugar substitute won't be a problem, it's just the powdered part that might give me trouble. Isn't it just cornstarch?

2 teaspoons Vanilla extract Mom's always made a big deal about hunting down and sparingly using clear/white vanilla extract in this recipe, but the brown stuff works just as well, I think. Aesthetics, really. Makes the filling ever so slightly off-white. Either type *is* vegan, right? (If I use maple sugar, I might use maple flavoring instead, for a twist.)

1/4 cup Semi-sweet chocolate pieces I like carob chips but I don't think they'd work here, so I might just chop up a dairy-free dark chocolate bar.

SHELLS:

3 cups Flour
1/4 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoons Shortening Is a less fatty option available? This is cut in with the flour as one would do with a pie crust. Applesauce?
2 Eggs -- well beaten Egg replacer or more tofu here, seeing as we might be using applesauce in place of shortening?
2 tablespoons White vinegar
2 tablespoons Cold water
1 Egg white -- slightly beatenUsed to seal the edges together once the shells are rolled around the tubes. It says to deep fry the shells, but I cringe at that. Could they not just be baked, sealed-side down, on a cookie sheet after being rolled around the tubes?

[Kiva Dancer]

Cannoli has got to be one of my favorite desserts, but they're typically made with ricotta cheese, so they're off limits now. Usually we've bought them, but I made them once or twice with my mom, and I remember the first time I actually saw tofu I was reminded of the ricotta cheese. Somewhat bland on its own, firm but mush-able, moist, needs to be drained before using. I looked up this recipe (http://www.homeschoolzone.com/m2m/recipes/cannoli.htm) and I'm considering tinkering around with it in the kitchen, but first I need advice from people more experienced with tofu:

FILLING:

3 cups Ricotta cheese (use the full fat kind)--> This could be replaced with tofu, but how much? firm? soft? lite? regular? Another site makes a big deal of using rennet-based rather than acid-based ricotta.

1 1/4 cups Sugar I seem to remember using powdered sugar, kind of thickened up the filling. Using a dry vegan sugar substitute won't be a problem, it's just the powdered part that might give me trouble. Isn't it just cornstarch?

2 teaspoons Vanilla extract Mom's always made a big deal about hunting down and sparingly using clear/white vanilla extract in this recipe, but the brown stuff works just as well, I think. Aesthetics, really. Makes the filling ever so slightly off-white. Either type *is* vegan, right? (If I use maple sugar, I might use maple flavoring instead, for a twist.)

1/4 cup Semi-sweet chocolate pieces I like carob chips but I don't think they'd work here, so I might just chop up a dairy-free dark chocolate bar.

SHELLS:

3 cups Flour
1/4 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoons Shortening Is a less fatty option available? This is cut in with the flour as one would do with a pie crust. Applesauce?
2 Eggs -- well beaten Egg replacer or more tofu here, seeing as we might be using applesauce in place of shortening?
2 tablespoons White vinegar
2 tablespoons Cold water
1 Egg white -- slightly beatenUsed to seal the edges together once the shells are rolled around the tubes. It says to deep fry the shells, but I cringe at that. Could they not just be baked, sealed-side down, on a cookie sheet after being rolled around the tubes?
Okay, I'm not a chef, but I'll be more than happy to help where I can.



3 cups Ricotta cheese (use the full fat kind)--> This could be replaced with tofu, but how much? firm? soft? lite? regular? Another site makes a big deal of using rennet-based rather than acid-based ricotta. I'm thinking you can do a tofu ricotta with tofu and a bit of olive oil (or canola oil) to soften it up a tad. 3 cups is 24 oz, so you would have to figure out how many blocks that would come out to.



1 1/4 cups Sugar I seem to remember using powdered sugar, kind of thickened up the filling. Using a dry vegan sugar substitute won't be a problem, it's just the powdered part that might give me trouble. Isn't it just cornstarch?You can make a vegan powdered sugar by processing your sugar and some cornstarch together. I'm not sure about the proportions, though.



2 teaspoons Vanilla extract Mom's always made a big deal about hunting down and sparingly using clear/white vanilla extract in this recipe, but the brown stuff works just as well, I think. Aesthetics, really. Makes the filling ever so slightly off-white. Either type *is* vegan, right? (If I use maple sugar, I might use maple flavoring instead, for a twist.)I'm not sure of this, either. Perhapse someone who's more veganilly advanced can help you with this one.



