I wrote about soy last week and I had such great response from my newsletter subscribers that I figured I’d continue the conversation by sharing the best ways to use tofu and tempeh and pass on a few recipes. Hopefully you’ll learn to appreciate these nutritious and delicious foods – if you don’t already!

Let’s start with tofu. It’s a very versatile food. You can buy it in textures ranging from soft/silken to extra firm, and depending on the firmness you can use it in a variety of ways.

Soft or silken tofu is great for baked goods (in the place of yogurt in recipes) and making puddings, dips or sauces. It can also be used to add creaminess (and extra protein) to smoothies or milkshakes. I don't use this often, but wanted to tell you about it anyway!

Medium tofu is on the softer side and it doesn’t hold its shape as well as firm or extra firm tofu.  Because of this it’s fantastic in soups or curries where it’s okay for it to crumble a bit.

Firm/extra tofu is my fave! It has more protein than soft or medium tofu and is the best for achieving crispy or crunchy tofu cubes for stir fry or noodle dishes. Try pan frying, baking, and air frying it when you’re looking to get that crispy-on-the-outside-chewy-on-the-inside texture. However, to achieve that crisp exterior, it does help to press the tofu first. You can do this by wrapping the block of tofu in a cloth or paper towel and putting it under something heavy (like a cast iron skillet) for about half an hour.

As for tempeh, it's a fantastic fermented whole food and I love to use it in place of ground meats. When crumbled or cubed it has meaty consistency and because of that I tend to use it in plant-based versions of my favourite stews or meaty sauces. I also use tempeh to make a veganized version of “bacon”. I’ll preface by saying it’s not the same as real bacon, but if you slice it thin and pan fry it with a bit of tamari, smoked paprika, garlic powder and maple syrup, it’s delicious in a sandwich with tomatoes, lettuce, dijon or whatever fixings you normally like.

If you’d like to start experimenting with tofu and tempeh, check out my Recipe Index. There you’ll find recipes like My Go-To Tofu Scramble, Marinated Tofu & Veggie Skewer, Tempeh Bolognese, Tofu Feta Salad, Tofu Pad Thai and Green Curry Soup.