Veronica just informed me that October is Vegetarian Awareness Month. http://www.earthsave.org/news/19981001.htm Coincidentally, this ties in perfectly with something that has been on my mind lately! In two separate conversations with my friends, Jean & Sandy, they told me that their families rarely eat meat as a part of dinner. For both of them, it is a matter of the high price of organically fed, humanely raised meat. As a vegetarian, I don't think about the meat my family is eating enough. These conversations have inspired me to include more tofu, and less meat in my children's daily diets.Tofu is a virtually tasteless base for any type of dish. It takes on any seasoning, so it can be Asian, Mexican, American, Italian, etc. There are a million different ways to use it. There are many different types of tofu, so it is a good idea to research what each type is good for before you dive into cooking with it. (Most recipes will tell you what kind of tofu they require.)
I have been afraid of cooking tofu for a very long time. I recently came to realize that it is all about the seasoning you use. I was telling Sandy about my desire to cook with it more and she loaned me a very informative book titled, "Giant book of Tofu cooking" http://www.amazon.com/Giant-Book-Tofu-Cooking-Delicious/dp/080692957X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222200232&sr=8-1
If you are new to cooking with tofu, this is a great starter book. (I am making Fried Tofu in Mushroom Sauce tonight
The price difference between meat and tofu is huge. Especially if you are dedicated to buying environmentally-friendly products. Most tofu is around $2 per pound. It goes quite far as an ingredient because it is best used with other foods and not just as a main dish. Start by substituting tofu for ground beef in a casserole, sloppy joes or tacos. As you gain confidence in it as an ingredient, check out this web site for easy tofu recipes. http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/tofu-recipes.php
The price difference between meat and tofu is huge. Especially if you are dedicated to buying environmentally-friendly products. Most tofu is around $2 per pound. It goes quite far as an ingredient because it is best used with other foods and not just as a main dish. Start by substituting tofu for ground beef in a casserole, sloppy joes or tacos. As you gain confidence in it as an ingredient, check out this web site for easy tofu recipes. http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/tofu-recipes.php
3 comments:
So since I know nothing about tofu...where do you find it in the grocery store? Which kind would you use in the place of ground beef? How does it measure up in the calorie department compared to ground beef per lb?
If you're in San Francisco Oct 4th and 5th, you can go to Veg Fest, http://www.sfvs.org/wvd/.
For Susie:
The four places I've seen tofu placed, in a "regular" supermarket (we have Safeway and Lucky [Savemart] here in SF), are in the produce section, near the bagged lettuce and cut-up veggies; in the Oriental produce section; in the refrigerated case next to the eggs, sometimes next to dairy; and in the meat department in the "fake meat" section. I get mine from Trader Joe's, which is placed between the cheese and dip sections.
If you're lucky, you'll find several kinds of tofu to select from. If possible, stay away from the vacuum packed tofu (looks like packed in a juice box). That kind is designed for long shelf life, and tastes inferior to the fresh tofu that is packed in water in a plastic tub. You can also buy fresh tofu by the block from the Asian supermarkets.
Calorie wise, tofu contains 320 calories per pound. Ground beef, the 80%lean/20%fat kind, weighs in at 1152 calories per pound. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_calories_are_in_one_pound_of_ground_beef. As a bonus, tofu can be a source of calcium; look for calcium sulfate in the ingredients list. A double bonus is that tofu, which contains estrogen, can alleviate some symptoms of menopause.
(Warning to Jen: several studies have indicated that eating too much soy in the early stages of pregnancy *may* interfere with male reproductive system formation. I guess estrogen doesn't play nice with testosterone. That Venus and Mars thing again! I digress....)
Price wise, Trader Joe's organic firm tofu sells for $1/lb. Regular tofu sold at the big supermarkets costs a little more. Regular 80/20 ground beef here costs $2.69-$3/lb. 90/10 organic ground beef costs $4-$5/lb.
My next post will be how I use tofu, including how I got my Mid-West husband, raised on Velveeta and Wonder Bread, to eat tofu.
I just wanted to say this before Matt came up with it: "Tofu for president". From your blog it seems to me that 'Tofu' may be more useful than our current choices! Be sure to write in Tofu...
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