Black pepper provides a different kind of heat than chile peppers, but people who are sensitive to spices may still find this too hot. So start with the lesser amount of black pepper and add more to taste. Those of you who like fiery dishes may want to increase the chile sauce, but try not to overpower the black pepper.

adapted from a recipe posted to http://community.qvc.com/

Submitted by: courtney (from Vegetarian Times magazine)

Makes 4 servings

Ever wonder how soybeans turn into smooth, creamy tofu? First, the beans are pressed to extract soy milk, which is then curdled. The curds are drained, pressed, and cut into blocks of tofu.

Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty is one of the most beautiful cookbooks I've acquired in the last year, and I find myself swooning over its recipes every time I flip it open. It's full of inventive ideas (all of which are vegetarian), one of which I've already covered in this column involving a dressing with orange flower water. And that creativity is no different with this recipe, which drapes crisp tofu in a complex sauce of black pepper, butter, and soy sauce.
That said, it requires some modification (this recipe in particular has been highlighted as an example of one with good ideas, but inexact quantities), which I've adapted in my version, like pan-searing the tofu instead of deep-frying it, using far less butter and keeping the amount of black pepper in check. Regardless, this result is crisp-pillowy tofu and a deeply pungent and spicy sauce, which is also sweet and warming. It's intense, so don't skip on serving it with plenty of white rice.
While the recipe calls for three different kinds of soy sauce (one of which is sweet), the recipe would be nearly as good with just one. Adding some honey or molasses to taste would balance the dish back out.

I'm not sure what initially attracted me to this recipe in the March issue of Bon Appétit. I've never encountered a tofu, onion, and pepper dish quite like this before. In fact, even the idea of roasting tofu was new to me.
But there was something appealing about that citrus marinade, which balanced fresh lime juice and cilantro with smoked paprika and cumin. I was especially intrigued since the marinade would also be used as a sauce, albeit after some honey was added.
Regardless of what you think of the flavors, which I quite enjoyed, you can't argue with how easy this is to prepare. The ingredients for the marinade are roughly chopped and then tossed into the blender. The tofu is marinated for only 15 minutes, but it sucks up a lot of flavor in that time. It's then simply placed on one half of a baking sheet, with the onions and peppers on the other side.
Roast for 20 minutes and you're done. As for a side, white rice works well, though the recipe also claims that corn tortillas would work, too.

If you're not already a tofu fan, this might just convert you. It's so simple, it's virtually instant and, as with many of my dishes, you can amp up the flavours however you like by adding a bit more of what you fancy.

It’s every girl’s worst nightmare. Just a few weeks shy of my 39th birthday, trying to drift off to sleep, I was suddenly seized by a terrifying thought. “I have never porcini crusted anything.” Maybe porcini crusting went out of style with The Rachael haircut, but it’s still my idea of a fancy meal.

And Valentine’s Day is coming up, so maybe you wanna’ get a little fancy? Porcinis remind me of wet leaves, red wine and cozy cloudy evenings. Their sensuous woodsy taste just oozes romance. They’re a little pricey, but dried ones aren’t too bad — I think one ounce set me back under four bucks at Whole Foods. You grind them up in the blender, mix with breadcrumbs and seasoning and voila! Delicious crust.

Even though you might not make this recipe any day of the week (but you might), it isn’t difficult to do. My favorite part is that the accompanying Shallot Gravy is made with both the leftover marinate and the leftover crusting mixture.

I served over Scallion Mashed Potatoes and Caramelized Beets. You can definitely have the whole menu done in an hour or so (not including marinating time). Here’s how: Marinate the tofu during the day. Then when you get home, first thing you do is prep the beets and get them in the oven. Then prepare the potatoes. Now prep the shallots (this is the hardest part! Shallots can be a real pain.) Blend the porcinis before blending the mashed potato ingredients so that you don’t have to wash the blender out. Now make the sauce, porcini crust and, finally, cook the tofu. That may sound confusing, but once you read through the recipes, you’ll get it.

