Cooking Tofu can taste Good!

Mmmm.. Are you wondering how to prepare this delicious tofu dish before you know it?

I don’t think I can do much to convert a person who just doesn’t like the feel or look or texture of tofu. But, if you can’t seem to make it taste flavorful, rich and satisfying- I have just the right secret for you!

Sometimes people complain it is bland or tasteless. The key is to marinate the tofu.

I think the meat, poultry marinades are an excellent choice for tofu as well! I like the ones from Whole Foods, 365 Everyday Value label. http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/    They mix up really well. Salad dressings are tasty too (watch the vinegar ratio though). I use Bragg’s Amino Acids, liquid protein concentrate, derived from healthy soybeans, that contains essential and non-essential amino acids, to add more health and flavor to most of my cooking sauces.   http://www.bragg.com/products/liquidaminos.html .  I like to combine a number of sauces.

• Begin by washing a block of tofu. Chop it into mid sized chunks or bite size ( if it is too small it falls apart). I like firm tofu so it doesn’t crumble in the cooking process.
• Once you have chosen the marinade mix and/or pour it into a deep dish so it is consistent throughout the dish. I use a casserole dish. 
• Mix in the tofu VERY WELL! Put it in the refrigerator for 6-24 hrs.
• Once allotted time has passed you can begin to cook your tofu. The next part of your success is the freshness of your vegetables. Support your local growers! Try Organic!
• I used Chinese greens (from Chinatown), flower shitake mushrooms (from Chinatown) , white onion and yellow pepper.
• Wash and dry all vegetables.
• Chop the greens ;this is a big job. Use the stems that look good. Chop the stems fine so you get the fiber and crunch while still tasting good!
• Peel and finely chop the onions (another key to tasty cooking) , yellow pepper and shitake.
• Heat up the oil. I used sesame in this dish. It gives it an earthy, nutty, rich flavor.
• Once oil is hot you can put the onions in, they should cook until transparent & lighter. They should look cooked, not raw.
• Next add the mushrooms Wait until they cook down a bit.
• Peppers are added right before the sauté is ready. You don’t want to overcook the peppers.
• Now, the flavor is done cooking up (10-15 min.) .
• Add the tofu , stir it in & let it cook. (5- 10 min.)
• When browned or cooking add the greens. Stir in again. This time cover the pot & let it steam and fold the flavors together. (5-8 min.)
• Take cover off. ! When letting dish cool down, only leave a crack off the lid on top. Also, take it off the cooking burner.

The prep time is about 15 minutes. The cook time is about 25-30 minutes.

This dish serves 4-5 people. Serve over rice ; brown rice is so much better for you!

*Adding different sauces and vegetable mixes can give you so many choices it almost doesn’t seem like you are eating the same thing all the time!

Food