Tofu Vegetable Stir Fry

Posted by Chantel M.,  Recipe contributed By Colleen Boucher

The tofu, vegetable stir-fry is one of my staple dinners. The great thing about this meal is its versatility. For instance, today I had broccoli, carrots, black and maitake mushrooms. At other times, I've used bok choy, bell peppers, and onions. Or, spinach, sweet potatoes and snow peas. Really, whatever you have at hand will be delicious, so get creative!
The next layer of flexibility comes with the tofu. Tofu is a fabulous replacement for meat in many dishes, and a great source of lean protein. As a bonus, it can be cooked a million different ways: baked, fried, braised, sautéed, you name it. The diverse ways of preparing tofu provide an entirely varied textural and taste experience. For this stir-fry, I pan fried my tofu, which gives it a beautiful, crispy exterior, leaving it soft and smooth inside. Each particular method will allow the tofu to absorb the flavorings in different ways and give you a wider variety of options in your cooking.
One of the most common fears about converting to a plant based diet is a dramatic decrease in variety. The prevailing misconception is that we eat the same thing all the time. Well, hopefully, if you've been following my blog for even a short time, you can see that's not true. According to Jonathan Safran Foer, Americans eat less than one quarter of one percent of all edible foods. Still think an omnivorous diet is varied? In reality, transitioning to a vegan diet forced me to step outside my comfort zone and embrace dozens of foods I had never tried before. For example, in my former life, stir fry would have been served on white or brown rice. Now I play with tons of different grains like bulgur, cracked wheat berries, millet, quinoa, cornmeal, and those are just the grains I eat for breakfast! I now feel more playful toward my food, engaging in a creative experimentation with a wider range of ingredients, instead of substituting a different meat to achieve so-called variety. So, just because a stir-fry always contains tofu, veggies, and whole grains doesn't mean it will ever taste remotely the same. The possibilities for your meal when you factor in sauce, tofu preparation, and possible vegetables, as well as choice of grains, become truly unlimited.

Colleen Boucher is the creator and writer of the blog Dinner Peace (http://dinnerpeace.blogspot.com). She is an evolving vegan eater, and recipe creator, health advocate, and wellness specialist. Dinner Peace is a blog for current vegans, vegetarians, and anyone interested in occasionally trying to go meatless, lose weight, or just get healthy.
Transitioning to a vegan lifestyle can be intimidating, and Dinner Peace was founded to combat that apprehension with numerous examples of delicious, plant based, healthful, compassionate, cruelty-free and animal-free dishes, ranging from breakfast to lunch to snacks, dinners, and desserts. The vegan lifestyle is also an effective tool for weight loss, or just to achieve your optimum level of health. If you are looking to make a positive change in your life, or just get a sense of the reality of a vegan diet, check out Dinner Peace!

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Vegetarian Healthy Meals

Posted by Chantel M. Recipe contributed By Gayatri D 
 

There is a misconception that vegetarian healthy meals are expensive and difficult to prepare. I beg to differ. I say, it takes less effort, energy and cost. It takes less effort because a vegetarian meal is composed of fresh vegetables and high-protein beans and legumes. Vegetables need not be cooked for hours. In fact the quicker you can cook the more beneficial it is. Most vegetables can be blanched or steamed in minutes while animal flesh needs to be cooked very well especially when you're feeding them to your little kiddos.
Salmonella laden meat anyone? Bacteria fest? I'm not trying to scare you, I'm just saying these are worries you need not bother with when you're preparing vegetarian meals. I'm not saying that there is a zero possibility of parasite in vegetables but the probability is not as high as with meat. (Now now, don't bash me. Let's save this argument for later discussion. Get back to me and we'll wrestle with this topic some other time.) Beans and legumes take time to be cooked. True. But... you can always cook them in big batches and store them in the freezer for future use. Tofu burgers can be done over the weekends for the week's consumption. I make a batch enough for tofu burgers, tofu balls and tofu patties that can be grilled, baked or cooked in tiny weenie bit of olive oil on a non-stick pan. These are quick meals for hungry active kids whose hungry appetite must be attended to ASAP before the window of opportunity closes in on you. Whole wheat bread, tofu patties with some crispy lettuce and fresh succulent tomatoes, a slab of cheese and into the grill it goes. Once the cheese melts, the lettuce and tomatoes gets forgotten in the gooey cheese. Place it on a plate and slice them into small triangles or cut them with a cookie shaped cutter. If you're kids don't clamor over them, well at least there's you who can benefit from this scrumptious meal you've prepared. Seven to eight minutes tops and if you do this few days a week, you'll be making this in minutes just like the guys at the burger joint.
That's one of the perks of being a vegetarian. Instant frozen food in the supermarket is not always accessible to everybody so mothers like me make them (instant frozen food) without the killer preservatives and hidden GMOs. And I get to choose what I put in: Whole wheat flour or besan flour? Grated carrots or grated beets? Mashed tofu or soy grits? So you see a bad thing can sometimes be a good thing. I get make my own instant vegetarian healthy meals. I know my kid is eating healthy because I know what exactly he's eating. Do you?
With home cooked vegetarian healthy meals I know he won't have to suffer food poisoning due to undercooked seafood, poultry and meat. Sick child with food poisoning. Effort, energy, cost and heartache. Need I say more?

