Tofu for Haters

Like 90210, Kashi cereals and capri pants, tofu is not always appreciated by men. Fear of this soy product usually stems from it’s bad name as a bland white blob or previous experience with poorly prepared versions. While I could eat this stuff any which way, living with a boy forces me to flex a little culinary muscle and spice it up a bit. There’s no need to make the stuff unhealthy. Just make it well and serve it up in 2 styles, his and hers…

His and Hers Tofu

First make this delicious tofu (tofu part only from Yum Sugar)
Ingredients for Tofu
1 15-ounce block of extra firm tofu
2 tablespoons reduced sodium tamari (soy sauce)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon dill
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 onion - chopped
2 carrots - chopped

Ingredients for Salad with Tofu (Hers)
Mixed Greens
¼ cup fat free feta
Chopped tomato
Balsamic vinegrette (any store variety or just oil and vinegar)

Ingredients for Noodle Tofu (His)
Pad Thai style noodles (available in the asian/international aisle)
Sesame oil
Apple cider vinegar
Low sodium Soy sauce

Tofu Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. Slice the block of tofu in half length wise and wrap in paper towels or dish towels. Place a stack of heavy books on this and let tofu drain out water for at least 20 minutes. ******* (During this time skip to step 6 for salad tofu or step 7 for noodle tofu)
3. Spray Pam onto the bottom of a small pan. Add the tofu.
4. Pour the soy sauce onto the tofu cubes. Stir with a spoon to evenly coat. Drizzle on the honey, and then sprinkle on the thyme, dill, and cumin.
5. Bake for 20 minutes, or until desired firmness.
6. 15 minutes into baking, put a pan over medium heat and spray with Pam. Throw in chopped onion and carrot and 2 tablespoons soy sauce and saute for 5 minutes.
7. Add tofu to pan and mix all together
THEN…

8. ***FOR SALAD TOFU --- Put mixed greens, chopped tomato and crumbled fat free feta in a big bowl. Top with half of tofu/onion mixture from pan. Add dressing and eat. (Save other half of tofu in the pan for noodles below or for lunch the next day)

9. ***FOR NOODLE TOFU --- Make noodles per directions on package (for me this required soaking them in hot water for 8 minutes.) Then add them to the pan with remaining tofu and onion mixture and add 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Saute till sauce is mixed and evenly distributed on noodles and then serve.