This past weekend I was discussing how much I love tofu and someone asked me “What is tofu?”. I realized there and then that he along with many others have not had the opportunity to experience this delicious and rather odd looking food specimen. One of the reasons I love tofu so much is because it is like the chameleon of foods. Although it is bland tasting on its own, it acts like a sponge and takes on the flavour of the ingredients around it. In addition, you can bake it, grill it, saute it, and blend it. You can also eat it cooked or raw and if that isn’t good enough, you can even use tofu in a dessert!
The best part is that this jack-of-all-foods looks great naked! It’s high in protein and low in both calories and fat. Below I have provided the quick and dirty comparison of tofu, beef, and chicken.
If we are just looking at the protein in tofu and beef as displayed above, one might think that the beef is better because it has three times as much protein per serving. Looking at the whole picture however, we can see that in comparison to tofu, ground beef has more than three times the amount of fat and calories. A more accurate comparison is the protein per 100 calories calculation. When looking at it through this lens, tofu actually scores higher than ground beef in terms of protein per 100 calories. However, since tofu is a plant product, it offers a number of additional nutrients that beef and other meat products like chicken do not. To recap, this powerhouse vegetable product is high in protein, low in calories, low in fat, and full of nutrients. Amazing!! I’m not telling you that you can’t eat meat, but I am telling you that plant based foods that are high in protein (like Tofu) act as a great healthy substitute.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the nutrients tofu is packing. It contains goodies such as iron, B-vitamins, and antioxidents. It is rich in isoflavones, a fancy little term that carries a big punch. Isoflavones help to reduce the risk of osteoporosis, lower rates of breast cancer and prostate cancer, and (for the mature ladies out there) even reduce menopausal symptoms! Studies show that tofu has additional health benefits such as helping with heart health and enhancing immune function by providing omega-3 fatty acids. Not only that, tofu can help with weight loss! This just goes to show you that on top of tofu looking great naked, eating it can make you look great naked too!
Now that we know it’s good for us, what is it? Well, tofu is made from soybeans (which helps explain why its soy delicious). After the soybeans are crushed and heated, soy milk is pressed out of them. To this milk substance they add water and a coagulant (a firming agent). Once the soy milk starts to become more firm (it looks a bit like cheese curds), they drain the excess liquid and pour it into a rectangular press to be squeezed into the tofu shape. If learning about how tofu is made has really got you fired up and excited, I would encourage you to watch this Discovery Channel video to view the process in more detail (Click here to watch the video). Note that there are slight variations in the production of tofu depending on the type being made (i.e. soft tofu, firm tofu, flavoured tofu, etc).
For those of you who have not tried tofu before, I encourage you to dive in and give it a go. If you have had it before, I suggest spicing things up a little and trying a new recipe like my Sexy Summer Tofu Salad. For those of you feeling adventurous today, why not try a dessert tofu recipe!
There are thousands of tofu recipes out there, but if you find one that you particularly love, I encourage you to share the love and post it in a comment below so we can all enjoy it too!
TIP: I find that when I cook with tofu, the tofu picks up the flavours of the food around it better if the excess water has been squeezed out of it first. Think of it like a sponge. To do this just place the tofu on a plate with some paper towel, then put more paper towel on the top of the tofu (note: a dish towel works too). Place a pan (e.g. baking sheet) on top of the tofu covered in paper towels. Then place a weight (e.g. books) on top of the pan. Let it sit like this for about 15 minutes before using.