Use in sandwiches or wraps, or serve on a bed of sautéed veggies like spinach, carrots, bok choy or bell peppers.

For the best presentation, choose a mix of red, yellow, green or orange bell peppers.

This hearty loaf combines tofu with onions, carrots, garlic and parsley and bakes up firm and sliceable. Try adding any of the following to make this vegetarian take on a classic comfort food even more delicious: ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, or dried basil, oregano or thyme. Top slices of the tofu loaf with vegetarian mushroom gravy, or pair them with brown rice or quinoa pilaf.

This dish is spiced with garam masala, a blend of aromatic spices such as cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Serve with naan or other soft flatbread. Since tofu sometimes sticks to the skillet when pan-fried, use a nonstick skillet if you have one on hand.

A great vegetarian dish as part of a Chinese banquet or just a nice midweek supper on its own with steamed rice.

This is not my kind of food. No disrespect, it's just not what I dream of on my way home from work with a grumbling stomach, lunch long past. Strips of baked tofu, a sauce made with almond butter, and a pile of buckwheat noodles? But I will always respect a recipe that tastes really good. Always. And this one, from Lucid Food, does.
The soul of this dish is the sauce, a complex and sweet mixture of almond butter, soy sauce, maple syrup, and sesame oil. This lovely concoction is painted on the tofu while it bakes into dense, chewy strips; these are then the centerpiece of a quick stir-fry with ginger, garlic, scallions, and rice vinegar, bulked out with soba noodles and scattered with crunchy snow peas.
It doesn't belong to one cuisine; it's just vaguely Asian. But it all comes together quite well, finished with a handful of cilantro and doused with sriracha. It wasn't until I was halfway through that I realized I was eating a rare vegan meal. I didn't have much reason to complain.

We've been enamored with Tyler Kord's mad scientist sandwiches at No.7 in the Ace Hotel from the get-go. Daring and totally innovative with plenty of Eastern influence, his subs are just crazy enough to work. Taking a cue from that stalwart of American-Chinese food, his General Tso's Fried Tofu Sub is a best-seller, and coming from a tofu-based sandwich that's really saying something.
Knowing how to treat your tofu is the first step on any great tofu dish, and Kord has the technique down. Seasoned tofu is dipped in a egg-cornstarch slurry, coated in panko, and deep-fried to a crisp, resulting in a perfectly crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside tofu that really tastes like something.
Roasted onions, lime juice, and thinly sliced carrots are tucked into soft sub rolls along with the crisp tofu. But what really makes this a transcendent tofu sandwich experience is the Unicorn Sauce. (What, what? Unicorns, where?) According to Kord, one of his cooks came up with this everything-but-the-kitchen-sink sauce that's "good enough to make unicorns dance." It's made from a laundry list of unlikely suspects: tarragon, Sriracha, and liquid smoke. It's a crazy sandwich, but in that really great crazy way that won our hearts in the first place.

This is a quick and lower-fat version of a dish called "Praram", which is usually made with chicken (sometimes even with pork), but often with tofu.  Some cooks add other vegetables, such as red pepper, baby corn, water chestnuts, green onions, etc., but I have kept it simple. It's one of my go-to dishes when I'm in a big hurry to get dinner on the table.  It didn't make the cut for World Vegan Feast, but it's a favorite of ours nonetheless and has been enjoyed by many an omni visitor, too.

While working in a vegetarian roadshow cafe, I was asked to come up with dishes that would appeal to veggies and non-veggies alike. So with curry being one obvious choice I decided to make a vegan Ceylon style curry that went down well with every one.

This dish is usually served with basmati rice.

This is modified from Louise Hagler’s Tofu Cookery. It was the recipe that my family and I started cooking together over 20 years ago.

Maybe it’s because I’m watching too much Food Network and True Blood lately, but I’ve been craving Southern food like mad. Or it could be that I just feel like I’m in the country, what with my garden and bird feeder, so it makes me want to sit on the porch with some sweet tea, just like in the movies! That’s all people in the south do, right?

But I think it’s also just that as the weather changes I begin to crave heavily seasoned foods and the feel of my cast iron skillet. So Southern cooking fits the bill!

