Yes,Tofu!

I've written before about Meatless Mondays when I posted one of my favorite egg recipes. In our house, it's usually meatless Monday (Anthony is out of town), Tuesday, and maybe Saturday or Sunday. While we wait for more suitable planting days, and while I read a bit more on the topic rolling around in my head, I wanted to share another meatless recipe from Cooking Light: Toasted Barley, Green Bean, and Shiitake Salad with Tofu, yes, tofu!

The tofu is marinated in a wonderful soy-brown-sugar-ginger concoction that gives it a nice crispy, caramelized texture when baked. If you've never cooked with tofu before, there is one very important step to avoid the chicken-fat consistency my poor girls suffered through as children one of the few times I cooked tofu as they were growing up. You must press the water out of the tofu by wrapping it in paper towels and setting a heavy pan or cutting board on top of the tofu block for about 45 minutes. (I keep a stash of recycled, unbleached paper towels hidden for such occasions, but don't tell anyone. I make everyone use old newspapers for sopping up spills.)

Another important factor to consider when purchasing soy-based products like tofu is to be sure it is made with non-genetically modified organisms. Why avoid GMO's? An article from 2010 by Natural News.com lists the five major crops that are GMO's and why you should avoid them, including this statement by the American Academy of Environmental Medicine:

"Genetically Modified foods have not been properly tested and pose a serious health risk. There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation."

As 91% of American fields are planted with Monsanto's GMO soy, that may be difficult to do. This figure is quoted in a Huffington Post article from April 2010, but I've seen similar figures from other sources corroborating the fact that the vast majority of soy is genetically modified. So, when shopping for soy-based products, look for "No GMO's" or "No genetically engineered ingredients" on the label.

As I've said before, going meatless doesn't mean you have to sacrifice flavor or nutrition. My carnivorous husband has become accustomed to meatless meals and is even enthusiastic about them, which I credit to my favorite vegetarian chef, Deborah Madison. If you're ready to venture into meatless meals, look for one of her many titles on eBay or Amazon. There is a nice collection of meatless meals on Epicurious.com, too.