5 Never-Thought-of-That Uses For Tofu

Yahoo Food
Updated

Alessandra Bulow

Bored with your usual stir-fried tofu? We feel you. We’ve grilled and deep-fried it, added it to soups and stews, and even swirled it into our smoothies. But now it’s time to give the protein-rich food a remix with five non-traditional ways to use tofu.

1. Cakes and Frostings Blending firm silken tofu into cake batter makes baked goods extra moist, but the fun doesn’t stop there. It’s also fabulous as a creamy surprise filling for cakes and cupcakes, especially when it’s blended with peanut butter. Recipe to try: Chocolate Peanut Butter MousseFilled Cupcakes

2. Party Dips Silken tofu adds a creamy touch to dairy-free dips, plus loads of protein to keep you fuller longer. So go ahead and double-dip—we won’t tell. Recipe to try: Miso-Tofu Ranch Dip

3. Baked Pastas Instead of making a bechamel sauce or another kind of calorie-heavy cheese sauce, create a thickener by blending firm tofu with egg and nutmeg. The mixture will bind the pasta together, making the dish especially hearty. Recipe to try: Tofu Rigatoni Casserole

4. Meatloaf Sure you could make this without tofu, but adding it in makes the meat extra moist and binds the ingredients perfectly—you’ll never even notice that it’s there. Recipe to try: Tofu-and-Meat Loaf

5. “Egg” Salad Finely mash firm tofu and it develops the consistency of chopped hard boiled eggs. Give it extra flavor and color with a swirl of Dijon mustard, a sprinkle of tumeric, then throw in chopped celery and chives—just like Mom used to make, but better. Recipe to try: Creamy Tofu Salad (below)

CREAMY TOFU SALAD

Ingredients: 

  • 1 (14-oz) package firm tofu, rinsed and drained

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise

  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric

  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

  • 2 celery ribs, finely chopped

  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

  • Accompaniments: sandwich bread; lettuce leaves; sliced tomato

Preparation:

Finely mash tofu with a fork in a bowl, then let drain in a sieve set over another bowl, about 15 minutes (discard liquid).

While tofu drains, whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, turmeric, and mustard in bowl, then stir in tofu, celery, chives, salt, and pepper.


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