Recipe(tried): Here are some good tofu recipes (6)

I was recently chatting with some people in the chat room who are interested in soy/tofu recipes. I try to use tofu often as it has some good health benefits. To those of you who haven't tried it, you can sneak some into lots of different dishes & it will take on the flavor of the food it is cooked with, you often won't even know it is there.

Fried Rice
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 ounces firm tofu, cut into small cubes
1/4 cup chopped carrots, or cut into matchsticks
2 tsp dark sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1/4 cup sliced snowpeas
1/4 cup sliced celery
2 green onions, sliced
2 cups cooked rice
lime wedges (optional)

Combine the lime juice & soy sauce & pour over the tofu. Set aside until needed.
Blanch the carrots in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain well & set aside.(If carrots are cut into small matchsticks, you do not need to blanch them.)
Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet & briefly saute the garlic & ginger. Add the tofu & marinade, carrots, snowpeas, celery, & green onions. Cook, stirring, over high heat about 1 minute. Add the rice & continue to cook & stir until tofu is beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over the rice at the table, if desired.
Yield: 3 - 1 cup servings

Easy Spinach Calzone
8 ounces tofu, mashed
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 cup marinara sauce
5 ounces frozen spinach, thawed, or 3/4 cup cooked spinach
2 packages (8 rolls each) refrigerated dinner roll dough

Preheat oven to 375 degreees.

Squeeze the excess liquid from the mashed tofu, one handful at a time. Put into a bowl & stir in the parsley, lemon juice, onion powder, & pepper.
Squeeze the thawed spinach as dry as possible. Stir it into the tofu mixture. Stir in the marinara sauce.
Using a rolling pin, spread the dough for one roll into a 5 inch circle. Put about 2 tablespoons of the tofu mixture into the center. Carefully fold the dough circle in half & pinch edges to enclose filling in a semicircle. Put finished calzone onto a nonstick or lightly greased baking sheet. Make the remaining calzones in the same way.
Bake calzones ate 375 degrees for 15 minutes, until golden.
Yield: 16 calzones

Spinach Spaghetti
12 ounces spaghetti
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach
1/2 package (5 ounces) silken tofu
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup lower-fat pesto (recipe follows)
Parmesan cheese, or parmesan style soy cheese (optional)
Cook the spaghetti & spinach according to package directions. Meanwhile, puree the silken tofu in a blender with 1 or 2 tablespoons of the water. Drain the cooked spinach & add it to the container; blend until smooth, gradually adding the remaining water. Add the pesto & blend just to mix.
Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta & toss to coat well/ Serve immediately, passing paremesan cheese, or parmesan-style soy cheese at the table, if desired.
Yield: 12- 1 cup servings

Lower-fat pesto
1 cup packed basil leaves
2 large cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons water
Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender. Whirl until pureed, stopping to scrape down sides as needed.
Store the pesto in the refrigerator if you are going to use it within a few days, or freeze it in an ice cube try (each cube is about 2 tablespoons). When frozen, pop the cubes into a freezer container & remove them as needed.
Yield: 1/2 cup (4 servings)
You could also use other pesto recipes with this spaghetti - whatever your favorite is.

Easy Lasagna
8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
1 1/2 cups zucchini, chopped
16 ounces tofu
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 tsp Italian herb seasoning
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup water
4 cups marinara sauce
8 ounces lasagna noodles, uncooked
4 ounces Mozzarella cheese, or Mozzarella style soy cheese, grated
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, or parmesan-style soy cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Sautee the mushrooms & zucchini in a nonstick skillet until tender, adding a little water if needed. Set aside.
Mash the tofu in a small mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, dried parsley flakes, Italian herb seasoning & pepper. Mix well.
Combine the water & marinara sauce. (The extra water will be absorbed by the uncooked noodles)
Assemble the lasagna: Put about 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish. Top with half the uncooked noodle, half the tofu mixture, half the mozzarella cheese, & all of the mushrooms & zucchini. Put another 1/3 of the sauce on top, the remaining noodles, the remaining tofu & then the last 1/3 of the sauce. Top with remaining mozzarella & parmesan cheeses/
Cover the casserole with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Remove from oven & let sit 10-15 minutes. Cut into 18 pieces.
Yield: 9 servings Serving size - 2 pieces.
(You could always add some tofu to your favorite lasagna recipe.)

Creamy Vegetable Bake

1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup chopped carrots
2 packages (10.5 ounce each) silken tofu
1 tablespoon miso
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp thyme
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs or 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Cook onions, zucchini, & carrots (with a little water to prevent sticking) in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until tender. Put them into a medium mixing bowl.
Puree the tofu, miso, mayonnnaise, lemon pepper, & thyme together in a blender until smooth. Blend in the flour.Pour the tofu mixture onto the vegetables & mix well. Pour into a lightly oiled 9" pie pan.
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top of the tofu. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving. Cut pie into 8 wedges to serve.
Note: You can substitute 2 to 2 1/2 cups of any cooked vegetables for the onions, zucchini, & carrots.
Yield 8 servings

I don't have a specific recipe for these as I often just throw stuff in when I cook & I don't measure them:
I frequently make a stir-fry with any vegetables I have on hand & I add pieces of tofu to it. sometimes I also add pieces of chicken. I flavor it with Lawry's Sesame-Ginger Stir Fry Sauce. (This is a very good sauce).

I also frequently make a soup with either a vegetable or chicken broth base. I put in a mixture of vegetables, usually a Chinese mixture with pea pods, carrots, broccoli, & water chestnuts. I add some noodles & pieces of tofu. Sometimes I also add pieces of chicken to this. It is very tasty.