1/4 cup Semi-sweet chocolate pieces I like carob chips but I don't think they'd work here, so I might just chop up a dairy-free dark chocolate bar. I think you're best with chopping up a dark bar. It seems that a couple of the suggestions in that same page deal with using a shaved cowmilk chocolate bar. I'm sure a dark (cow free) bar would work lovely and might give a depth of flavour that would add tremendiously to the overall product.


For the pastry, it seems that the eggs, shorting and things are called for in order to make the pastry. One can make a vegan pastry with vegan butter (Earth Balance or whatnot) but not applesauce since you need those fat pockets in order to make your crust flakey. The eggs, you might be able to use an agent like Ener-G or tofu because if I'm seeing things correctly, the eggs are used as a binder/structure enhancer. If you use tofu, though, you may have to adjust your moisture so that your pastry isn't overwet. There are loads of vegan pastry recipes on the web. My feeling is that you should think about using one of those in this step.

You might be able to get away with baking the shells and possibly use either water or Ener-G for your seam binder. I'm not sure if it would work or but it's worth just making a test batch of the shells to get a feel for temprature/baking times.

Good luck with your cannoli and I hope this helps.

If you do master a vegan cannoli, would you mind awfully to posting the recipe? Thanks, much. :)

[ConsciousCuisine]

I LOVE Braised Tofu...

1 pound firm tofu
3 T. maple syrup
1/2 c. water
3 T. soy sauce or Braggs
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 c. minced shallots
2 sliced scallions
1 T. minced fresh ginger
3 cloves minced garlic


Cut tofu into 1/2 inch thick triangles.

Put Maple Syrup in a heated pan and cook until it bubbles. Add 1/2 cup hot water and stir over medium heat.

Stir in soy sauce, shallots, ginger, balck pepper and garlic; stir often over high heat until boiling. Lay tofu pieces in a single layer in sauce. Simmer over medium-low heat for 4 minutes. Gently flip the tofu and braise 3 to 4 minutes longer.

Garnish with scallions and serve, scraping all of the sauce out to cover the tofu & veggies!

Serve with:

Cashew Veggies in Ginger-Garlic-Chili Sauce

1 C. Sliced Carrots
2 C. Broccoli Florettes
1 C. Sliced Onion
1 1/2 C. Veggie Broth
1-2 T. Soy Sauce
2 T. Maple Syrup
2 T. each Minced Ginger and Garlic
3 T. Cornstarch
1 tsp. Red Chili Flakes or Chili- Garlic Paste
1 can sliced Water Chestnuts
1 C. Bean Sprouts
1/2 C. Cashews

Blanch Carrots and Broccoli in large pot of boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Remove from pot.

In a small bowl, mix 3 T. cornstarch with 1/2 C. of Veggie broth with Blend in 1 T Soy Sauce, 2 T. maple Syrup, 2 T minced ginger, and 2 T (or more! I like 4) minced garlic and Chili Flakes or paste, stir until smooth, then set aside.

Add one T. of Coconut or Olive Oil to a heated Wok or large pan over high heat. Do not let the oil smoke.

Add Sliced Onion. Stir-Fry for 1 Minute. Add Broccoli and Carrots and stir-fry for 1 Minute. Lower the heat to medium Stir the cornstarch paste into Veggies. Add remaining Veggie Broth. Continue stirring while mixture thickens, cooking for 2 -3 minutes over medium heat. Add drained water chestnuts and bean sprouts, and stir for 1 minute. Add Cashews , stir, remove from heat and serve on a Bed of Brown Rice and top with Braised Tofu and Sauce.


From The Kitchen Witch's Kitchen

(That's me, Baby! The Kitchen Witch! ;) )

[feline01]

I renamed this recipe, didn't like using the word egg in it. Haven't made it yet though.



