White but groovy: Taking the tofu challenge

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Roll cubes of extra-firm tofu in corn starch, fry them in a little vegetable oil, and you can swap out the chicken breast in many Chinese stir-fry recipes.

Tofu is much ridiculed in certain kitchens, but it remains worth learning about. In hardly any time, a hunk of no-cholesterol vegetable protein can be soaking up any flavors you have. Fried a bit, as in the picture above, and they’re a blank canvas for Chinese, Italian, Indian or Thai flavors.

A beautiful, crunchy canvas.

I’ll be honest - I wouldn’t have gotten into tofu if we didn’t eat a nearly vegan diet about a third of the year, for religious reasons. When you rule out meat and cheese for any reason, for even one meal, tofu’s one of the most versatile stand-ins you could hope for.

Check out my article about tofu from Wednesday’s Buffalo News for tofu tips and some recipes from moms whose kids love the stuff. I want to especially thank the gracious and patient Trudy Stern for helping me with my article, and contributing a recipe for the fantastic sesame-crusted tofu she serves at Tru-Teas, her tea shop at 810 Elmwood Ave.

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Filed under children, food, vegan