50p a day til christmas, healthily?!-Weezl's next challenge (part 2)

Cat72

nicki wrote: »

I think I'm going to have to jump back on this bandwagon the best I can.

Can anyone point me in the direction of some frugal tofu recipes? I've got 4 packs of Bluedragon Tofu to use up by the 3rd Sept :o

You could also freeze it buy- it changes the taste slightly.
I tend to marinade mine in a cheap sauce, got some peri peri ones at 39p the other day.You could also do this and freeze it.
I used to HATE tofu but now I quite like it -even just fried.

You can make tofu lasgana just substitue the tofu mixed with olive oil for the cheese.I will try to post the recipe later.
If you treat tofu almost like it is eggs you can substitute it in recipes.For instance eggy bread you can make with tofu. I will dig out some of my recipes later .

lightisfading

Nicki - silly question but have you had tofu before? If not you've probably picked the wrong way to introduce yourself to it

Silken tofu (the type you bought from HB - I got the same) is soft and despite what the packaging says not particularly suited to stir fries. Silken tofu is usually used by veggies/vegans in 'soft' recipes like desserts, smoothies and as a replacement for soft cheese ie in ricotta and spinach lasagne.

Normally for stir fries you'd need a firmer tofu like the 'Cauldron' brand sold in the fridges in supermarkets (you can also get fresh tofu from Chinese supermarkets) - then it's generally recommended to press it (to remove water), and possibly freeze is (changes the texture, makes it chewier) before using in stir fries etc. Once you've done this it can be dry fried happily, or grilled/oven baked.

Personally, I would look up dessert type recipes (search for silken tofu recipes) for your HB stuff, and buy some cauldron to try out for stir fries (or try it in a restaurant/takeout first, as they're always best at cooking it). It does take practice to do it well at home! In general though you should press tofu well (wrap in a clean tea towel, put a chopping board on top and weigh down for an hour or two) and fry it WELL, not gently, to get it crisp on the outside - or grill it / bake it for the same effect. It's nice in a thai green curry

lightisfading

Cat72 wrote: »

You could also freeze it buy- it changes the taste slightly.
I tend to marinade mine in a cheap sauce, got some peri peri ones at 39p the other day.You could also do this and freeze it.
I used to HATE tofu but now I quite like it -even just fried.

You can make tofu lasgana just substitue the tofu mixed with olive oil for the cheese.I will try to post the recipe later.
If you treat tofu almost like it is eggs you can substitute it in recipes.For instance eggy bread you can make with tofu. I will dig out some of my recipes later .

Cat72 not sure if you're going to post the recipes or PM but I would like them too, please I eat tofu quite a lot, fried in stirfries and as a filling for wraps, but knowing how to use it in a lasagne would be good as it would lower the calorie content!

In_Search_Of_Me

I'm sure our twinkle star will have loads of recipes!!
Does anyone have a tried and tested for popcorn? My lovely friend is taking me to the cinema tomorrow and I've got popcorn so will do that a my contrbution!

ifonlyitwaseasier

hi ISOM, my OH likes a little melted butter and some chilli powder over his popcorn, (except he is barred from making it as the microwave still smells of butter popcorn, even after 2 cleans!!)

Seakay

If you liquidize the silken tofu with seasoning and a little vinegar you can use it as mayonnaise - easy way to add some invisible protein to a meal.

If your tofu is vacuum packed then it will last longer than the date on it suggests.

Seakay

I made this nigella recipe for popcorn:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/party-popcorn-recipe/index.html
but I did half the amount of everything except the salt and sugar, which I quartered
ie 1 teaspoon each of salt and sugar to half a cup of unpopped corn.
You can always taste it and add more, but I found that using the full amount of salt and sugar meant that it was barely edible for me!

In_Search_Of_Me

seakay what does it tastle like? Looks a bit conflicting in flavors but I usually like nigella stuff..lemon drizzle cake is yummy!

got-it-spend-it

Saw this and thought it might be of interest. The free e-book contains lots of interesting pricing etc of meals and individual foods.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1905913

shaz_mum_of__2

Thanks GISI

Quite informative for a newbie i thought

Given you any ideas Weezl??