<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
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: Excerpts from _Derby City Celiac_ :
: --------------------------------- :
: Winter 1998-9 Bill Banks, editor :
: Greater Louisville Celiac Sprue Support Group :
: PO Box 7194 :
: Louisville, KY 40257-0194 :
:...............................................................:
All About Tofu
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Tofu is made by curding the mild white milk of the soybean. Tofu is
high in protein and relatively low in calories, fats, and
carbohydrates. It is one of the most versatile protein foods in the
world, and contains no cholesterol. According to the USDA, 1/2 cup of
tofu has about 150 mg. of calcium, about the same as 1/2 cup of milk.
Tofu is a complete vegetable protein that is easy to digest, making it
ideal for children and the elderly. For babies, tofu can be blended
in the blender or food processor with whatever fruit, vegetable, or
flavoring the child likes. It takes on the flavor of other
ingredients, making it adaptable to a variety of main dishes,
desserts, soups, salads, salad dressings, and dips.
Tofu comes in many forms: silken (the softest), medium soft (Japanese
style), medium firm (Chinese style), and hard-pressed (a very dense
and firm cheese). The firmer types of tofu are best for slicing and
cubing. Softer types are best for blending, mashing, and crumbling.
Tofu is best when it is fresh. Fresh tofu has a fresh and delicate
scent, hardly any smell at all. It can be kept for up to one week in
the refrigerator, submerged in cold water. The water should be
changed daily to keep it fresh and moist. If the tofu smells a little
sour, it is still usable; but you should boil it for 20 minutes. This
will change the texture, making it harder and chewier.
Freezing tofu drastically changes its properties, adding even more
variety to an already versatile food. To freeze it, just drain it,
wrap it in foil or plastic, and put it in the freezer. After you thaw
it and squeeze out the water, the tofu resembles a spongy latticework
which has a more meaty, chewy consistency than regular tofu. In this
form it more readily soaks up marinades and sauces.
Some ideas for introducing tofu to your family:
-- Add chunks of firm tofu to soups and stews.
-- Mix crumbled tofu into a meatloaf.
-- Mash tofu with cottage cheese and seasonings to make a sandwich
spread.
-- Create tofu burgers with mashed tofu, bread crumbs, chopped
onions, and seasonings.
-- Marinate tofu in barbecue sauce [GF, of course--ed.], char it on
the grill, and serve on crusty GF bread.
-- Add taco seasoning to pan-fried, crumbled tofu or a mixture of
tofu and ground beef.
-- Blend dried onion soup mix into soft or silken tofu for a
cholesterol-free onion dip.
-- Stir silken tofu into sour cream for a reduced-fat baked potato
topper.
-- Blend tofu with melted chocolate chips and a little sweetener for
chocolate cream pies.
-- Replace all or part of the cream in creamed soups with silken
tofu.
-- Make missing egg salad with tofu chunks, diced celery,
mayonnaise, and a little mustard.
-- In recipes, replace part of the mayonnaise, sour cream, cream
cheese, or ricotta with silken tofu.
-- Use tofu in dips and creamy salad dressings.
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: :
: Excerpts from the Nashville Celiac Sprue Support Group :
: ------------------------------------------------------ :
: newsletter: Oct. 1998 Tori Ross, editor :
: 701 Heather Spring :
: Brentwood, TN 37027-4424 :
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Dietary Tips:
* Wendy's Salad Dressing: Did you know that you could buy individual
packets of Hidden Valley's Ranch dressings from Wendy's? These GF
dressing packets are good for traveling and for taking into
restaurants as they will fit in your pocket.
* You Can Make Your Own Thousand Island Dressing by mixing Hellmann's
mayonnaise, Heinz ketchup, and a little bit of diced GF pickle.
* BLT: Try Louis Rich turkey bacon, cooked one minute per strip in
the microwave, for a great BLT on Ener-G's English muffins.
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: Excerpts from the Washington Area CS Support Group :
: -------------------------------------------------- :
: newsletter: Mar. 1999 Becky Campbell, editor :
: 1332 R Street, NW :
: Washington, DC 20009 :
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Annie's Naturals has come out with a pourable Vermont Cheddar Cheese
Cooking Sauce that is gluten-free (GF). The sauce is perfect for
topping a broccoli-filled baked potato. Look for it at your local
health food store, or contact the company at Foster Hill Rd., North
Calais, VT 05650, 800-434-1234. The company publishes a list of all
their GF, dairy-free, and vegan products.
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