Recipe(tried): Yay Carol!

Congratulations on your new lifestyle! I've been Vegetarian for almost 4 years, and I can easily remember how tofu can be a little intimidating at first. Come to think of it, I wasn't too impressed by tofu the first year or so, and had to force it into my diet. The good news is that tofu can really be very tasty, and I now *love* to eat it. It's very versatile, you can add it to your favorite stir-fry's in place of the meat, you can crumble & brown it and throw it in a pasta sauce, heck - you can even use it in desserts!
The important thing is preparing the tofu, and this does take a little trial & error before you'll be happy with it. A great trick to making tofu more pleasing in texture is to drain it (I do this by putting the block of tofu in a strainer, laying a plate on top of the tofu and placing heavy cans on the plate to press down - - leave it like this for at least 1/2 hr or all day refrigerated), then freeze the tofu in a airtight container. When you thaw the tofu out to use it, it will be firmer in texture and really absorb flavors great. You don't *need* to freeze it, but draining the tofu is really important before you use it.
After my long ramble, I'll include a couple of my favorite tried recipes. I have about a million of them (and sagging cookbook shelves to prove it!), so if there's anything in particular you're looking for, just let me know. Good luck, Carol -and please don't lose hope if the tofu doesn't turn out just how you'd like initially...you know what they say - try, try again!

All the best,
Kay

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Lentil Burgers - I can't believe it's not real meat!

Ingredients:

1 cup dry lentils
1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 teasp. chili power, 1 teasp. liquid smoke
1 tablespoon tamari, 1/2 pkg. tofu, 1/2 cup wholewheat flour

Directions:

Wash and cover lentils 1/2" with water. Add chopped onion, garlic, chili powder. Cook till tender and add Tamari and liquid smoke. While lentils are cooking, in a blender, chop 1/2 pkg.
tofu and add 1/2 cup wholewheat flour. When lentils are tender, mix with tofu/flour mixture. This should be real thick and easy to spoon onto a hot griddle in the shape of a burger. You
may want to add 1 T. of Olive oil on the griddle. Cook on each side.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 1 hr

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Kung Pao Tofu - serves 4

1 pkg. tofu, drained and cubed

Marinade:
2 Tablespoons Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
1 teaspoon Cornstarch

Sauce:
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup veggie broth/water
3 Tablespoons Rice Wine
2 Tablespoons Hoisin Sauce
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
2 teaspoons Sesame Oil
2 teaspoons Chili-Garlic paste
2 teaspoons sugar

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (I use less)
8 small dried red chiles (depending how hot you like it)
4 teaspoons minced Garlic
Veggies of choice, sliced - i.e. red pepper, carrot, onion, clelery, bamboo shoots, etc.
2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1 Tablespoon water

Combine marinade ingredients in bowl, add tofu and stir to coat. Let stand at least 15 min, or longer (refrigerated).
Combine sauce ingredients in a measuring cup or bowl; set aside.
Place a wok over high heat. Add about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of oil and swirl to coat. Add chiles and cook, stirring 10 seconds. Add tofu and cook 2 min. Remove tofu and chiles from wok.
Add 1/2 Tablespoon oil to wok. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 10 sec. Add veggies (according to cooking time) and stir-fry. For last minute of cooking, return tofu/chiles to wok. Add sauce and bring to a boil. Add cornstarch/water mixture and cook, stirring until sauce thickens.
Serve over steamed rice.