Tofu... it's what's for dinner!

I never liked tofu.  In fact, I hated it.  My mom cooks it all the time and I would never even try it.  I think I tried it ONCE and it was mushy and I then decided I hated it and would never eat it again.

This all changed a couple weeks ago when Josh and I went out to lunch with some friends at a Thai restaurant.  Josh and I decided to share an appetizer and he suggested the fried tofu.  Now, I didn't like tofu but I DO like fried food, so I figured I'd give it a try.  I was surprised, it was actually really good!  Not mushy at all, and it was a very clean flavor that went well with the dipping sauce.  Plus, tofu is so low in calories and high in protein that I figured it cancelled out the fried part. I can get on board with this!

For the past couple weeks I've been experimenting with tofu dishes.  I obviously do not want to deep fry my tofu, but I still want that crispy outside, and I think I finally figured out how to get it.  Firstly, you have to make sure that you buy the EXTRA FIRM tofu.

Next, when you take it out of the package you need to press it in between paper towels to get out all of the moisture (which is what turns to mush when cooking).  Once the paper towels aren't getting out any more liquid you'll want to dice the tofu.  Then lay all the cubes on another paper towel to take out more liquid (since the paper towel will now reach more surface area).  Once on the paper towel, be sure to salt and pepper the tofu cubes.

While that's happening,  put 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, 1 tablespoon of flour, salt and pepper in a plastic bag and shake to combine.  Add the tofu cubes and seal the bag.  Shake it up so that all the cubes are coated with the flour/cornstarch mixture.  The tofu is finally ready to be cooked.  Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil (don't use extra virgin olive oil - it gave it a funny taste) in a pan. Once the oil ripples, start adding the cubes of tofu.  Once in, don't move them.  After a couple minutes check one to make sure it is getting golden brown on the bottom.

If it is, go ahead and flip all of them.  You'll want to repeat this until all the sides are browned (I cheated at this point and started just shaking them up in the pan - once 2 sides are browned they are firm and will stay together even if you shake them up).  The total cooking time took about 7 minutes.  Once they are golden all over remove them to a small bowl and continue cooking the rest of your dinner. 

Last nights dinner was sweet and sour tofu.  I LOVE sweet and sour chicken from chinese restaurants, but it is perhaps the worst thing ever for you.  I was pretty sure it wouldn't taste nearly as good at home, but surprisingly, both Josh and I loved it!  Josh even took the leftovers for lunch today :)

To make the Sweet and Sour Tofu:

1. "Fry" up your tofu.  Set aside.

2. You'll want to stir-fry up some veggies.  I bought a bag of frozen veggies called "Asian Stir Fry", which had peppers, carrots, onions, broccoli and green beans.  I also added a can of chopped water chestnuts.

You could obviously use fresh veggies, but this was a huge time saver for me.  Once veggies are stir fried, take them out of the pan and set aside in colander to drain out the liquid.

3.  In the same pan that you fried up your tofu and stir fried your veggies in (I hate doing dishes so I re-use pans in the same meal!) start assembling your sweet and sour sauce:

•  4 oz. pineapple juice (I bought an 8 oz can of cubed pineapple in juice and saved the chunks to add to my cottage cheese!)
• 1/8 cup ketchup
• 1/8 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 cup white vinegar
• 3/4 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/8 teaspoon mustard powder or ground mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger juice or powder
• red pepper flakes (I didn't add these last night since I don't like spicy food, but I think I'll add a little bit next time)

Combine all ingredients in the pan and whisk together.  Once combined, turn pan to medium heat and heat until it thickens.  This takes about 3 minutes.  Once it starts to thicken add in the tofu and veggies and stir to coat.   Turn the heat to low to just heat the tofu and veggies through.

 Serve over brown rice and enjoy!