For the love of Tofu

We admit it.  Tofu is not the sexiest of foods.  While it has tons and tons of admirable qualities, most people cannot get past its weird pasty, blocky, cold appearance.  But what it lacks in looks it makes up for with heart.

The primary county fair ribbon it holds is that it's a universal meat substitute.  Tofu is packed with protein but with a fraction of the saturated fat found in most meats.  The soy protein has been clinically proven to lower the bad (LDL) cholesterol (but does not increase your HDL). Tofu touts so much protein that in one (1) serving (about half a cup) it contains just over 10 grams of the good stuff.  Adults should consume approximately 45-55 grams a day. That one serving knocks out nearly a quarter of the recommended intake. 

Tofu is also typically lower in calories, allowing you to eat a few more forkfuls of stir fry without feeling as much guilt.  How much lower you ask?  A 1/2 cup of tofu (4 oz) compared to 4 oz of ground beef trounces the red stuff.  Tofu measures in about 100 calories for that serving size, whereas beef brings in over 330.

Calcium is also provided for in this alien form.  One serving can give you about 22% of your recommended intake (depending on the type).  The type, like beef, can come in a few different ways.  There's firm, extra-firm, extra-soft, silken, and low-calorie.  

But don't let its modest appearance fool you.  Its structure is very spongy, allowing it be a master of disguise, absorbing marinades, sauces, and flavorings extra well.  It will take in a ton of flavoring so you can pretend you're enjoying something other than a white chunk of plant.

So why are we hocking the tofu?  The fish would like a break, and to give a friendly service announcement that vegetarians don't eat meat.  Remember when veggie burgers became mainstream and kind of cool?  Why can't veggie fish cakes?  And sure, most people would argue that the facsimile is nowhere near the real thing.  But we think that's more to the point.  We are living in a generation where fish species are dying-gone-forever and that's all we'll be forced to think about, substitutions.