I’ve always loved the look of shrimp and grits, with all those dark spices against a shimmery canvas of grits. So I thought I’d try it the hippie (or is it yuppie?) way…but does tofu and polenta have the same ring? Probably not.

In any case, these were easy and fun to make. Tofu is scrambled in big chunks with lots of onion and garlic, and then coated in dried herbs and spices, including two different kinds of paprika. I threw some cherry tomatoes in to bring a little moisture back to the scene. And like I said, the grits are actually polenta, with lots of sauteed garlic tossed in at the end. But feel free to use grits, too, I just didn’t have any at the time. This made a great brunch, but I think it would be good for dinner, too. And as you can see, I served it with a side of sauteed kale. Any greens will do!

Oh and a note: the polenta definitely makes more than you need, so poor the excess into a square tupperware while still hot. When ready to eat, slice into squares and panfry.

This recipe from Jaden Hair's The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook is the kind of pantry meal that I can get behind. If, like me, you have most of these sauces in the fridge, then all you need is a block of tofu, one serrano chile, and some scallions.
The tofu is pan-fried until golden, then removed. The sauce gets poured in and cooked for less than a minute. If you're totally prepared, this will be done in under 15 minutes, though there's absolutely no shame in taking your time and stretching this out to 20 minutes.
The only challenge is getting the tofu perfectly browned. If you're not careful, the tofu can cook unevenly, and even turn black in spots. That said, if there is too little oil, the tofu may stick to the pan. Everything else is a breeze. The sauce is simple, whisked together in a bowl, and the chiles and scallions are sprinkled on at the end.

A lot of people shy away from tofu because they think it’s too bland, or just for vegans. This recipe should change your mind on both count. It is still ovo-vegetarian, but omnivores will enjoy it too. It’s derived from an appetizer served at a local healthy-Korean restaurant. The head chef/mom there smilingly refused to divulge the recipe, so my mother and I just figured out our own version. It’s great hot or cold and is perfect for bentos. Make it for dinner and set aside some for your bento lunch the next day. You can use any combination of shredded vegetables you like - it’s a great way to use up leftover veggies.

For years, the only scrambled tofu I ever made required a seasoning packet called Tofu Scrambler. I loved that product. It had just the right blend of seasonings and thickeners to conjure some magical response out of the blandness that is bean curd and turn it into what I considered the perfect breakfast. The idea of making scrambled tofu without that packet never even passed through my mind because–why? Tofu Scrambler made scrambled tofu just like I liked it–until one day it didn’t.

It happened at first gradually and then abruptly. Someone at Tofu Scrambler Central changed the formula of my beloved packet, and though I tried to add back what seemed to be missing, it never was quite as good. And then one day it disappeared completely from the shelves of the local grocery store. My family went scramble-less for a few months while I waited to see if T.S. would reappear, but as time went on and I realized that it probably wasn’t coming back, I also realized that it had been a crutch, unnecessary and expensive for both my family and, with its foil envelopes and cardboard box, the environment. I figured I could duplicate the formula using ingredients I already had in my pantry, and so for a long time my scrambles were elaborate combinations of starches, nutritional yeast, and spices, like this one, that tried to mimic Tofu Scrambler.

I don’t know if my tastes changed or if I just became less tolerant of complex recipes, but eventually my scrambles became much simpler. These days I don’t even use a recipe, throwing in a teaspoon or two of whatever herb or spice sounds tasty in the moment. At some point, Tofu Scrambler came back to my local store, but I didn’t even notice because I didn’t need it anymore. When it comes down to it, all I really require to make scrambled tofu is nutritional yeast and a seasoning or two.

A few nights ago, I made my simplest scramble yet, seasoning it with only my favorite mild curry powder, Maharajah, which is fragrant with cumin and saffron (see those red threads–that’s the saffron). It’s so satisfying to me to be able to throw together a scramble in minutes–with no foil packet.

