To tempt a carnivore with tofu?

[Tofunoo]

My DP is a committed carnivore but I’d like to eat more vegan/veggie food without us having to make 2 dinners when I do that. Is there any chance I can tempt him over with something deliciously tofu? I have found 2 nice recipes for tofu chilli and bolognaise but he wasn’t keen. Lots of the tofu recipes I’ve found either are deep fried or full of sugar, so not super healthy. Any ideas?!

YABU-DP will never eat vegan

YANBU- there’s hope

Tofu is lush. It's just not meat. It doesn't have the flavour or texture of meat. So don't use it as meat. Unseasoned and un-jazzed up, it will be bland and soggy. That's why it has a bad rep.

Cube it, press it (wrapped in tea towel or kitchen paper between two plates with a weight on top, to remove liquid) coat in seasoned flour then fry - doesn't have to be deep fried. Still less fat than fatty chop done in oil. You can also bake or air fry. Use in stir fry with toasted cashews as well.

If you live near an Asian supermarket, see if they have some interesting tofu - Chinese ones sometimes have pre-deep fried cubes that have a texture like bread, great in a spicy soup.

Try having tofu from Asian places in miso soup, sushi, etc to see the potential.

Not your question, but how about you cook some combos? We are a mix of veggies and not, and I might do a great one pot Gigantes (butter bean, tomato and spinach) and bake a chicken breast in foil at the same time, with seasoning and lemon juice. Or a veggie curry with satay chicken skewers (you could have tofu).

For veggie meal crowd pleasers
I like tofu chopped up small in a Spanish omelette with tons of veggies too.
Greek feast - salad, tsatsiki, flatbread, hummus, cous cous with chickpeas (also works with meat skewers).
Lentil daal or chana masala
Thai green curry with cashews and tofu

I tell you what else is good, mix egg with soy sauce, fry in a little omelette, then slice up and add to stir fry

As a meat eater, I disagree completely.

I can't stand quorn, but am happy to eat tofu in certain circumstances (basically when it is marinaded and/or cooked in soy sauce).

Really I think veg cooking is like lesbian sex, if you try to replace the meat you've missed the point! It's about skilful blending of flavours and textures but not one dominant thing to take the place of meat.

Indian cookery is a good place to start, endless delicious veggie food.

So much disinformation on this thread. Tofu isn't fake meat, it's certainly not ultra processed. And large regions of the world make meals with it that are very far from bland.

Try something like peanut butter tofu or black pepper tofu.

we did veganuary a few years back
wouldn't want to be vegan or even vegetarian but we drastically reduced our meat consumption.

one tofu thing we have kept up is blitzing peanuts & crumbly tofu as pasta/oven dish topping instead of cheese.

I've had it cooked by a very good chef.

The issue is it gives me violent stomach cramps and then the shits.

This!

There are so many nicer options, and if you're considering veggie as well that makes it even easier.

Wow okay! Just so you are good - I have had lots of vegan dishes, eaten at vegan restaurants and cooked it myself many times. I stand by my statement personally.

Not narrow minded at all but thanks for the assumption.

Not everyone has to love the taste of tofu.

I doubt it. Try some really good veggie meals instead like 3 bean chilli or lentil shepherds pie.

If you do do tofu maybe crisp it up on top of stir fry noodles and veg.

I can't stand the texture of tofu...gross. So many better veggie alternatives

Tofu is alright as an addition to a diet, as it is used in China, I eat it in some form regularly, daily even. But it is part of a dish not just a replacement for the meat. Why not look up some Chinese recipes that use tofu, you can reduce your meat consumption and hopefully both enjoy the food. Assuming you’re not ideologically motivated.
ma po dofu, braised cabbage and tofu, braised pork and doupi, sliced vegetables with tofu skin and pork slices.

Tofu doesn't have an inherent taste, it's pretty innocuous. It's the sauces and flavourings that make it. I quite like the texture of it though and my kids are fans of it, so we have it about once a week.
Meera Sodha does some nice recipes with tofu. Love the silken tofu with aubergine with tahini and crispy chilli oil. Also her mapo tofu and chilli tofu is great.

This vegan bolognese with lentils is delicious. Even my meat loving DS actually prefers this to beef bolognese.

rainbowplantlife.com/10-ingredient-vegan-red-lentil-bolognese/

Someone recommended this to me once. Might be worth a looking to see if you can find anything he might fancy.

www.happyveggiekitchen.com/

No one needs meat every day! Bad for health and environment.

A lot of fake meat is very highly processed. Best avoided.

A good pasta pomodoro is delicious and is often my choice, though I am neither veggie nor vegan. Felicity Cloake's recipe is a favourite with my family and it's very easy. How to cook the perfect pasta al pomodoro | Felicity Cloake

Pizza can be veggie and excellent.

Tofu is a flavour carrier. Include it in a tasty sauce and it gives some meat-like texture, but it has very little flavour itself.

That sounds nice, I'd be inclined to use the other soffrito elements of a bit of very finely chopped carrot and celery as well as the onion I think.

Irrespective of how it’s cooked and the taste it is the TEXTURE. Some people like the taste of mushrooms but it’s the texture they don’t like, same with halloumi.

Why is it so offensive that people don’t like tofu and come under attack for not cooking it properly etc.

I’m sure the poster can cook - but really how would we know.?

I'm vegetarian and find it hard to cook tofu so that I actually like the taste! I've had it in many restaurants and it's been nice though.
I live with someone who eats meat. I often cook the base meal (pasta sauce, curry, chilli etc.) and they can add whatever protein they want to it,.

This is an interesting chat! If you're hoping to encourage your husband to eat more vegetarian meals then I wouldn't start with tofu as although I personally love it it takes practice/ experience to learn how to flavour it well. I also would avoid replacing all meat / fish / dairy with fake alternatives as Irrespective of people's beliefs around veganism / vegetarianism I think it's important to recognise that fake meat and dairy products aren't healthy substitutes due to their ultra processed characteristics.

I'd probably start off by introducing him to pulse and nut based dishes that contain some dairy so he recognises some 'traditional' flavours in there eg veg lasagne made with lentils, bean chilli topped with cheese and sour cream say. When you make a roast meal you could make yourself a nut roast and serve him a piece alongside the meat as a sort of 'stuffing' to try. You could then start experimenting with more unusual dishes.

The other thing to say is all pulses are not the same - you get what you pay for in terms of flavour / texture. I now always buy organic tinned pulses or the jarred ones aa they are massively superior quality wise. They cost more but if you're not paying for as much meat and fish you probably won't notice the difference in terms of what you spend.

Tempeh, seitan and tofu are really ancient protein foods that have been used by thousands of people from other cultures across the world for hundreds of years. They aren't ultra processed and are incredibly nutritious. If you want to give them a try I'd probably start with some of the pre-flavoured tofu and tempeh pieces that you can buy in most supermarkets.

I have a veggie DD and we do eat veggie quite a lot, probably 4 nights a week on average.
I really don't like tofu much though and it wouldn't be the thing I'd choose for temptation!
I'd make a nice veggie curry with chickpeas or lentils, or just a veggie pasta or roasted veg lasagne. Veggie mince chilli or bolognese could work too - use a good quality veggie mince like meatless farm

But the TEXTURE changes depending on the type of tofu and how it's cooked. It can be anything from jerky to jelly and everything in between.

Why are some people so shocked that other people don’t like something that they like?