tofu tips?

I'm probably the only one on this site who is also a member of w.watchers. That confession made, I am looking for your favorite quick, low-fat tofu recipies. Maybe there are none. I'm not vegetarian, just don't love most meat. I've never cooked with tofu. I put some uncooked chunks in a salad once and it was horrible. Thanks for your ideas.

One thing that's important when working with tofu is pressing it, to expel extra water. I usually slice it up and then put it between two plates lined with paper towels. You can press for 30 seconds for a quick fix, or leave a heavy book on it for an hour for a more complete job.

Getting rid of the water allows the tofu to absorb more of whatever you're cooking/marinading it with. Additional flavoring is essential - most people don't like the taste of tofu (soy), or don't think it has any taste at all. So try marinading it first, or using it in saucy dishes.

If you want to use it plainly in a salad, try this. Press and then marinate tofu cubes in a soy sauce/balsamic vinegar mixture. Then lay them on a baking sheet, sprinkle with brewer's yeast, and bake them in the oven for a little while until they're crispy around the edges. That should add enough flavor to make it yummy when sprinkled over a salad.

Also, freezing tofu before cooking it changes its texture, making it more fake meaty.

What kind of tofu are you using? I usually use extra firm, because it holds up better in most dishes. Silken tofu is available, though I find it's better for smoothies or baking than for eating. However, it does work nicely in some Asian soups.

Have you considered using other protein-packed meat substitutes? Textured vegetable protein (TVP) is a a soy product that you can use in place of ground beef in recipes like sloppy joes. Seitan (wheat gluten), though a little higher in fat, works really well in most stir-frys.

It looks like this site has some recipes you could try.

I have not yet tried Seitan. I've heard of it, but I don't have any recipies and I don't know what to do with it either...
Thanks for the link to that site and for your other ideas. Does it matter if you use low-fat tofu instead of the regular?

Here are a few pages with info on seitan:

http://www.vrg.org/recipes/vjseitan.htm
Gourmet sluth's seitan recipes
http://vegweb.com/food/subs/index-subs-seitan.shtml

I usually buy it canned or jarred at Asian markets, though if you do that you might want to wash it, as it's usually packed in oil. It's also really good slightly carmelized in a BBQ sauce and then eaten as a sandwich.

If you're not comfortable cooking it, most health food stores carry prepared seitan: http://www.whitewave.com/index.php?id=93. Because they're prepared you can use them as you would use chicken or most other meats, on a sandwich or to bulk up a curry or stir-fry.

I've found that the trick to seitan and most other meat substitutes is to make sure they're supported by other flavors, as they tend to not taste like much on their own. It's more of a texture/protein/filler thing.

My favorite way to eat tofu is pretty simple, but speed is an issue because of the pressing and marinade required. Buy extra firm tofu brick, slice into 4 or 5 slabs. Press to expel water (i usually give it 30 minutes to an hour). Marinate in some soy and maybe a little hot chili oil for 15 minutes or so (tofu soaks up liquid fast). Cook on medium-high heat on a nonstick skillet until browned on both sides, serve with a schmear of peanut sauce.

Also, here's a link to Alton Brown's tofu chocolate pie, which I love:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_14312,00.html

I also marinate, soy, touch of vinegar, but I often add scallions, and sometimes garlic. Then serve as is on some salads, but better to fry or bake at high temp as it makes it less mushy. The rest of the tips are spot on. So far, Janey, I have convinced the daughter to eat Tofu with me at times, but the rest of the family refuses.

A cheat, if using uncooked tofu, is to mix a little crumbled feta with it in the salad. Just to fool the eaters.

When using tofu raw, cut it into cubes or whatever bite-size shape you prefer and give it a 10 minute soak in hot tap water. Then press between paper towels with a weight. The hot water takes the raw edge off the taste.

I'm doing WW and I love it!

Same advice about pressing and tossing in a skillet. When I'm pressed for time or out of other ingredients, I use Peter's Gourmet Sauce and Marinade-- preferably the low salt and sugar version. Peter's is a local business and you can buy the stuff at places like Treasure Island and Foodstuffs (although the Foodstuffs I go to hasn't had it in a while). It's basically soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, chile peppers, ginger and garlic. I also like to use scallions and sliced mushrooms in a stirfry with tofu.

Dottie's Weight Loss Zone has recipes and also nutrition info for restaurants with info on Weight Watcher's points.Perhaps they might have tofu recipes.dwlz.com