Sweet Chili Lime Tofu

 This was just to delicious.

I am almost to the 50lb loss mark. I cant weight! :) Unfortunately I have been hovering at the 2lbs to go mark for weeks now. I am not sure what to do to get it gone. Unfortunately the obvious answer is excersize. But having been ridiculously ill latley anything that involves heavy breathing is out at the moment. Its a hazard of working with small children, they are germ warfare on the hoof. However I did discovered something that helped me get over my 40 lb hurdle. Tofu!!! I had at first thought that tofu was some bland nasty thing that vegetarians came up with to torture themselves. But after experimentation and a bit of trial and error i have fount that its not. I tried itin the past...and disliked it, I found that the reason I disliked it was its texture. i cooked it like it was scrambled eggs...i detest scrambled eggs, not for their flavor but their texture. I cant swallow them. So i did a bit of research. Turns out you can pretty much do anything you want to tofu, you can fry it in oil, dry fry it, bake it, broil it, grill it, mash it, boil it, or eat it steamed or cold....It also tastes like whatever you want. The added benefit is a block of extra firm tofu (14oz) is about 14 points. After you press it is even less points per oz. I explored traditional Asian dishes at first because I discovered that tofu was not always the main protien, often it was mixed with pork or chicken. It made it a bit less daunting to mix it with the familiar. I then moved from Asian to meatloaf, yes meatloaf. Half meat, half tofu cuts down the points dramatically. And you cant tell its in there, just ask my father. On second thought, dont ask, he still haven't figured out we have been feeding him tofu for months. My mother hasn't gotten brave enough to try feeding him unmixed tofu, but she has used it in casseroles and meatloaf's, stuffed pepper and anything she uses ground meat for.

I have learned a few tips in my trial and error cooking of the stuff:

1. Marinade your tofu whenever you can its like a sponge and will soak all the flavor up.
2. You dont need oil to fry tofu crispy, just a non stick pan.
3. If you put it in a blender it will liquify (dont do this unless you are making pudding.)
4. Always add extra spices when cooking with tofu. Its bland and needs it.
5. 1 block of tofu will make 3-4 portions. It doesn't look it but it will.
6. It doesn't freeze well.

I have used it in stir frys. Made tofu Parmesan, tofu tacos, miso soup, tofu chips and even tofu bonmi sandwiches. Very few of the recipes I have tried end up tasteless. My issue with some has been textural. But i have found that even if the recipe doesn't call for the tofu to be crispy, you can still crisp it up and make it taste just as good.

Also, and this was a big factor for me. Tofu is cheap. 2.99 per 14 oz block. a 4 portion meal complete with protein, starch and veg is often less than 7.00 total where a pound of boneless skinless chicken breast is often 4-5 dollars depending on the time of day. Thats really cheap for a meal. Because of this I have added tofu into my menu at least 2-3 times per week and cut my food cost.. Weather mixed with another protien or by itself it lowers point values, cost and my waist line measurements.

The moral of the story folks is: Don't be frightened of tofu. Its not just for vegetarians.

Sweet Chili Lime Tofu
Serves 2-3
1 Block Tofu, extra firm, 14 oz
Sweet Chili Lime Sauce
3 Tbs Sugar
3 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs Lime Juice
1/2 tsp Siracha
1 tbs fermented chili paste (Gochujang^{) (wegmans has it)}
1 Clove Garlic, pressed, optional
1/4 tsp Salt
½ tbs fish sauce
Directions
Prepare the sweet chili lime sauce by whisking all of the ingredients together until the sugar and salt is dissolved.
Drain and press tofu and cut it into small triangles.
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. In order to properly “dry fry” the tofu, you’ll need a pan the tofu won’t stick to even without any oil.
Spread the tofu out in one layer in the pan. Using a spatula, press the tofu. The liquid will squeeze out and boil away, and the tofu will begin to turn golden. The more water that evaporates, the sturdier the tofu will be, so be gentle at first to prevent the tofu from breaking up. After several minutes, flip the tofu over and press the other side. After about 10 minutes of dry frying, you can turn off the heat and set the tofu aside for finishing later, or proceed to adding the sauce.  To finish the tofu, bring the pan back up to temperature if it’s not already very hot. You want to heat the pan and the tofu over high heat, making sure the tofu is hot all the way through. Add the sauce and stir to coat the tofu. Turn off the heat. The sauce will bubble up, reduce, and form a glaze. If it isn’t bubbling up and forming a glaze, turn the heat back on high and cook until the glaze is.. well.. glaze-y.