Tofu

I've been an avid meat eater most of my life. Because, well, I love me a good steak. But in recent years, I've been striving for a healthier lifestyle. Not just for me, but for the earth, too. Meat is a healthy food, it has stuffs we need: protein, iron, etc. But too much meat is not so healthy. And, as for the earth, meat farms are absolutely terrible for the environment (not to mention the poor animals that spend their lives there). So, while I don't think I'll become a strict vegetarian, I am trying to cut back on my meat consumption. Enter: tofu.



Tofu has always scared me. I mean, it's bean curd. Gross. And then there are those people who tell you that it doesn't taste like anything, that it just mushes in your mouth, and it's terrible. And I let all that talk prejudice me against tofu. Well, I decided to be brave. (Of course, I've decided to be brave in the past. Bought the tofu... Then let it sit my fridge for a month before throwing it out because I was too afraid to try cooking with it. Oops.)

I bought some cubed extra firm tofu. Does this make a difference? I honestly don't know. But I do know that I didn't want it to mush too badly. Ick. So, extra firm. Marinated it in a mixture of soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, sesame oil, and rice vinegar. Then I fried it in a pan with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Normally my pan-frying happens over high or medium high heat, because I am impatient. But, having done my homework on tofu... Cook it over medium-low heat. Something about giving it time for the water to evaporate from the inside out... Or something. Anyway, it makes it less likely to mush. (Because that's gross.) I don't know how long I cooked it (oops), but it was until it turned a nice golden brown.

I removed the tofu (and tasted a chunk.. it was pretty good and didn't mush badly at all) and put some frozen veggies in the pan. Turned the heat up, stir-fried them. Then, following the recipe I had, I put the marinade in with the veggies (along with some cornstarch for thickener). And... OH MY GOD, WHY DIDN'T I THINK???? Ugh. A marinade made almost solely from soy sauce is not your friend if you use it as a sauce for a stir-fry. WAAAAY too salty. I really wish I had thought about this, before ruining my not-so-bad tofu and veggie stir-fry.

Anyway, if I'd just marinated the tofu, then made an entirely new concoction for the sauce, it would have worked out perfectly. I'm definitely going to play around with tofu again, hopefully the next recipe will be kinder to me!