Tasty Tofu: 5 Yummy Ways to Include More Tofu Into Your Diet

Hey guys! Below is a guest post for you from Virginia Cunningham, all about the different ways you can ease tofu into your diet! I think she's got some pretty nifty ideas, so check it out!

When many think of tofu, they may not see it as having much personality, but it's bland appearance makes it deceptive!

Pressed curd extracted from ground soy beans, tofu has an almost endless variety of applications. It's high in protein -- more than 2 grams per ounce -- for some varieties, and contains an abundance of healthy fats. Besides the more common dishes tofu can be used in, like stir fry, it can be used in salad dressings, tacos and quesadillas, pesto, curry, marinade, desserts, smoothies and so much more! It's also an effective thickening agent, which makes it a great substitute for cream, eggs and cheese.

{Wanna learn a cool way to press tofu? Click here to see the pressed tofu I made!}

Here are some unique and simple ways to incorporate tofu into your diet:

Pumpkin Tofu Curry

I absolutely love pumpkin season and this recipe is delicious! To make this dish, saute an onion in olive oil then add 2 cups of vegetable broth, a can of coconut milk, a can of pumpkin (15 ounces), 2 tsps of both cumin and curry and pepper to taste.

Afterwards, mix up the cubed, sauteed tofu and enjoy. You can also add carrots and potatoes or any other veggie you’d like and serve over rice. Mmm delicious! This looks gorgeous, and really yummy, especially presented in an empty pumpkin shell, and it's also amazingly simple.  

Tofu Quesadillas

 No matter what time of the day it is, a warm quesadilla is a meal or snack I always crave. To make this, marinate strips of tofu for several hours (the marinade can be anything you like; I prefer to use olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, pepper and a splash of soy sauce), then broil (flipping once) until the edges are crispy. Throw them into a tortilla and add your favorite cheese, heated black beans (add some cumin and hot sauce to heat things up), then fold it all up and heat in an unoiled frying pan until the tortilla gets crispy and the cheese is melted! Absolutely delicious, and loaded with protein and fiber!  

As an alternative to marinating strips of tofu, try chopping it up into tiny tiny pieces, then saute at high temperature with onions, garlic and other spices. The consistency will end up resembling taco meat, which works incredibly well in a quesadilla or burrito.

Marinade

 Another one of my favorite ways to add tofu into my diet is to use extra firm tofu. Once you have pressed all of the water out, you can then make your own marinade with fresh pressed ginger and garlic, soy sauce, and a splash of spicy szechuan sauce. An easy way is to just pan fry it with veggies and sometimes veggie dumplings (I like the ones from Trader Joes... but will learn to make my own someday).

Tofu Fingers 

(similar to chicken fingers)

 For this snack, I use tofu that's been frozen. Once it’s thawed, slice it into triangles, rectangles or whatever shape you prefer. Next I dip them in egg, cover them with bread crumbs, cumin, garlic and onion powder, or whatever flavor I'm in the mood for, then bake them in the oven until the edges turn into a nice brown.

They taste great dipped in barbeque or honey mustard sauce or whatever you prefer. They have the texture of chicken fingers and are extremely tasty!

Salad Dressing

 This is one of the easiest ways I've found to use tofu. Purée silken tofu with basil and a clove of garlic, then drizzle on your salad and you're done!

The examples used above are great ways to incorporate this protein packed food into your diet. It absorbs the flavors of the ingredients it’s paired with, and works in a variety of cooking methods. It's amazingly versatile and adaptable nature makes it one of my favorite foods!

Virginia Cunningham is a health enthusiast and mother of three living in Southern California. As a health writer, and in collaboration with NorthWest, she loves being able to share recipes, fitness tips and educate others about their personal wellness. 

Snow Ice Cream

Have you ever heard of snow ice cream? 

Probably not. It's not a common sweet treat! But I will tell you, it's delicious. 

Snow ice cream is exactly what it sounds like - freshly fallen snow that you turn into "ice cream" by adding milk, sugar, and vanilla. I've been making this stuff since I was a little kid, and I will probably make it for many years to come! 