EGGLESS DEVILED EGGS AKA Vegan Deviled Tofu :)

1 t. salt
2 C. (480 ml) warm water
1 lb. (450 g) firm tofu (for egg whites)


1/2 lb. (225 g) firm tofu (for filling)
1/2 C. (120 ml) + 1 T. Vegenaise
or other soy mayonnaise
1/2 t. dry mustard
3/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
3/4 t. turmeric
2t. rice vinegar
1/2 t. vegan Worcestershire sauce

Paprika
Cherry tomatoes

1. EGG WHITES: Combine salt and water in a large baking dish, and stir well to dissolve the salt. Set aside.
2. Drain and rinse the 1 lb. (450 g) of tofu. Cut tofu into one-half-inch (1 cm) thick slices vertically, Cut each slice in half to become 2 pieces that are almost square. Using a small paring knife, form each square into an oval, imitating the shape of a hard-boiled egg cut in half.
3. Then, with a small spoon, carefully scoop out the centers of each of the ovals to form a cavity. Marinate all the prepared ovals in the salt water while preparing the filling. Add cut-away pieces to filling.
4. FILLING: Drain and rinse the 1/2 lb. (225 g) tofu. Using the fingers, crumble the tofu into a medium-size mixing bowl.
5. Add remaining ingredients except the paprika and cherry tomatoes, and stir well to blend thoroughly. Adjust seasonings to taste if needed.
6. Drain "egg whites" on several layers of paper towels, and fill cavities with prepared filling.
7. Sprinkle the tops with paprika and arrange on a lettuce-lined platter leaving the center open. Fill the center with cherry tomatoes. Makes about 16 halves.

[Gorilla]

In this Saturday's Daily Mail weekend supplement is a Christmas food section by Clarissa Dickson Wright, who i have to say i am NOT a fan of as she's said on many occasions that vegetarians are weak and pathetic :rolleyes: and she's almost definitely a fan of hunting - she'd probably be quite in favour of rounding up veggies and hunting us LOL ;)

anyway, she apparently has a friend who is a vegan, and she invented a tofu stew for her, which i have copied out below:

Serves 4

1tbsp olive oil
2 aubergines, diced, seeded, sprinkled with salt and left to drain
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Bunch of spring onions, coarsely chopped
450g (1lb) smoked tofu, cut into cubes
400g (14oz) tin tomatoes
bunch of coriander, coarsely chopped

Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan. Rinse and dry the aubergine cubes and add them, with the garlic, to the hot oil. Turn well until coloured, then add the spring onions, tofu and tomatoes. Season well and add half the coriander. Cover tightly and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Turn into a bowl and sprinkle with the remainder of the chopped coriander. Serve hot or cold.

Sounds quite yummy - may make an interesting meal! :)

[Tigerlily]

Mmm sounds yummy. But I never really had tofu before. I tried a bit of "raw" and I thought it was nasty...but cooked, it might be different.

[Gorilla]

Hi Tigerlily, tofu isn't that great raw IMO, although some people like it. i prefer it well cooked, and it seems to work pretty well in most stews although i haven't tried this one myself yet. this recipe uses smoked tofu which has quite a strong flavour. i've used smoked tofu in some stews and the taste kind of dominates the dish, so perhaps not a good idea of you're not too keen on smoky flavours. you could always use plain, or any other kind you can get in your local store. ;)

[Gorilla]

This is a recipe i adapted to be vegan based on a recipe from a Weightwatchers book of all places. ;)

Creamy Tofu Pasta - Serves 2

1 pack firm tofu, well drained and cubed
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
150ml soya/rice/nut milk
1 courgette (zucchini), sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 vegan stock cube
1 tbsp vegan parmesan
1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1-2 tsp mixed herbs
100g fresh or frozen peas
200g of pasta of your choice (works well with tagliatelle)

in a large pan or wok, fry the tofu in the oil until it starts to brown and crisp on the outside. add the courgette (zucchini), garlic and carrot and fry for a few minutes more. meanwhile boil the pasta in a separate pan.

add the peas, milk, herbs, stock cube, vegan parmesan and nutritional yeast flakes and cook over a low heat until it starts to thicken. it will look quite runny but it will thicken a lot when you take it off the heat. once the sauce is heated through and the pasta is ready, serve the pasta and pour the sauce over the top. :)

i have made this with many different plant milks including soya and rice milk. the last time i made it i used unsweetened hazelnut milk, and it worked really well. mmmmmm :cool:

[feline01]

I made this the other day and it was easy and good-my 2 favorite combos :) .

1 block extra-firm tofu that's been cut into 1-inch cubes
2-3 cloves of garlic that's been grated or pressed
4 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chickpea miso
2 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (I used white balsamic, less acidic)
3-4 Tablespoons of tomato paste
1 cup of tomato sauce
1 bag of frozen green beans

Mix the garlic, extra virgin olive oil, vinegar and miso in a storage container with a lid. Shake it really well to combine. Add the tofu cubes and let marinate at least an hour but preferable several hours.

