I'm taking the 21 day vegan challenge (I've been vegetarian for 2.5 years). Up until now, I never knew how to make tofu taste good, but have recently come up w/ some great recipes that even my husband likes. I've been replacing my Morningstar Farms faux meats w/ tofu things probably 3 meals per week. Is this a step in the right direction? It doesn't seem as processed and I am buying the organic kind to stay away from the genetically modified factor.

Just wanted to know your thoughts on it. TIA

Those are really open ended questions to ask and I think the thing here is that you need to do research on the topic and make your own decision as to whether or not it's good or bad.

Nutrition-wise, tofu pretty much aces: It's a complete source of protein (meaning that it provides all 8 amino acids). It has 0 fat and 0 cholesterol. It's low sodium. It's a source of calcium. Soy also contains isoflavines that might help prevent osteoporosis, and reduce the risk of heart disease.

However, lately there have been some studies that show a diet heavy in soy products can be bad as well - that the estrogen-like chemical can cause harm in unborn children and can affect men and women in a negative way if consumed in large quantities. Also there's some question about phytic acids in soybeans which blocks the absorption of certain minerals - and they recommend that babies especially not be fed soy based formulas because of that.

But you have to remember that if you eat too much of ANY food, you're going to run into some kind of issue like that. Our bodies are made to accept a varied diet ... that's how we get balance and why diets that advocate eating tons of one kind of food are generally failures.

This is something you're going to have to decide for yourself - do you eat enough soy that you should be concerned about this? Or is it a reasonable part of your overall diet.

I personally eat soy. I snack on edamame and eat tofu (sometimes) and I even sometimes drink soymilk. But I don't eat it at every meal and I don't consume insane quantities of it.

It's a decision you'll have to make for yourself - whether or not it's healthy. :

Thanks Kara. We don't eat it at every meal, I'm just looking a nice vegan replacement for the processed stuff (which was soy too, just not "good" soy).

I made something really great today....

Tofu "Bacon"

2T soy sauce (I use Braggs Liquid Aminos...it has less sodum)
2T maple syrup
1t liquid smoke

1 tub firm tofu, drained and put on a towel w/ something heavy to remove liquid

Saute' tofu on both sides till crispy then remove from pan. Add the mixed liquid ingredients to the pan and toss the tofu in it. (optional) sprinkle w/ nutritional yeast and black pepper.

This was so yummy!

Sometimes, depending on how you cook it. I like it deep fried covered in corn starch, and that's not very healthy. But if you just used it in a vegetable stir fry or had it raw, then it'd be healthy. So it all depends.















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Hmmmppp,...i really like tofu. When i read your tofu bacon i feel hungry. I want to eat.

I've had first hand experience with this. No, Sarge doesn't have boobs.
Actually it's my wife. She's still breast feeding our 2nd child and having the same problem she did with the first one. Whenever she's having her period she'll often have severe vertigo.
It kind of clicked with me one day that during these vertigo episodes she was also drinking almost a liter of soy milk per day.
She talked to the doctor about it and she told my wife to cut down on the soy milk. The vertigo hasn't returned since.
So at least in my wife's case, the combination of breast feeding, her period and about a liter of soy milk....was enough to throw the hormones out of balance to cause problems.

Anyway, I love tofu and we eat a fair amount of it every week.
This is one of my favorite tofu dishes and recipes should be easy to find online. Goes great over some rice!

Mapo doufu, or mapo tofu, is a popular Chinese dish from the Sichuan (Szechuan) province. It is a combination of tofu (bean curd) set in a spicy chili- and bean-based sauce, typically a thin, oily, and bright red suspension, and often topped with minced meat, usually pork or beef.
Mapo doufu - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

BTW, are we allowed to post pictures on this forum??