I used to make it a lot with the boy who lived next door. Actually, we did a lot of fun, random things together. For example, we often took a boxed cake mix and threw in whatever we wanted - whipped cream, cherries, sprinkles, chocolate, hot fudge, etc. - then we mixed it up and baked it in the oven, waiting anxiously to see how it would turn out. We would race to see who could finish their concoction first. I think the boys usually won...

Anyways, snow ice cream is DELICIOUS, so please try it and let me know! I didn't exactly measure the snow, so the numbers below are a rough estimate. Feel free to add more or less of something to taste. 

Snow Ice Cream

Roughly 4 cups of snow

8 tablespoons milk

2 - 4 tablespoon sugar

2 t. vanilla

You don't need much instruction - just throw it all in a large metal bowl and mix together! The end result should be a bit icy and creamy and sugary. Yum. Try to use a metal bowl if you can - it keeps the snow colder, longer! If you use an ice cream scoop, you should be able to scoop it like ice cream. Top with sprinkles and you have an easy, delicious treat! 

What's your favorite childhood food?

Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Cake

It's finger lickin', cinnamon oozing, cookie crunchin', sugary deliciousness. 

Are you ready to be dazzled by my snickerdoodle cookie dough cake?

I thought you would say yes. :)

After realizing that my recipe for vegan cookie dough cupcakes was my most popular blog post, I decided to take that to heart and invent more cookie dough themed cakes. I'm hoping to make an eBook with a bunch of recipes, at some point! 

But until then, here is a recipe to keep you enticed.

The cake itself is vegan - I used THIS vanilla cake recipe and added my own flavorings. You can use that recipe or your own favorite vanilla cake recipe, your choice. 

However, the icing and filling are very, very far from being vegan. 

Feel free to veganize this and let me know what you think. It should be relatively easy to veganize - just sub Earth Balance for butter, and vegan cream cheese for the cream cheese. 

Presto change-o! You've got a vegan cake. 

Okay, let's get to the recipe!

Cinnamon Cake

3 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups vanilla dairy-free milk

1 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup white or apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Filling

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

6 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cinnamon Icing

1/2 cup brown sugar

8 cups powdered sugar

1 stick butter, softened

8 ounces cream cheese

4 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons milk

You will also need some snickerdoodle cookies that have been baked and crumbled. I used soft-baked cookies from Trader Joe's, but I'd recommend using a crunchy snickerdoodle cookie for this recipe.

Directions

Cinnamon Cake: Combine all wet ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Slowly mix the wet and dry ingredients until combined (don't overmix!). Pour cake batter into two 9 inch cake pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Allow to cool.

Cookie Dough Filling: In a bowl, cream butter and sugars together. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined, then add milk and stir. Let sit at room temperature until ready to assemble the cake (or you can refrigerate the filling and allow to soften when you are ready to use).

Cinnamon Icing: Cream together butter, brown sugar, cream cheese, and cinnamon until combined. Add vanilla and mix. Gradually add the powdered sugar and milk, alternating between the two until everything has been added. When all ingredients have been added, whip on high speed until the icing becomes light and fluffy.

Assembly

Place one cake on your surface. Spread the filling all over the top of cake, until you've used as much as you want. Place the second cake on top, and then cover with icing. Sprinkle crumbled snickerdoodle cookies on top for crunch and decor.

Then EAT IT!

Now... who's gonna make this cake?!

WIAW #35 + Spicy Jalapeno Cornbread

Hello loves! Welcome to this week's WIAW! Today, I have an extra goodie in store for you: a recipe for spicy jalapeno cornbread! Yummy! Delicious and dairy free. 

But first, let's WIAW. Below are some yummy things I ate this week!

{fruit} fresh pineapple {veggies} carrots & cauliflower {protein} tuna with earth balance mayo {soup} lentil with vegetables {dessert} homemade chocolate truffles 

Those truffles are SO. DELICIOUS. And at some point I will share the recipe with you - I made them with leftover chocolate from my chocolate fountain! I had like, eight cups of melted chocolate, and I didn't want to throw the chocolate away, so I made truffles.

