My husband and tofu?

Lately, I have been experimenting with tofu. I have had some diet restrictions and one of the things I can eat -- tofu. I have had it in sauces, dressings, and in a recipe of Jambalaya. My husband has been generally supportive of this, but I always have my doubts about him when I try something new.

I am not sure I would have shared my tofu experience, but there was a young lady in the grocery store who asked me just how I was going to use that tofu I was buying, and I am guessing she must not be the only one interested in how to make it into a meal.

The challenge was to cook tofu for a main dish and hope my husband would say, "It wasn't TOO bad." I started with extra firm tofu and cut it into strips, kind of like like chicken strips or cheese sticks. I then let it drain on a paper towel. I added some chives and spices and here is my secret ingredient -- nutritional yeast. It tastes kind of like cheese. I battered it in nutritional yeast, just like in flour.

After that I fried it in hot oil.

It browns up nicely. You really have to turn it carefully.

What did my husband think? He said in a very surprised voice, "I really like this tofu!" I didn't even have a chance to ask him what he thought. Interesting, huh?

Tofu is low in calories and can be used in a variety of dishes. I will experiment some more, but I really doubt he will like every experiment I subject him to.

Don't forget that tofu is really not too tasty on it own. You really must add spices to give it flavor. Some people really use chicken and beef flavored spices or bouillons to give it more taste. I would suggest looking over vegetarian recipes to find some good combinations. One thing you can also do to give tofu a meatier texture in a soup, stew or stir-fry is to freeze it before cooking.

Tofu "Cutlets"

1 14-oz. package of extra firm tofu, cut into strips

Salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder

Dried, chopped chives

1/4 cup nutritional yeast (buy at health food store, I bought mine in the bulk section at Whole Foods)

Approximately 3 tablespoons of oil for cooking

Cut into strips and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle on salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and chives. Dredge tofu in nutritional yeast (just as you would with flour). Make sure all pieces are well-covered. Heat oil in a non-stick pan and fry on medium-high until they are well-browned and crispy. If you have leftover nutritional yeast, you can sprinkle on more. The nutritional yeast adds the flavor.