I have been a vegetarian almost my entire life and have raised two kids with abundance of vegetarian healthy meals. I am delighted to share my experience of vegetarian and vegan cooking with the world.
For more vegetarian meal ideas visit http://www.highprotein-vegetarian.com/

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Soya in Chinese Cuisine: Milk, Beans, and Bean Curd

Posted by Chantel M. Recipe contributed  By Shibin Zhang

Soya is a key ingredient in Chinese cuisine and it has been so for thousands of years.
If you think that soya intake in China is limited to soya beans, soya milk and tofu, you are mistaken. Actually, there are hundreds of different kinds of soya-made food products that are part of the daily diet in China.
In this article, I will focus on soya milk, soya beans and bean curd. Tofu deserves special attention on its own and therefore has been discussed in a different article.
Soya Beans
Let us start with the original form in which soya presents itself in nature: soya beans. I have been looking for soya beans in UK supermarkets and shops for a while, but haven't been very successful so far. Fortunately, soya beans are sold in most Chinese supermarkets in the UK. The beans are sold dried and hard, so if you decide to cook them, you need to soak them in water at least overnight to get them softer and ready for cooking.
A popular way of cooking them is to stir fry them. I like to do it with little tofu pieces and carrots; or light frying them in oil, until they become crispy. They can then can be taken as snacks or side dish.
Soya Milk
In China, soya milk is slightly thicker than what is customary in Western countries, and it is never mixed with anything else. Nowadays, soya milk can be made at home by using a soya milk maker. If you remember to soak the beans the evening before, the next morning you can make pure soya milk in 10 minutes.
Once, I found a type of soya milk maker sold in the US which did not require you to soak the beans in advance, which is very convenient since I always forget.
Soya milk is an essential component of Chinese breakfast.
Dried Bean Curd
Two types of dried bean curd can be commonly found in Chinese supermarkets. The first one comes in the shape of a stick; the second one comes in a sheet.
They both need to be soaked in water first. You can soak it in warm water (never too hot) for a couple of hours, then make it into salad.
Vegetarian Chicken (Suji)
This is the literal translation from the Chinese name, so don't get confused with the ones sold in Vegetarian sections of supermarkets. It is another form of tofu or bean curd, which is not at all intended as a substitute for chicken.
It is typical from the Northern provinces of China and it is normally prepared in salad or stir fried.
Seasonings
There are many seasonings made from soy, like soy sauce, soy paste, soy oil. Most of them are essential in Chinese daily life and can be found in every kitchen in North China.

Shibin Zhang writes about Chinese food and Chinese culture. She specialises in the cuisine of North East China and in Islamic Chinese cuisine. On her website you can find more information about soya in Chinese cuisine

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Learning How To Cook Tofu

Posted by Chantel M. Recipe contributed By Michelle Bery

When it comes to preparing healthy and delicious meals that will satisfy, it's difficult to know where to begin. The truth is - we all lead busy lives that can frequently teeter on chaotic. Between a busy career, non-stop schedules, and ever-increasing activities, we often don't know where to fit the making of meals. It often seems so much easier to just grab something on the run - even if that something is far from healthy. And for those who are vegetarians, finding healthy meal alternatives can be even more difficult. Luckily, learning how to cook tofu will put your meals back in your control.
Tofu is a spongy cake made from bean curd and is traditionally cubed to be used in a variety of dishes. Tofu is extremely nutritious as it is rich in many essential vitamins. Also, because tofu is a protein dense food, it is often used as a meat substitute in a variety of vegetarian cuisines. Discovering how to cook tofu will open up a whole new world of different foods.
Tofu tends to be quite bland on its own; but because of its porous consistency, it absorbs the flavors of the food around it. Subsequently, tofu can be delicious in a variety of sauces and marinades. Many people, when first learning how to cook tofu simply substitute it for meat in any recipe that would traditionally call for chicken, red meat, or fish. But there are also recipes specifically geared towards the use of tofu as the main ingredient. As a matter of fact, there are cookbooks and online search engines dedicated exclusively to how to cook tofu.
Because of tofu's versatility, it is commonly used in a variety of cultural cuisines. The Japanese in particular, frequently include tofu as a part of their diet.
Low-fat, low-calorie, and nutritious, tofu can change the face of any recipe, allowing you to enjoy a satisfying, delicious meal without sacrificing good health. Learn how to cook tofu in a way that works for you and your family; you will be more than pleasantly surprised.

