3 ways to not hate…tofu
This polarizing plant-based protein can be flavorful and delicious. You just need a few cooking tricks up your sleeve.
Tofu gives a lot of people the ick. It can be bland. It can be spongy. It can be soggy. But with the right cooking tips and recipes, this maligned ingredient can rise on the list of your favorite ZeroPoint foods. While tofu probably won’t enjoy the overnight success of cottage cheese, its nutritional benefits make it worth another try: four ounces of extra firm tofu contains 12 grams of high-quality lean protein and 2 grams of fiber. Try these ways to prepare it and tofu may surprise you.
1. Sneak it in
Camouflaging an ingredient you don’t love is an easy way to start incorporating it. That’s especially effective to do with tofu, since it can take on the flavor of whatever it’s in. Soft or silken tofu is so soft, in fact, that it blends easily into things, lending a dish its protein punch with the eater being none the wiser. Try blending it into smoothies and dressings to amp up the protein or whip it into a “creamy” dip.
2. Season the heck out of it
Tofu is loathed for its blandness and crumbly texture — but these can be a benefit instead of a bad thing.
Crumble up extra firm tofu and sauté it with reduced sodium taco seasoning. Use this as a taco filling, sprinkle it over chips for nachos, or spoon it into a burrito bowl. Topped with hot sauce, cilantro, scallions, or a dollop of guacamole, you might not even remember you’re eating tofu.
Extra firm tofu can also do a credible impersonation of scrambled eggs when tinted with some turmeric and flavored with garlic powder. Pile it atop toast for a vegan way to start your day with protein.
3. Air fry it
Making something crispy and crunchy is a reliable gateway to loving pretty much anything. After all, no one would be eating handfuls of onion if someone hadn’t invented the onion ring.
Do the same approach to make crispy tofu nuggets. Use extra firm tofu for the sturdy structure. To get the optimal texture, there are a few key steps to focus on.
The first involves cutting the tofu into thick slices and pressing them between layers of a clean kitchen towel or paper towel to get the excess liquid out. The second is tossing it with cornstarch to continue drying out the surface (moisture = the enemy of crunch). Then the last, and arguably most important, element is using the air fryer plus cooking spray to get that crispy crust — without using a ton of Points.