Now... let's get spicy!

Spicy Jalapeno Cornbread {Dairy free}

1 1/4 c. cornmeal

3/4 c. all purpose flour

1/4 c. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 t. cayenne pepper

1/4 c. oil

One egg

1 c. almond milk

1/2 c. jarred, sliced jalapenos 

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, and then combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. 

2. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients and jalapenos. Mash the jalapenos lightly with a fork to thoroughly incorporate them into the batter. 

3. Slowly at dry ingredients, mixing until everything is combined.  

4. Using a cupcake or muffin pan, fill each muffin hole 3/4 of the way full with batter. 

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cooked. Insert a toothpick unto the center of a muffin to check for doneness. If it comes out clean (no batter on the toothpick), it's done.

How easy peasy was that?! These corn muffins have texture to them, and you can tell there is real corn meal. I hate corn bread that is mostly flour with a bit of corn meal - what kind of corn bread is that?!

Give them a try. You'll love them.  

See you next week for the WIAW party! Stay tuned on FRIDAY for a new Fit Friday post... we're talking about fitness goals!

If you could turn any cookie into a cake, what would you choose?!

Blackberry Orange Pancakes

I was in the mood for pancakes the other morning. You know, the morning when I got zero sleep the previous night because my mind was racing. The morning where I spent all my time working on my blog's layout instead of sleeping. The morning I saw another's blogger's recipe for chocolate orange pancakes. 

Those pancakes inspired me. 

I had some blackberries in the fridge I wanted to use, so I decided to put them to good use and make pancakes with them. Who knew they were so low in calories, even with 2 tablespoons of melted butter in the batter?! These are practically vegan - just sub Earth Balance for butter and voila! Vegan pancakes. Let me know how much you love them!

Blackberry Orange Pancakes
Based on my Cinnamon Coconut Pancakes 
Makes 8 pancakes

1 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1 T. sugar
15 drops orange liquid stevia (you can omit this and use 3 T. of sugar instead if you wish)
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 c. vanilla almond milk
1 t. vanilla
2 T. melted butter
1/4 cup blackberries
2 t. orange zest

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. 
2. In a smaller bowl, combine milk, vanilla, orange zest, melted butter, stevia, and blackberries. Mash the blackberries with the back of your spoon.
3. Combine the two mixtures and whisk until batter is smooth. 
4. Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray and place over medium heat.
5. Using a 1/4 c. measure or a large ice cream scoop, pour batter into heated skillet, making only one pancake at a time.
6. Cook until you see bubbles forming on the top of the batter, then carefully flip pancake and cook until the other side is golden brown.

Nutritional Info

Servings: 8
Calories: 98

Carbs: 16g

Fat: 3g

Protein: 2g

What's you're favorite kind of pancake? 

Much love, 

Daring Bakers: Crackers

Welcome to this month's edition of Daring Bakers: crackers edition! 

Our July 2012 Daring Bakers' host was Dana McFarland and she challenged us to make homemade crackers! Dana showed us some techniques for making crackers and encourage us to use our creativity to make each cracker our own by using ingredients we love. 

I hope I didn't disappoint! 

Another part of the challenge was that you had to make two different types of crackers using two different methods. You could make hand rolled crackers, icebox crackers, or pasta roller crackers. I chose to make hand rolled and icebox, considering I don't have a pasta roller. 

The first cracker I made was a Boursin cheese, basil, and almond icebox cracker. This recipe was based on one that was given to us for the challenge - a cheddar, rosemary, and walnut icebox cracker. Because I didn't have quite a few ingredients in my pantry, I improvised. My family loved these crackers and they had a  strong Boursin cheese spread flavor. They were also very crispy. Yum. You want the recipe? 

