Tofu and Animal Friendly Diets
When one thinks of vegan or vegetarianism one always thinks of tofu. Tofu
is a basic protein used in the absence of meat. Tofu is basically fermented bean
curd. It sounds utterly disgusting, but when cooked right is actually quite
pleasing. When one looks at the bland, white, slimy cube of tofu people tend to
back away. However, it has become a symbol of the vegetarian and vegan
diets. Soy is the basis of most of the vegan and vegetarian proteins and foods.
It is the basis for tempeh (basically tofu with rice), vegan burger and hot dogs, crumbles,
and other things.
So, why is tofu associated with a vegan/vegetarian diet more so than any other
non-animal protein?Tofu has been around in the USA sense 1896. Popularity spiked
during and after World War II, in part because of Mildred Lager’s
Soy Bean recipes. This cookbook offers 350 recipes involving tofu and a
critique of the food. She even refers to it as “soy cheese,” because of the
consistency of tofu. She also stresses that it is cheap and hearty. However, interest peaked
in the 1960s when people became more conscious about what they ate in America.
Vegetarianism became more widespread at this time. Sense tofu was a simple and
cheap product vegetarians began consuming more of it. As the conscious consumer
movement has spread more products have become available. However, tofu is still
more widely consumed than other non-meat sources.
(Information about tofu and resource for the above: www.soyinfocenter.com).
Tofu is a great food to cook with, despite being very bland. It may have
no flavor on its own but it tends to suck up the flavor of other items. One can
do basically anything with tofu. One can fry, bake, bread, marinate, grill,
crumble, blend, and sautee tofu. You can do just about any and everything with
it. Many vegans use it for baking as well as main dishes. In my opinion the best
way to cook tofu is to marinate it and grill it. Nothing beats a good marinated
tofu with a side of kale and baked potato.
Here are some links to cites with vegan tofu recipes:
http://www.theppk.com/2010/04/orange-ginger-baked-tofu/
(Post Punk Kitchen has great vegan recipes- many healthy, all delicious)
http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/sometimes-you-feel-like-a-nut/ (This is a great vegan blog full of recipes and ancedotes- they recipes are harder but it also discusses products)
http://veganyumyum.com/2008/07/smokey-miso-tofu/ (This is a great vegan food blog, it even won some awards- more for those who really like to cook, but some recipes are simple and easy)
When one thinks of vegan or vegetarianism one always thinks of tofu. Tofu
is a basic protein used in the absence of meat. Tofu is basically fermented bean
curd. It sounds utterly disgusting, but when cooked right is actually quite
pleasing. When one looks at the bland, white, slimy cube of tofu people tend to
back away. However, it has become a symbol of the vegetarian and vegan
diets. Soy is the basis of most of the vegan and vegetarian proteins and foods.
It is the basis for tempeh (basically tofu with rice), vegan burger and hot dogs, crumbles,
and other things.
So, why is tofu associated with a vegan/vegetarian diet more so than any other
non-animal protein?Tofu has been around in the USA sense 1896. Popularity spiked
during and after World War II, in part because of Mildred Lager’s
Soy Bean recipes. This cookbook offers 350 recipes involving tofu and a
critique of the food. She even refers to it as “soy cheese,” because of the
consistency of tofu. She also stresses that it is cheap and hearty. However, interest peaked
in the 1960s when people became more conscious about what they ate in America.
Vegetarianism became more widespread at this time. Sense tofu was a simple and
cheap product vegetarians began consuming more of it. As the conscious consumer
movement has spread more products have become available. However, tofu is still
more widely consumed than other non-meat sources.
(Information about tofu and resource for the above: www.soyinfocenter.com).
Tofu is a great food to cook with, despite being very bland. It may have
no flavor on its own but it tends to suck up the flavor of other items. One can
do basically anything with tofu. One can fry, bake, bread, marinate, grill,
crumble, blend, and sautee tofu. You can do just about any and everything with
it. Many vegans use it for baking as well as main dishes. In my opinion the best
way to cook tofu is to marinate it and grill it. Nothing beats a good marinated
tofu with a side of kale and baked potato.
Here are some links to cites with vegan tofu recipes:
http://www.theppk.com/2010/04/orange-ginger-baked-tofu/
(Post Punk Kitchen has great vegan recipes- many healthy, all delicious)
http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/sometimes-you-feel-like-a-nut/ (This is a great vegan blog full of recipes and ancedotes- they recipes are harder but it also discusses products)
http://veganyumyum.com/2008/07/smokey-miso-tofu/ (This is a great vegan food blog, it even won some awards- more for those who really like to cook, but some recipes are simple and easy)