Say What You Need To Say: Tofu: Welcome to My World

Happy St. Patty's Day everyone! Did you remember to wear your green today? Even though I am actually Irish, I admit I am a bit of an irish slacker when it comes to this holiday. I wear green, enjoy a good giggle at all of the die-hard Irish fanatics, and enjoy a nice peice of soda bread; however, that is where my St. Patrick's day celebrating ends.

Toly decided to join in the fun of the day and went out for some green beer after work with his brother in law. Since we had a beautiful sunny, mild day here, I met my friend Jen after work for a nice long walk. We had a great time chatting and catching up on our lives since we haven't seen each other in a little while. It was very much enjoyed!

After my walk, my stomach was tossing and turning for a good meal. Since I was husbandless, this means one thing when it comes to dinner....VEGETABLES! I love being able to create an electic meal with all kinds of wonderful and exoctic flavors but really only get the opportunity to go all out when the boy is away. (He has a fairly simple taste palet)

I have been seeing tofu so much lately on different sites and in other various recipes and have become more and more intrigued. I remember eating tofu before and really enjoying it; however, I have NEVER tried making it myself. (Other than those Shitaki Noodles but I don't really think they count) Honestly, the thought of cooking it intimitated me because I was never quite sure on the exact method. What kind do I buy, what do I cook it in, how do I keep it from getting mushy? All of these things scared me away from it in the past, but every good cook knows, you must try everything once and you only get better with practice.

So I gave it a go. I bought firm tofu at the store this weekend and studied a few different recipes until I finally came across one that sounded perfect! Bella's Perfect Pan Glazed Tofu (http://bellaeats.com/recipes/pan-glazed-tofu/). Her glaze sounded almost exact to my marinate for salmon so I knew it had to be wonderful on tofu as well. I followed this recipe carefully and it came out amazing! I also saw LC's post (http://mrslc.blogspot.com/2009/03/thai-peanut-inspired-tofu.html) the other night for her 'Thai Inspired Peanut Tofu' and completed the dish with her recipe as inspiration. I also sauted some veggies (zuchini, red pepper, bella shrooms, asparagus) and then added some shredded broccoli sprouts, carrots, and chic peas and tossed in a thai peanut ginger dressing. Sprinkle of alfala sprouts and a few peanuts and I had myself an incredible thai inspired tofu dish in less than 20 min!

I am hooked!!! Tofu rocks and I have a feeling I will be incorporating this into my diet more often now. It's surprising that it took me this long to discover this new infatuation because I hardly eat meat as it is, but long as it took me, I am so glad I finally took the leap and ventured into the fantastic versiltality that tofu will bring!