Boursin Cheese, Basil, & Almond Icebox Crackers

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup Boursin Vermont White Cheddar & Sage Cheese Spread

1 cup + 3 T. all purpose flour

1 t. salt

1/2 c. slivered almonds

1 T. finely chopped basil 

Directions

1. Combine butter, basil, and cheese spread in a mixer. Combine well. 

2. Add flour, salt, and nuts and mix well. Don't over mix!

3. Divide dough in half, Place each half on plastic wrap and form into two logs. Place logs in fridge for anywhere from 1 hour to overnight. 

4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 

5. Slice logs into thin slices and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. 

6. Bake crackers for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. They will firm up as they cool. Store in an air tight container and enjoy!

I also made some homemade Ritz crackers. These were hand rolled. You can find the recipe here. 

Oh my word. These were divine. 

Yes, they do taste like Ritz crackers. So buttery and delicious. I put garlic powder on top of mine for added flavor. I could seriously eat an entire recipe of these in on sitting. Luckily, I restrained myself and shared with others :)

A successful challenge, I would say! Enjoy! 

Much love, 

Pineapple Soy Tempeh Wraps

I've been meaning to post this recipe for a while. These delicious, healthy wraps will have your tastebuds going crazy. It's the pineapple soy marinade that makes them so yummy.

Tempeh, I think, is growing in popularity. It is a delicious meat-replacement made from fermented soybeans. No - tempeh is not fake meat. But it is delicious. Just make sure you steam and dice your tempeh before using it in this recipe, or your tempeh will be bitter. 

Pineapple Soy Tempeh Wraps

Ingredients:

Marinade

1 c. pineapple juice

1 medium lime - zest and juice

3T. soy sauce

1T. maple syrup

1/2t. garlic powder

1t. hot chili oil

1t. sesame oil

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Other

1 package tempeh, steamed and cut into 1'' cubes

1/2 c. diced radish

1/2c. diced carrots

1c. diced onion

1c. diced red bell pepper

Lettuce for your wraps - bibb lettuce and iceberg lettuce make great cups

Directions
1. In a small saute pan, place all the veggies and a little bit of water- approximately 1/2c. Cover with a lid steam them until cooked. Drain any extra water left in the pan.
2. While the veggies are steaming, combine all ingredients in the marinade in a small bowl. Mix well.
3. Once veggies have been steamed and drained, add in the tempeh and marinade. Allow to cook for another couple minutes, just until the tempeh and marinade are warmed through.
4. Remove mixture from heat and spoon into lettuce cups. Sprinkle some torn basil leaves on top for added flavor, if desired. Enjoy!

Much love,

Basil Lime Peaches

Who doesn't love basil, lime, or peaches? 

Those are three of my favorite things, right there! And since today is the fourth of July, why not share a good recipe to make on the grill? Somewhere along the line, I lost my exact copy of this recipe, so this is my guess at the amounts. Feel free to mix it up a bit and let me know what you did differently. The amount of brown sugar is the only thing I'm not sure about - I could have used a couple tablespoons, but I'm almost positive it was 1/4 cup. Like I said, try it and let me know. 

This would be delicious regardless of how much brown sugar you use. The tangy lime juice and honey with the brown sugar make for a great combination! The basil also adds the perfect, unexpected bite to these peaches. So yummy. 

These would be perfect with a scoop of cold, creamy vanilla bean ice cream. They make a great, healthy dessert option!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 c. brown sugar

1-2 tablespoons basil, finely chopped

Juice of one large lime

Lime zest (optional)

3-4 peaches, pitted and halved

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients (except peaches) in a large bowl. Stir until smooth. 

2. Add peaches to bowl and toss until all peaches are coated in the marinade. Set to the side to marinate while you fire up your grill (or grill pan, which is what I used). 

3. Place your peaches, flat side down, on the grill. The marinade will get bubbly and caramelize. You want to see pretty grill marks on these! 

4. Cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the peaches are nice and soft. Be sure to watch them so they don't burn. Brush with the leftover marinade throughout the cooking time so they get lots of flavor.

Much love,