6 Tasty Tofu Recipes Packed With Protein

Bite Me More | June 10th, 2019

Photos: Bite Me More

Protein’s-a-plenty with these easy, delicious and healthy tofu-packed recipes.

1. Coconut Rice Bowl with Ginger Tofu Slaw

We can’t put down our chopsticks with this tasty number – with a delectable ginger peanut sauce, this Coconut Rice Bowl with Ginger and Tofu Slaw makes for a mouthwatering meal.

Ingredients

Coconut Rice

1½ cups Jasmine rice, rinsed and drained
1¾ cups coconut milk
1 cup water
½ tsp kosher salt

Ginger Peanut Sauce

½ cup smooth peanut butter
½ cup water
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
2 tsp Sriracha sauce

Tofu Slaw

1 (19oz) package extra firm tofu
2 tsp vegetable oil
4 cups shredded napa cabbage
1½ cups shredded carrot
2 small red bell peppers, chopped
1 cup chopped, roasted cashews
¼ cup chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley

Whole roasted cashews, for garnish
Black sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions

1) For the coconut rice, in a medium saucepan, combine rice, coconut milk, water and salt. Bring to a boil, stir, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes covered. Set aside.

2) For the ginger peanut sauce, using a blender, combine peanut butter, water, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, ginger and Sriracha sauce. Blend until smooth, set aside.

3) To prepare the tofu, cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes and lay on paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Heat vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the tofu for 2-3 minutes on each side to lightly sear the outside. Remove from heat and set aside.

4) In a large bowl, combine napa cabbage, carrots, red peppers, chopped cashews and parsley. Toss with ½ cup of ginger peanut sauce and cooked tofu.

5) To serve, place a large scoop of coconut rice in each serving bowl, drizzle with ginger peanut sauce, top with tofu slaw and garnish with whole cashews and sesame seeds. Drizzle each serving with sauce as desired.

Serves 4

2. Shrimp & Tofu Peanut Butter Noodles

You know when you come across a sauce that you could stick a straw in and drink? Well, this is it. Sweet and salty, this Peanut and Hoisin Sauce coats udon noodles, shrimp, tofu and veggies, making this a winning dish.

Ingredients

Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp packed brown sugar

1 (14oz/400g) package fresh udon noodles

2 cups cold cooked shrimp, chopped
1 cup diced extra firm tofu
3/4 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
3/4 cup snow peas, trimmed and cut on the diagonal
1/4 cup chopped honey roasted peanuts
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

Directions

1) For the sauce, in a small saucepan, whisk peanut butter, hoisin, lime juice, soy sauce and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

2) Place noodles in a large heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand for 3 minutes and gently loosen noodles. Drain well.

3) In a large bowl, toss noodles with peanut sauce, shrimp, tofu, red peppers and snow peas. Garnish with peanuts, parsley and sesame seeds. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Serves 6

3. Sushi Salad with Tofu & Brown Rice

Training to become a sushi chef can take up to 43,800 hours. Making this delicious Sushi Salad of brown rice, marinated tofu, avocado and edamame, all tossed in a ginger wasabi dressing will take you less than 1 hour. We don’t know about you, but we aren’t going to roll our sushi…we’re going to bowl it.

Ingredients

Marinated Tofu

12oz (350g) firm tofu, pressed dry between layers of paper towel and cut into ¾-inch thick strips
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
½ tsp sesame oil

Brown Rice

1½ cups short grain brown rice
2¾ cups water
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp soy sauce

Ginger Wasabi Dressing

¼ cup rice wine vinegar
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp wasabi paste
1 tsp honey
½ tsp grated fresh ginger

1 small English cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup shelled frozen edamame, thawed and drained well
1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 nori sheet, cut into thin strips

Directions

1) Place tofu in a medium bowl and toss with soy sauce, mirin, ginger and sesame oil. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.

2) For the rice, in a fine-mesh strainer, rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Combine rice and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook over low heat for 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let steam covered for 5 minutes. Spread rice on a baking sheet. In a small bowl whisk rice vinegar, sugar and soy sauce sprinkle vinegar mixture over the rice let cool.

3) Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place tofu in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes, turn tofu and continue to bake 5 minutes more until golden. Remove from oven and set aside.

4) For the Ginger Wasabi dressing, using a blender, combine rice vinegar, mayonnaise, peanut oil, soy sauce, wasabi paste, honey and ginger until well combined.

5) To assemble salad, using 6 individual serving bowls, place rice in the bottom of each. Add tofu, cucumber, carrots, edamame and avocado. Generously drizzle each bowl with dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds and nori strips to garnish.

Serves 6

4. Tofu & Peach Salad Rolls

Looking for the perfect healthy bite? You’ve found it with this recipe for fresh, delicious and healthy Tofu and Peach Salad rolls, a handheld combination of crispy tofu, juicy peaches, crunchy cucumber, mint and basil, along with a creamy peanut dipping sauce. What are you waiting for? Get rolling!

