10 Friday, April 1, 2022brooklintowncrier.com Tofu is a versatile food that gets a bad rap. Used in desserts, soups and as a meat substitute, it's also a complete protein, meaning it has all the essential amino acids we need to meet our protein needs. Many of my studio clients tell me they hate tofu. Yes, hate is the word they use. I've been told it's tasteless and the texture is disgusting. I like it, but it needs to be seasoned, marinated and cooked to taste good. I often encourage people to give it another chance as perhaps their first experience was eating poorly prepared tofu. From soybean Tofu comes from the soybean, which, in its natural form, is a staple on Japanese restaurant menus as edamame. Lightly salted edamame is a great snack food that packs tons of protein. Tofu is made from soybeans ground in water, heated, and solidified with minerals like calcium or magnesium salt. The curds are then pressed into a block and sold as tofu. While you could eat tofu right from the package, it's bland and watery. So it is best when drained, seasoned, marinated and then cooked. Tofu can also be baked, air fried, grilled or sautéed in some oil. There are also different types of tofu. Soft tofu is used in miso soup, again in Japanese restaurants, but is also suitable for desserts. Its soft and squishy texture blends well. Firm and extra-firm tofu are the best for stir fries and as a meat replacement. They hold their texture well when cooked, soak up marinade better and feel more satisfying when chewing. Drain it Generally, tofu needs to be drained in a sieve or even wrapped in a clean dish towel with a heavy pot or cutting board to press out the water. The recipe you are using will tell you if the tofu needs to be drained or not. Here's one of my favourite recipes using tofu. It's a great starter recipe. General TSO Tofu Sauce ingredients 3 Tbsp soy sauce 3 Tbsp maple syrup 3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar 2 Tbsp potato starch 1 Tbsp red crushed chilli pepper 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced Tofu ingredients 1 block firm tofu 3 tsp potato starch (can use cornstarch) 1 tsp sea salt 1 medium yellow onion, sliced 2 Tbsp garlic, minced 2 Tbsp sesame oil 1 tsp hot sauce (optional) Bowl ingredients 2 cups cooked brown rice 4 cups broccoli, roughly chopped Preparation Cook rice according to package directions. Drain tofu and press out extra liquid. Make the sauce. Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside. The sauce should be thin; it will thicken when cooked. Steam the broccoli. Cube tofu. In a bowl toss tofu in sea salt and potato starch to coat tofu. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook for 4-5 minutes until golden. Flip and cook on other side. Remove tofu and set aside. Using the same skillet, sauté the onion, then add garlic. Add the tofu back to the skillet. Add sauce. Cook for about a minute, just until the tofu is coated and the sauce thickens. Serve on top of rice and broccoli, topped with sesame seeds, green onion and cilantro. Sheree's Hack: Save time by pre-cooking your brown rice for the week. Let's talk about tofu Plant-Based Eating by Sheree Nicholson Jayden Yang, a grade 2 student at Brooklin Village Public School, recently finished first in the world wide math Caribou Contest. He placed first among 3038 students. The Caribou Math Contest is done six times throughout the school year. Each contest is graded with a ranking given based on points and time. Jayden completed the February grade 2 contest and got all 9 questions correct and in the fastest time, 8 minutes and 26 seconds. Needless to say, his current teacher Mme. Keyser and previous ones, as well as the whole school, are so proud of him! Chris Manning, the Caribou math coordinator at Brooklin Village, said, "In my 15 year career of doing this contest, I have never had a student achieve this. I've had a couple in the top 100, but never first in the world." Brooklin Student Wins Major Math Contest At a bake sale, a cookie is worth 1 dollar and a brownie is worth 2 dollars. How much would it cost to buy a bag of 5 cookies and a box of 6 brownies? (Answer to puzzle on page 1 is f = 17. Answer to above $17)