February 14, 2012

How to Make Tofu Taste Good (Part I)

We all know that tofu has MANY health-giving benefits. Did you know:
· Regular consumption of tofu can help lower cholesterol.
· Tofu is an excellent source of vegetable protein and iron.
· Tofu is also a great source of calcium and is often enriched with more calcium so it can help counteract bone loss.
· Tofu, a soy product, contains phytoestrogens which help alleviate menopausal symptoms.

The big problem that many grapple with is how to make it taste good. The flavor is bland, and the texture is mushy. What to do?? I share ALL my secrets in this video!

Fortunately, tofu will acquire of the taste of the ingredients it’s cooked with. (As you see in the video, if you first press the tofu to remove excess water, it will absorb even more flavor.) Marinate it in a pungent, garlicky hoisin marinade OR a fragrant 5-spice sauce rub. Both mixtures are really easy to prepare and once baked, grilled, or pan-fried, the tofu becomes delicious and meaty. You can then substitute it for any meat or seafood in a stir-fry or serve it plain with cooked vegetables and grains If you go to the recipe section of the website, there’s an easy meal-in-one Hoisin-Drenched Tofu with Stir-Fried Vegetables that’s excellent with a whole grain for delicious, healthy meal. It tastes great reheated too.

Enjoy!

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July 30, 2008

Toasted Sesame Green Beans

This is a transcription of “Quick Bites: Toasted Sesame Green Beans,” dated May 13, 2008.

Nina: Hi, this is Nina Simonds from Spices of Life. Today we have some toasted sesame green beans, they’re string beans. And I have about 1.5 lbs. of green beans here. What you want to do, with either your fingers or a knife, is top and tail the beans. Rinse them lightly. Drain them. What we’re going to do is to actually microwave them, or steam them. We’re going to flavor them with a little bit of toasted sesame oil. You do want it toasted so that it’s dark and fragrant. We’re just going to toss the green beans in the sesame oil and water so that it gives it a little bit of flavor. Then, we’re going to them in either a pie plate or some other type of heat-proof dish. We’ll cover them with a little bit of plastic wrap so that they steam in their own juices. These are going to steam in the microwave for 7-8 minutes, and we’re going to sprinkle them with toasted sesame seeds. So there you have it, toasted sesame seed green beans from Spices of Life.

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