I usually make this with Tofurky vegan sausage but didn't have any so I substituted tofu. I sauteed the tofu a bit in olive oil, smoked paprika, liquid smoke and cayenne for some extra flavor. Worked out deliciously if I do say so myself!

I make this curry lighter by making my own cashew-coconut milk, but you can make it richer by using 2 cups of lite coconut milk instead. Or reduce the fat even more by using unsweetened almond or soy milk.

I was in the mood for some Chinese noodles, and nothing was going to stop me. At first I settled on this recipe from Fuchsia Dunlop's Land of Plenty, and luckily had just about everything it called for: sesame paste (tahini works too), chili oil, two kinds of soy sauce, and sesame oil. Altogether it creates a shockingly quick and filling meal—there was only one problem.

The recipe calls for a garnish of Sichuan preserved vegetables. They sounded delightful but I didn't have any, nor did my local grocery store. Dunlop's recipe for them (in the same book) would have taken a whole day to prepare, so that was ruled out. I thought about leaving them out completely, but figured some kind of pickled vegetable would really help balance the thick and robust sauce. That's when I remembered this amazingly simple recipe from David Chang.

In the Momofuku cookbook, Chang notes that giving a recipe for this seems "excessive" since it "is so simple." He's right. Just combine salt and sugar with vegetables, and ten minutes later they're ready to go. I used carrots; it's what I had ready to go. It's certainly not the same as the preserved vegetables, but works extremely well with this fiercely spicy dish.

Mapo Tofu kind of perfectly sums up what I love about Sichuan cuisine. It's feisty and slightly out of control, and yet it still feels homey and relaxed. Sure, the chili bean paste adds a wallop of heat, and the Sichuan peppercorns numb the inside of your mouth, but it's not overly greasy or heavy. It's meaty, but as much of the umami punch comes form the fermented black beans as the ground pork.

This recipe comes from Fuchsia Dunlop's Land of Plenty, and she really hit the necessary balance here. Much of that help has to go to the tofu, which are the shock absorbers for this dish. They remain white and silky at the end, and help cool the fire of the sauce.

The whole dish comes out surprisingly quickly, and without the usual theatrics of stir-frying. The heat is high only for the first step, then it's turned down to medium. If you're looking for a good look into this style of cooking, this might be a great first step.

Though I hate to admit this, I am a little frightened of cooking lentils. Sure, they look harmless enough, but they just have a tendency of not cooking for me. Instead, they remain little pebbles in the saucepan far past the recommend cooking time. But red lentils are the great exception. They only require 15 to 20 minutes to become tender, and they faithfully stick to that schedule.

Their quick cooking nature is put to great use in this amazing vegetarian recipe from Appetite for China. Actually, this recipe is originally based on a Gourmet recipe, but I prefer this interpretation because it doubles the amount of spices. Honestly, the dish is still a little mild, but sometimes you just want a soothing, comforting meal, not something that will clear my sinuses with each spoonful.

Adapted from a recipe by Deborah Wolfe

Mix egg substitute, soy sauce, tofu & onion soup mix together in blender. Add walnuts & blend until smooth.

Sauté vegetables until onions are transparent (add other diced veggies if you wish – ie peppers, carrots, etc). Add herbs/spices while vegetables are frying.

Mix blender ingredients, cooked vegetables & vegan bread crumbs together in a large bowl.

Press into a greased loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes. Let cool slightly. Turn loaf out and slice.

Adapted slightly from vegweb.com

I use this tofu recipe for adding to stir-fries, rolling up in sushi, and serving with gravy on Thanksgiving.  It’s a great, easy all-around tofu recipe that even kids love (my daughter snacks on cubes of baked tofu).

The name of this dish translates as “pock-marked woman’s bean curd”— so-called because it originated with a roadside vendor who was scarred by smallpox.  English spellings for the dish vary and include Mapo doufu, Ma po dou fu, and Ma-po tofu.

But however you spell it, Mapo tofu is the best tofu dish.  Ever.

Traditionally, Mapo Tofu includes ground beef (sometimes ground pork).  These versions are good, but they gild the lily; the meat seems superfluous to me.  Classic Mapo Tofu is also oil-laden and fiery hot — not a dish that suits everyone’s digestive system.

