During my last trip to New York, I visited a restaurant with a friend and could not help but notice how many times Tofu appeared on the menu. What the heck is Tofu? I thought, and if it’s this popular, why haven’t I tried it? At the restaurant, I recalled watching one of my favourite TV series, “My Wife and Kids” and remembered “Micheal” mentioning Tofu. He looked disgusted which made me think Tofu must be unappetizing (it actually is). Let’s fast forward to the present. About a week ago, while searching for vegetarian recipes online, I come across Tofu once again. By this time, I am really curious. Yesterday, while browsing through my Instagram account (@fabilasfitness), I came across a user @eatcleannigeria and they had a vegetarian smoothie that caught my attention. Guess what? It had Tofu! Perfect, I thought. I can add this to my smoothie challenge. I asked where I could buy Tofu in Lagos, Nigeria and I was directed to Park n Shop. I recreated the smoothie and was quite surprised it was delicious. I enjoyed the smoothie so much that I had to share it. Before I share the recipe, here are some quick facts about Tofu.
Tofu, or bean curd, is derived from soya. It is made by curdling fresh soya milk, pressing it into a solid block and then cooling it. The word Tofu is of Japanese origin and is eaten throughout many Asian countries. Tofu, on its own is bland, but has the ability to absorb flavours from other foods.
Research shows that Tofu is a good source of protein and contains all eight essential amino acids. It is also an excellent source of iron and calcium and the minerals manganese, selenium and phosphorous. In addition, Tofu is a good source of magnesium, copper, zinc and vitamin B1.
Soya protein (from which tofu is derived) is believed to help lower levels of bad cholesterol (LDL). Studies also reveal that Tofu contains isoflavones, which are well known to be beneficial in reducing cancer risk. Tofu contains phytoestrogens called isoflavones, a group of chemicals found in plant foods that are believed to have a similar structure to the female hormone, oestrogen, and mimic the action of oestrogen produced by the body. It is assumed that many women include soya rich foods like tofu in their diet as they enter menopause, because of its phytoestrogen content.
There are three main types of Tofu found in stores: Firm, soft and silken. Firm Tofu is dense and can be cubed and stir-fried, grilled, scrambled, pickled, smoked, baked, barbecued or served in soups. Soft Tofu is more suitable for recipes in which Tofu needs to be blended. Silken Tofu has a creamy structure and is also used in blended dishes. In Japan, silken Tofu is consumed as such with some soy sauce.
Ingredients(serves 2)
½ cup of Tofu
1 banana
1 tbsp. peanut butter
½ cup soy milk
Preparation
Place all ingredients into a blender, blend until smooth, pour into a glass and enjoy. Tip: Blend ingredients with ice to enjoy immediately, or refrigerate to cool. All my ingredients were cold so I did not need ice.
How do you enjoy your Tofu?
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