Dairy free tofu recipes for someone who doesn't normally eat tofu?

[Biscuits & Gravy]

I'm not a huge fan of tofu, but can get it super duper cheap right now. I've seen it used in dairy free recipes so I figure now is the time to experiment. I found a dairy free ricotta using tofu, and want to try that to make some lasagna or stuffed shells. I'd love some other ideas, too, and maybe some good tips for using tofu.

[SubliminalDarkness]

I just made this last night:

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/vegeta...rs/Detail.aspx

It was great!

[Kelilah]

Pick up a copy of "101 Things To Do with Tofu" at your local bookstore or on Amazon. It's about $10 and it is a LIFESAVER - I never cooked with tofu before I got it, and now I love to. A lot of the recipes use tofu to replace dairy in creamy stuff (the mac and cheese is amazing), and the veggie chili is to die for (I made it for my Halloween party this year and even the meat eaters loved it). Even my grandmother, who doesn't cook, got it when my grandfather had a triple bypass and she likes the recipes because they're healthy and they're so easy.

[homefrontgirl]

Eating Well has this recipe:

Tofu Marsala

Plus there's a search option if you want more like this. HTH.

[GoGoGirl]

What kind of tofu can you get cheaply? Tofu comes in different firmness levels--silken, soft, medium, firm, and extra firm. I only use silken and extra firm. I use silken tofu in desserts (chocolate mousse!), smoothies, and salad dressings. I use extra firm tofu in everything else. I think the texture of soft and medium tofu is kind of icky.

IMO, the most important thing you can do to make tofu taste delicious is drain and press it. This will REALLY improve your tofu experience. When you open the package of tofu (not silken, but this works for the others), drain the water from the package. Then wrap the tofu in paper towels or a kitchen towel and put it between two cutting boards. Put something heavy (I use a pot) on the cutting board on top of the tofu and let it sit for 30 minutes. This gets the extra water out of the tofu and improves the texture.

You can also freeze tofu--maybe you should stock up if you can get it cheaply! If you freeze and then defrost extra firm tofu, it changes the texture and makes it chewier (maybe more meat-like?).

Now for the recipes! I've made tofu ricotta lasanga and it was delicious. There's a great recipe in Veganomicon for Greek spinach pies (spanokita?) using tofu. If you want to actually feature the tofu instead of hiding it, here are my two favorite recipes: Grilled Citrus Tofu and Pomegranate BBQ Tofu.

[Biscuits & Gravy]

Originally Posted by GoGoGirl

What kind of tofu can you get cheaply?

It is the Nasoya brand, any firmness. My store has silken, soft, firm and extra firm. I'm getting it for around $.19 after coupon. So far I just got a silken and an extra firm to try out a tofu ricotta recipe. I wasn't sure which one I should really stock up on so I figured I'd try those out first and go from there. Your post is really helpful!

Thanks so much for the ideas! I guess I should mention we are nut free as well, so unfortunately any recipes with nuts probably won't work.

[mamadelbosque]

I like to cut it into strips, lightly brush it with ponzu or tamari/soy sauce and bake for a half hour or so and then stir fry it w/ veggies and serve over rice or rice noodles.

[Kristin0105]

Can you share the ricotta recipe and how to substitute tofu in mac and cheese?

[Biscuits & Gravy]

Originally Posted by Kristin0105

Can you share the ricotta recipe and how to substitute tofu in mac and cheese?

Here is the ricotta recipe I'm planning to use tonight. I'm just going to make lasagna like I normally would with real cheese. I'll use daiya for the mozzarella. (If you haven't tried it, it is awesome. I've tried tons of cheese substitutes and had given up on them completely until we found daiya. It actually melts and tastes pretty good!)

ETA: I would LOVE to know about the mac & cheese, too!

[Biscuits & Gravy]

So I made the ricotta I linked today, and used it to make stuffed shells. It was awesome!! My DH was shocked. He is the only one of us who can eat dairy right now so his palate is definitely not as accepting of substitutes. He said he totally forgot that it was not real ricotta when he was eating it. Even if that is the one and only thing I end up making with all of this tofu it will be okay because it is that good!

[Kristin0105]

B&G thank you for the link I have my tofu ready top go but forgot tho pick up the nutritional yeast today. So I am on hold until my next trip to the store. I am looking forward to trying this recipe. What store has the sale on tofu? I wouldn't mind freezing some. Thanks for the link about the daiya, someone else had told me about it but I help off trying it as the others I had tried were horrible. I bought some yesterday to try. I am lucky I can have sheep's milk so I do use sheep's milk cheese in some recipes when I can.

[Sol_y_Paz]

I like the extra firm in stir fry. You will need to drain/pat dry the tofu then cut in chunks and marinate for 2 days. The tofu absorbs the flavors best that way for us. Then use it instead of meat for stir-fry's.

[Biscuits & Gravy]

I am getting it at Harris Teeter. Super double coupons this week. There is a coupon on the Nasoya website for $1 off, sign up for "Tofu U" or something like that. Also, with the daiya cheese I will say that a little goes a long way. You don't need to use tons, a little sprinkle of the cheese will give you the texture and flavor. I find using as much of it as I would dairy cheese makes it overwhelming for me.