Tasty Tuesday - Caramelized Tofu

This is one of my very favorite tofu recipes from www.101cookbooks.com. The author of the website is Heidi Swanson, who has several natural foods cookbooks, and 101cookbooks is her recipe journal. This is my very favorite recipe website.

Before I post the recipe, I'd like to talk about tofu. Soy is touted as one of the healthiest foods you can eat, which is only sorta true. It is a great source of vegetarian protein, low fat, and high in fiber. It practically saved American farming after the dust bowl, when they found that soy could grow in just about any environment. But that is the very reason it is touted so much. A very high percentage of American farming is soy, so, they want you to eat it. Lots of it. The reason why I caution against eating tons of tofu and soy in general, is because it is very high in phytoestrogens, which is a plant based estrogen. Our environment is stuffed full of estrogens, whether from foods (i.e. dairy and soy) or from xenoestrogens, which is a chemical estrogen found in almost anything from pesticides, to nail polish, to household cleaners. Because our environment is chocked full of estrogens, it is wise to avoid the ones that you can avoid. The overexposure to estrogens is causing early puberty, more difficult menopause, infertility, and not to mention poochy guts. Asian cultures which consume soy, and are much healthier than Americans, consume fermented soy (and a ton of fish). Fermentation breaks down isoflavone phytoestrogens, so it is a much different product than raw soy. Fermented soy would be miso or tempeh. I did my best to avoid all estrogens while we were trying to conceive, which included no soy and no dairy - this goes for men too!* OK.. now that I've totally turned you off.. here's a great tofu recipe! Just practice good moderation, like all things in life.

Caramelized Tofu

1 block of extra-firm tofu**, pressed for at least 30 minutes, and cut into 1 inch slices
A few pinches of salt
A splash of olive or peanut oil
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup of pecans, toasted and chopped
3 tablespoons of fine grain natural sugar or brown sugar
1/4 cup of cilantro, chopped
1/2 lb of Brussels sprouts***, washed and cut into ribbons

Cook the tofu strips in large hot skillet (or pot) with a bit of salt and a splash of oil. Saute until golden, do not stir often. Add the garlic and pecans, and cook for another minute. Stir in sugar. Cook for another couple of minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Scrape the tofu out onto a plate and set aside while you cook the Brussels sprouts.
In the same pan (no need to wash), add a touch more oil, another pinch of salt, and dial the heat up to medium-high. When the pan is nice and hot stir in the shredded Brussels sprouts. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring a couple times (but not too often) until you get some golden bits, and the rest of the sprouts are bright and delicious.

Nutrition: A ton of Vitamin C and K, Vitamins A, B6, Iron, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Manganese, Folate, Thiamin, Protein, Fiber, Monounsaturated Fat, Omega-3, and Omega-6

*My informational source on estrogens is my herbalist, Linda Lucas.

**In case you don't often work with tofu, firm tofu must be pressed before added to your recipes. We cut it into rectangles and place flat on a tea towel and wrap it completely. Put something heavy on top of it, and literally press the water out of it. We often press it in the morning and let it press in the fridge all day until dinner time. You can change out the towel when the first gets saturated. This yields the firmest, yummiest, tofu. Especially if you think you have a problem with its consistency, long pressing is a must!

***Brussels Sprouts get a bad rap, but are insanely delicious cooked this way. I hate steamed Brussels sprouts as much as the next American child, but when they are sauteed, and not stirred often, they get little caramelized golden bits that are fabulous, and if they are not overcooked, they should be bright green and still crunchy. This is a truly delicious vegetable, and a great side dish on its own. And they are in season now! So they'll not only be tasty but inexpensive!