Heat some oil in a large pot. Add the tofu + marinade and saute the tofu until lightly browned on all sides. Add the tomato paste and sauce and heat until simmering. Add the green beans and cook for about 15-20 minutes.

Serve over rice or pasta

[snaffler]

Love it or hate it to me Tofu is the life source of the vegan diet, if you know what you are doing with it and seek out the various types and pre-marinated stuff it can be great. Well I love the stuff so here are a few links about Tofu some of you who do like it might want to read and perhaps use.

Tofu Website (http://www.tofu.com/)
Loads of recipes (http://www.tofu.com/recipes.html)
Tofu - Whats it all about (http://www.soyfoods.com/soyfoodsdescriptions/tofu.html)

[maya]

I tried this recipe last night and my friends almost licked their plates.

1 package extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 3/4" cubes
1 can coconut milk
3 large or 4 medium bananas, split and cut into chunks
1/4 cup dried shredded coconut
1/2 cup raisins
2 tbs. curry powder
1 tsp. cumin (http://javascript<b></b>:popup('infopop.asp?name=cumin'))
3/4 tsp. nutmeg (http://javascript<b></b>:popup('infopop.asp?name=nutmeg'))
1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks in their own juice
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 14 oz. can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
(optional) 1 14 oz. can straw mushrooms, drained.
(optional) 1/4 cup cashews


Dump everything but the tofu and bananas into a pot over a medium-high heat; bring to a low boil, stirring. Reduce heat to medium-low, add tofu and bananas, cook for about 5 minutes until it is all heated through. Serve over rice or couscous, with a side of nuts, raisins, and major grey mango chutney.



Maya

[maya]

I have to agree, at first I thought I was not going to like this recipe until my friend made me try it. I was never a big fan of hot fruit. But tasting the dish made me change my mind.

Maya

[amarle]

ok, you got me DROOLING! i love banana in curry. gotta try that one real soon. thanks!

[Marie]

what kind of bananas is used in this Banana-Tofu curry Maya?

[maya]

I used regular bananas, but I think you can use plantains also if the are very ripe.

Maya


what kind of bananas is used in this Banana-Tofu curry Maya?

[SweetLady66]

I am looking for real easy, low calorie recipes that have tofu in it. Any help would be great! Thanks!

[Mr Flibble]

http://www.fatfree.com/recipes/tofu/

[foxytina_69]

great link mr flibble. :D

[Span]

On the subject of tofu, I tried it a few years ago and found it really nasty! The texture was all squashy like eating a bath sponge. I have never had it since, i'm too scared:rolleyes:

My husband went for a meal at a sushi bar, had stir fry tofu and said it was gorgeous...... where did I go wrong?

Is there a specific type that isn't squashy? Any suggestions? I think I had a marinaded type from 'couldron' (sp). Perhaps I cooked it incorrectly-can you do that?

:o

[Mr Flibble]

There's various thread on this board and tonnes of info on the net in general about cooking tofu. Basically if it had a squishy consistancy it was most likely cooked incorrectly. A lot of people when first using tofu (myself included) are put off by this and it does take a while to learn how to use it effectively. In japanese cuisine, particularly sushi it's generally custom to deep fry it, which causes the internal water to turn to steam (thus becoming less squishy and changing the texture) and brown the outside.

[Tigerlily]

Deep fried tofu from the Chinese restuarant in town here is amazing. Absolutely amazing. It's the only way I like my tofu.

[herbwormwood]

I am looking for real easy, low calorie recipes that have tofu in it. Any help would be great! Thanks!

Put silken tofu in blender. Add ripe banana. Add ripe peach or nectarine. Add some soya milk. Blend until smooth. Add more soya milk if you want it thinner.
Thats it. Easy, eh?

[thecatspajamas1]

Tortilla roll up
In a tortilla, spread:
spicy bean dip or refried beans
pico del gallo
small chunks of tofu

Roll up and eat hot or cold!

[SweetLady66]

That tortilla roll up sounds so good! Thanks for sharing it.

[harpy]

Span, I quite like that Cauldron pre-marinated tofu (suits me as I'm a lazy cook) but it doesn't really need cooking at all, just heating through, so I will add it to my stir-fries for the last 30 seconds or so of cooking. I think if you left it cooking for any length of time it might well soak up liquid and get spongy.

Hope your second tofu experience will be more auspicious.