My version eliminates much of the oil, tames the heat, and replaces the meat with portobello mushrooms, which pack a flavor punch of their own.

The result is a vegan beauty that your whole family can enjoy.  And they probably won’t even realize it’s vegan unless you tell them.

This is wheat- and dairy-free, very low in saturated fat, and rich in vitamin C and the antioxidant betacarotene.

Pad Thai, Chiva-Som Style

Oriental Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Tofu Salad

Serves: 2 as a starter

Ideal for lunch or supper when you are in a hurry, this recipe also follows our Perfectly Balanced guidelines, so is low in fat and salt. Look out for Sharwood's sauces for stir-frying as well as ingredients and accompaniments for Chinese, Oriental and Indian dishes.

Pad Thai is traditionally made with eggs and prawns, but our recipe uses tofu (soya bean curd) instead.

A delicious vegetarian dish to serve on its own or as part of a complete Chinese meal. Made from soya milk in a similar process to cheese-making, tofu is a natural vegetable product that is high in protein and calcium and low in fat. It is extremely versatile and can be stir-fried, grilled, barbecued and marinated. If you freeze tofu and then defrost it, it becomes firmer and chewier with a more 'meaty' texture.

Soy-marinated tofu stir-fried with bok choy and red pepper and combined with Chinese oyster sauce.

A healthy and tasty stir-fry with marinated tofu, snow peas, baby corn, mushrooms and sesame seeds.

Crunchy cashews and vegetables complement the soft texture of the noodles and tofu in this quick and satisfying dish.

So, I have tried a lot of marinades for tofu & tempeh, but once I hit this one, I stopped dead in my tracks.  It looked just a tad different than the other recipes and I knew it was going to be great.  Basic ingredients, no time at all to prepare and it tastes great cold, hot or in between.  It is so useful to have two pounds of sliced, marinated tofu in the fridge that I will do it on a regular basis.  We ate ALL of it and I used it for two full dinners (you will see below).  Once I had room in the container after using up some of the tofu, I added a brick of steamed tempeh (sliced into quarters and steamed 10 minutes in my stainless steamer, or 10 minutes in some simmering water before adding). And we ate all of that!  It didn't last the two weeks that it could have.

I got permission from Bryanna Clark Grogan, amazing vegan cook and author, to post the recipe.  It is from her book, Nonna's Italian Kitchen which is a TOTAL steal for $10.27 on Amazon. I highly recommend it.  It's perfect for other Vegan Fazools out there, and I know you are out there!  Especially old-school Italian mommas and grandmas who want to go vegan but didn't think the recipes could translate.  They do.

Scrambled tofu is probably one of the most mundane vegan recipes there is. Go ahead and roll your eyes when you open a cookbook and see the obligatory entry, I know I do, even at my own. But for a new vegan it’s one of the most important dishes to learn. And for me, even though my inaugural tofu was scrambled 20 years ago, it’s still a staple.

It’s one of those things that changes with you, kind of like a culinary mood ring. My scramble used to feel incomplete without mushrooms, but lately I prefer a simpler texture, even onions aren’t a necessity anymore. I went through a broccoli era, and used to take a hardline anti-red pepper stance, but lately the cruciferous is out and nightshades are in.

But you don’t have to stop at breakfast, or limit yourself to a plate of scramble and hashbrowns. Look at scrambled tofu with fresh eyes! Here’s a few ways to spruce up your scramble, or use up your leftovers.

A Chinese take-out inspired glaze, only this tofu is baked, not fried. It’s wonderful served with roasted winter veggies and some basmati rice.

Tip: To make the tofu even more chewy, freeze the tofu the night before and let it thaw all day in the fridge, then wrap it in a kitchen towel and press it under the weight of a heavy object for an hour, turning occasionally.

Marinated some tofu slices this morning in korean bbq sauce and when I came home from work, I popped them in the oven for 15-20 minutes. They came out a little burny but the charred parts are actually quite good!