Ingredients

Peanut Sauce

½ cup smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp Sriracha sauce

Tofu Salad Rolls

1 (350g) pkg extra firm tofu, pat dry with paper towels, cut into 20 long, thin strips
2 tsp vegetable oil
10 round rice paper sheets
10 soft green lettuce leaves
2 large ripe peaches, thinly sliced
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
2 tsp black sesame seeds
1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and julienned

Directions

1) For the peanut sauce, in a medium bowl, whisk peanut butter, lime juice, honey, soy sauce, vegetable oil and Sriracha sauce together. Set aside.

2) To prepare the tofu, in a large skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add tofu strips in a single layer and cook 3 minutes per side until golden. Remove from heat and let cool before assembling.

3) Place 1 rice paper sheet in a shallow bowl of warm water until just pliable, about 30-60 seconds. Lay rice paper sheet on a clean tea towel. Place lettuce leaf down the center of the rice sheet leaving a 1-inch border at the top and bottom. Place 2 tsp peanut sauce down the center of the lettuce leaf. Arrange peach slices over sauce, followed by a sprinkling of both chopped mint and basil. Lay 2 strips of tofu over top, sprinkle with a pinch of sesame seeds and finish with 4 slices of cucumber. Fold up the bottom 1-inch border of rice paper placing it over the filling. Fold in the right side, followed by the left side and then the top, forming a tight cylinder. Repeat with remaining rice paper sheets and filling. Serve with remaining peanut sauce.

Makes 10 large tofu salad rolls

5. Tofu & Edamame Udon

If there was ever a customizable recipe, this is it. As written, tender udon noodles are tossed in a smooth and creamy peanut butter sauce (so lip-smackingly good it should be bottled!), along with sauted tofu, red peppers and edamame. Don’t prefer tofu? Swap it out for chicken or shrimp and add veggies of your choice, with the same delicious results.

Ingredients

1lb udon noodles
1(350g/12oz) package extra firm tofu
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups shelled edamame, steamed and drained
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
1 cup bean sprouts

Creamy Peanut Butter Sauce

½ cup smooth peanut butter
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup warm water
¼ cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp honey
½ tsp lime zest
¼ tsp chili sauce, we like Sriracha

Garnish

1/3 cup chopped roasted, salted peanuts
2 tbsp chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
Lime wedges

Directions

1) In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook udon noodles until tender. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain again and set aside.

2) Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes lay on paper towels to absorb excess moisture. Heat vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the tofu for 2-3 minutes on each side to lightly sear the outside set aside.

3) For the peanut sauce, combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, parsley, rice vinegar, lime juice, honey, lime zest and chili sauce in a blender until smooth.

4) In a large bowl, toss together udon noodles, tofu, peanut sauce, edamame, red pepper, carrots and bean sprouts. Mix to coat well. Garnish with chopped peanuts, parsley and lime wedges. Serve immediately.

Serves 6-8

6. Vietnamese Tofu & Vegetable Pho

Before this recipe, I suffered from pho phobia. Not only did I say it wrong (it’s pronounced “fah,” not “foe”), but I also couldn’t fathom how we’d bring Vietnam’s national dish into our kitchens, how we’d do justice to this incredibly aromatic, flavorful and restorative treasure. Well, good thing I’ve got the Pho Queen (better than being the “Pho King”… say it fast and you’ll know what I mean) on my side. After much research, spooning and slurping, Lisa has done it, with vegetables, tofu and rice noodles, all in an ambrosial broth infused with garlic, ginger, coriander, cinnamon and anise. Nothing to fear here – this easy-to-make soup is pho-freakin’-nominal.

Ingredients

Pho Vegetable Broth

9 cups vegetable broth
2 large celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
4 large shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
3 small garlic cloves, chopped
1 (1-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 cinnamon stick
1 dried bay leaf
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp anise seed
½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, including stems

1 lb dried rice noodles, medium width
1 cup firm tofu, patted dry and sliced into 3-inch long, ½-inch thick pieces
2 cups bean sprouts
2 cups shredded napa cabbage
6 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges

Directions

1) In a large soup pot, bring vegetable broth, celery and carrots to a boil over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, anise seed and flat-leaf parsley. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 45 minutes.

2) While the broth is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add noodles and cook 3 minutes. Drain and divide among 6 bowls.

3) For the tofu, heat a medium, non-stick skillet over high heat. Add tofu slices and cook 2 minutes, flip slices and cook 2 minute more, until golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

4) When the broth is ready, strain through a fine mesh sieve. Discard solids and return broth to pot, keeping hot until ready to serve.

5) To assemble, each bowl, arrange bean sprouts, napa cabbage and tofu over noodles. Ladle hot broth over top, sprinkle with fresh basil and serve with lime wedge.

 

 

Authors of bestselling cookbooks Bite Me, Bite Me Too and Lick Your Plate, saucy sisters Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat love eating, feeding, entertaining and dishing up easy recipes at BiteMeMore.com.