For easy to understand, in depth information about tofu visit our ezGuide 2 Tofu.

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How to Cook Crispy Tofu

Posted by Chantel M. Recipe contributed By Chris Gargan 

Tofu is a healthy source of protein that is essential to a healthy lower cholesterol diet. However, as most people know tofu is a lumpy, moist substance. When its raw it tastes and feels like you are biting into goo.
Don't get me wrong. Tofu also tastes great but, you have to learn how to cook it properly. Learning how to cook crispy tofu is not that challenging but, it is rewarding. In fact today for lunch I cooked up a stir fry with green peppers, onions, a spicy sauce, and crispy tofu.
One of the tricks to creating a crispy tofu is to get rid of the water. By slicing it into small pieces you can then lay them flat on a paper towel and press gently from the top with another paper towel. These will absorb the moisture from the food. Now once it is cooked it will have a crisper texture.
Another method to remove the water that I have started to use to get rid of water is by cooking in the oven. I usually will turn the oven up to about 200 to 250 degrees or so and lay all the sliced sections of tofu on a pan. Remember that when slicing it is important to make the pieces as thin as you possibly can. I put them in the oven while I am prepping the vegetables or any other parts of the meal. I then pull the tofu out of the oven and begin the next stage of cooking it.
Some people will choose to put bread crumbs on their meal. I don't usually do that but before I finish cooking the tofu I do place flour on it. This helps absorb a little more water and its great for when you start frying.
The last stage to cooking the crispy tofu is to fry it. I always use olive oil because I love the taste and it is healthy. However, I still only use a few tablespoons. I put the heat on high and place as many pieces as i can fit on the stove. As they start to golden on the bottom I will flip them, just like you would if you were cooking a pancake. I make sure I flip them and let them cook evenly on both sides. This is the step where you realize how important it is to have sliced each piece thin. The tofu doesn't cook evenly all the time so, if you have a thick piece then you will end up with a soft inside.
After you cook each piece, simply mix with the sauce and veggies, then serve.

Want to see the full procedure?
Check out http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-cook-crispy-tofu and read through to find everything you need for the perfect meal

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Potential risks and benefits of phytoestrogen-rich diets

Posted by Chantel M. research contributed  US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health   

Much of the available data on the absorption and metabolism of dietary phytoestrogens is of a qualitative nature; it is known that dietary phytoestrogens are metabolised by intestinal bacteria, absorbed, conjugated in the liver, circulated in plasma and excreted in urine. Recent studies have addressed quantitatively what happens to isoflavones following ingestion--with pure compound and stable isotope data to compliment recent pharmacokinetic data for soy foods. The limited studies conducted so far in humans clearly confirm that soya isoflavones can exert hormonal effects. These effects may be of benefit in the prevention of many of the common diseases observed in Western populations (such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, menopausal symptoms, osteoporosis) where the diet is typically devoid of these biologically active naturally occurring compounds. However since biological effects are dependent on many factors including dose, duration of use, protein binding affinity, individual metabolism and intrinsic oestrogenic state, further clinical studies are necessary to determine the potential health effects of these compounds in specific population groups, according to the study by Dr.  Cassidy A. at the Biosciences Division, Unilever Research, Colworth House, posted in PubMed. 

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Dietary phytoestrogens and hormonally dependent disease

Posted by Chantel M. research contributed  US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health   

According to the study by Institute of Biomedicine and Medicity Research Laboratory, University of Turku, epidemiological studies suggest that diets rich in phytoestrogens (plant estrogens), particularly soy and unrefined grain products, may be associated with low risk of breast and prostate cancer. It has also been proposed that dietary phytoestrogens could play a role in the prevention of other estrogen-related conditions, namely cardiovascular disease, menopausal symptoms and post-menopausal osteoporosis. However, there is no direct evidence for the beneficial effects of phytoestrogens in humans. All information is based on consumption of phytoestrogen-rich diets, and the causal relationship and the mechanisms of phytoestrogen action in humans still remain to be demonstrated. In addition, the possible adverse effects of phytoestrogens have not been evaluated. It is plausible that phytoestrogens, as any exogenous hormonally active agent, might also cause adverse effects in the endocrine system, i.e. act as endocrine disrupters, posted in PubMed,

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