I like to go to the Thai market and pick up a block of their fresh tofu and use the whole thing to make a batch of baked tofu. They are handy to keep in the fridge for snacking on cold, in sandwiches, heated up to eat with other side dishes etc. I make a marinade of olive oil, dijon, soy sauce, garlic powder, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and black pepper to brush on both sides of the tofu before baking at 400 degrees F for about half an hour, making sure to flip the slices halfway. Always turns out great!

The spread of banchan that a Korean restaurant serves might not be the best judge of the meal to come, but I've found more often than not that you can tell a lot by the little dishes that are served before the main event. Kimchi is a given, but I'm always happy to see little crunchy little fishes, marinated bean sprouts, and especially seasoned tofu.

Briefly pan fried and bathed in a scallion-chile-sesame oil dressing, this tofu dish from Quick and Easy Korean Cookings by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee is a tofu dish that can convert even the most tofu adverse. Slightly crisp on the outside and soft within, this dual textured tofu is the ideal vessel for the super savory dressing. Little sliced scallions and sesame seeds lend a great crunch and the sesame oil and chile round it out, giving it an almost meaty flavor. But this tofu doesn't have to be served as a side dish—with a bowl of steamed rice it can make for a wholly satisfying vegetarian meal or a great addition to a vegetarian bibimbap.

Mapo Tofu kind of perfectly sums up what I love about Sichuan cuisine. It's feisty and slightly out of control, and yet it still feels homey and relaxed. Sure, the chili bean paste adds a wallop of heat, and the Sichuan peppercorns numb the inside of your mouth, but it's not overly greasy or heavy. It's meaty, but as much of the umami punch comes form the fermented black beans as the ground pork.
This recipe comes from Fuchsia Dunlop's Land of Plenty, and she really hit the necessary balance here. Much of that help has to go to the tofu, which are the shock absorbers for this dish. They remain white and silky at the end, and help cool the fire of the sauce.
The whole dish comes out surprisingly quickly, and without the usual theatrics of stir-frying. The heat is high only for the first step, then it's turned down to medium. If you're looking for a good look into this style of cooking, this might be a great first step.

All of the recipes in Makiko Itoh's The Just Bento Cookbook are designed to be eaten straight out of the bento with no need to reheat. Finding recipes that taste just as good cool or at room temperature as they do warm sounds like a great challenge, but Itoh has created some ingenious, packable recipes that are filled with flavors big enough to shine through even at room temperature.
These Miso Tofu Nuggets with Edamame are perfect bento material—crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside croquettes of tofu mixed with big, umami flavors. The tofu is whipped together with ginger, miso, sesame oil, scallions, and edamame, forming a salty, custardy batter that's dipped in cornstarch then shallow-fried. Straight out of the oil these nuggets are nearly all liquid in the center but once they have a chance to cool, the tofu mixture becomes dense and creamy with big punches of soy and miso flavor. Just like cold fried chicken, there's something about these nuggets that gets even better when they've had a chance to cool.
Itoh recommends serving these Miso Tofu Nuggets in a bento along with steamed rice, yellow and red peppers dressed with chiles and soy and blanched mizuna greens.

This is another of my own creations. I love the combination of coconut and lime; it makes the whole dish so refreshing.

The depth of flavor from the hoisin sauce, ginger and cayenne perfectly complements the mild tofu. Carrot, broccoli and corn add vibrant color to aromatic Texmati rice.

This simple mixture of tofu, spices, garlic and black beans makes a robust filling for tacos. Pack leftovers to assemble tacos for lunch.

This dish is spiced with garam masala, a blend of aromatic spices such as cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Serve with naan or other soft flatbread. Since tofu sometimes sticks to the skillet when pan-fried, use a nonstick skillet if you have one on hand. Ingredients with an asterisk (*) are available in the Whole Foods Market Family of Brands.

For the best presentation, choose a mix of red, yellow, green or orange bell peppers.

Use in sandwiches or wraps, or serve on a bed of sautéed veggies like spinach, carrots, bok choy or bell peppers.

In hawker centres all over Malaysia, a profusion of street foods are served in big, open-air complexes. Various stalls prepare cheap, cheerful and incredibly delicious dishes of Malay, Chinese or Indian cuisines. All you need to do is choose. Since everything is so tempting, you often end up with a table piled with delicacies and no stomach capacity. The attraction in this type of dining is that it is both fresh and complex. Many dishes are prepared from raw in front of your eyes, using great ingredients, making it far superior to many western solutions for quick food. This Malay dish takes only a few minutes to make (once you get a little bit of prep out of the way) and is unique in its many layers and depth of flavours. Serves two (any more would be too much for one wok, so you'd need to start again with a second batch).

My friend Helen Goh recently forced me to go on a culinary tour of Malaysia, where she spent the first 10 years of her life. Poor me had to endure a long week scoffing some of the world's most spectacular street foods. Helen's vivid food memories, and her affectionate family, the Lees, guided us in this too short but ultra-exciting journey. In the coming weeks, I'll be trying to recreate a few highlights, so I can share with you a bit of my misery. This tofu dish is a veggie version of a Chinese classic, best served with plain steamed white rice. The original recipe calls for double the number of chillies, but I warn you that even this version is very hot, so you may want to take it down even further. If you have an Asian grocer nearby, get the fresh tofu that's set in a tub. It has a wonderful silky, light texture. Serves four.

Brussels sprouts are really quite versatile. Here, they are charred to enhance their flavour and keep their firm texture. The tofu is marinated in a potent mixture to give it added personality. The resulting dish may even convert some firm abstainers from tofu (as I was until recently) and/or sprouts. Serve with steamed rice. Serves four.

Tofu tacos is a quickly prepared recipe for a healthy alternative to meat. The long list of ingredients is largely the spices and toppings. Prepare everything in advance as this recipe comes together quickly,

This delicious pak choi recipe takes just a few minutes and makes a warming evening meal. Combining the pak choi with tofu, mushrooms and beansprouts in a stir fry sauce gives a lovely mixture of soft and crunchy textures. And it's really good for you, too!

This site is not becoming a full blown low-carb/diabetic site, I swear. But this subject is at the top of my mind at the moment, since I’m still figuring out how to eat with these restrictions for myself. So please bear with me for a few such posts.

As I wrote about previously, one challenge that I am facing as a Japanese-food-centric low-carb eater is to find bland, ‘carrier’ food type things to replace the mound of plain rice that I have been accustomed to having with my meals.

Iri dofu or iri doufu (炒り豆腐) is a simple, homely dish, real Japanese style ‘mother’s cooking’. Probably every Japanese home cook has his or her own recipe, but the base is plain tofu that is crumbled and then stirred around or gently stir fried (the iri 炒り part means that) until it resembles dry scrambled egg. In fact, it’s rather like the tofu version of iri tamago, but with more flavor and texture.

Discover how easy stir-fries can be with this step- by-step guide to a quick one-dish meal from Thailand

A spicy vegetarian dish which is great for feeding friends in a hurry. Try it with smoked mackerel, too

A low fat vegetarian kebab to bring out the devil in you

Less than 400 calories, but worthy of a smart weekend supper

This healthy soup is full of fresh spring flavours and makes a sophisticated vegetarian meal for guests

This low-fat, superhealthy supper will have you feeling virtuous all week. If you can't get edamame beans, use broad beans instead

This fragrant Thai dish is sure to get your taste buds into action, and is ready in under an hour

Good Food's associate food editor Barney says this is his favourite veggie summer dish, perfect for picnics

Red Curry with Vegetables (Adapted from Eating Well)

Orange-Glazed Tofu Triangles with Sesame Rice (Adapted from CL)

Sesame-Maple Roasted Tofu (Adapted from Eating Well)

Tofu and Broccoli in Peanut Sauce (Adapted from Canadian Living)

Peanut-Crusted Tofu Triangles (Adapted from CL)

Mao Pao Tofu (Adapted from CL)

Ground Turkey and Tofu