I was trying to find vegan protein. Tofu comes up a lot. Does anyone know of organic brands of tofu? Whats the best kind etc? Any other things I should get? Im trying to up my protein and I want to try and get off meat again. Im sick of eating meat. I just dont know what to buy, brand wise, and thats organic. My grandmother got me this liquid tofu which I never used and I had no clue what to do with it but the regular kind, I could mix up in my spagetti or something. Any ideas? I would appriciate it.

Thanks

Hi
I use Nasoya, they sell it at my regular grocer in the refrig health section near the veggies.
http://www.nasoya.com/nasoya/

I like Nasoya and it's readily available at the grocery stores here.

Good luck!

Other than tofu, all beans, lentils and nuts are also good protein sources. Eating a wide variety of them is best.

Tofu is a good source of protein but if you have a hard time "liking" it or don't know how to cook it, try beans, lentils or nuts instead. All of those are also good sources and easy to add to a typical diet.

Look in the recipe section here and you'll get lots of good suggestions. Or since it sounds like you've been searching the internet already, Google "easy vegan tofu recipe" and you'll get hundreds of hits.

Not trying to disagree with above posters, but personally, I find Nasoya the least acceptable of any tofu (and I pretty much like tofu in any form...).

I seriously wouldn't reccommend it to a "tofu newbie" because it has a strong "beany, soy" taste and a difficult-to-work-with texture...

Lots of tofu is organic, just read the label. And somewhere on these boards, Tess has a GREAT tofu thread that is very informational. I'll try and find it and come back with a link...

So Big Y and or Stop & Shop should have Nasoya? Because thats where I mostly go.

Thanks

Tofu is a good source of protein but if you have a hard time "liking" it or don't know how to cook it, try beans, lentils or nuts instead. All of those are also good sources and easy to add to a typical diet.

Look in the recipe section here and you'll get lots of good suggestions. Or since it sounds like you've been searching the internet already, Google "easy vegan tofu recipe" and you'll get hundreds of hits.

Not trying to disagree with above posters, but personally, I find Nasoya the least acceptable of any tofu (and I pretty much like tofu in any form...).

I seriously wouldn't reccommend it to a "tofu newbie" because it has a strong "beany, soy" taste and a difficult-to-work-with texture...

Lots of tofu is organic, just read the label. And somewhere on these boards, Tess has a GREAT tofu thread that is very informational. I'll try and find it and come back with a link...
Im not a picky eater. Ill eat anything really. Thanks for the advice.

yep i get nasoya at stop and shop!

I got it, Tofu! http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showpost.php?p=1171811&postcount=2

I'm with TNS, Nasoya is the worst tofu IMO. But if you say you'll eat anything, feel free to give it a try. and she's also right that if you don't like tofu, there are plenty of other forms of protein out there. Tofu, how'd you get so smart? :sunny:

Some protein links:
http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showpost.php?p=1171826&postcount=9
http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showpost.php?p=1171835&postcount=11

You guys have been a lot of help. Thanks a lot!

Sean

One word: Tempeh!

I don't know if you've tried it yet, but it's certainly my protein source of choice. I think it's a little more calorie-dense than tofu, but it's more satisfying (to me) when I'm really craving something protein-y, and I like the texture a lot better. StopNShop and stores like that usually stock it in the same section where you'd find tofu and I'm pretty sure the LightLife Tempeh is organic.

imo, white wave (they have organic and not) is the best tofu...

I'm so glad that you asked the tofu question, and I'm so glad to hear that others didn't like the nasoya brand either!!

This has been the only brand I've used and all I can say is.........eww, eww, triple ewww!!! I even tried the whole freezing it thing, and then marinating it and I tried frying it and even in the oven and none of it came out very good.:-/ There are so many good sounding recipes out there for it, I so want to be able to find a brand that turns out better than the Nasoya!!!

Thanks for starting this thread and thanks to TNS & Tesseract for the info.!!!:hamster:

Michelle

I have tried the white wave brand too, got it at whole foods. im not big on tofu, i do like tempeh better, much better, i think its the texture of tofu i hate more than the taste.

I prefer sneaking silken tofu into things (like desserts or smoothies) rather than eating regular tofu!

I think it's weird that I can eat firm tofu in just about anything, like a stir fry with veggies, but when I try the soft or silken in pudding or a shake, I can't stand it. The flavor of the tofu overpowers everything else. Very strange.

I second the person who mentioned tempeh. I tried it for the first time the other night and it was divine! It has a mushroomy taste and a texture similar to chicken. Find a recipe before trying to cook with it though. It's easy but it makes experimenting with it a little less scary. I made stroganoff with it and my whole family loved it (even my big, picky, meat-loving husband.)

About tofu, a good cookbook to pick up is called "This Can't be Tofu!" It's got some really good, non-intimidating recipes and explains all the different kinds of tofu and how to prepare them. It's not a 100% vegetarian cookbook but it's pretty easy to modify the few recipes that aren't.

Also, marinated baked tofu totally rocks. My kids like the tomato-basil flavor chunked up and added to spaggetti sauce. It's good in a stir-fry or sliced up in a sandwich too.

I've recently discovered TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein). I found it in the baking section of my supermarket (United here in Texas) where they have a whole row of specialty flours and grains and nuts from organic brands such as Bob's Red Mill and Arrowhead Mills (in cattle-country West Texas - who woulda thunk it??? :D.)

The one I found is from Bob's Red Mill. It comes in dry little flakes, so even if you had to order it online it might be worth it. It's very good protein - 1/4 cup dry (which I "wet" with 1/4 cup boiling water and then add to whatever veggie and bean dish I'm cooking) has about 12 grams of protein (compare to 3 oz of tofu which has about 6 or 7 - at least the brands I buy!) Cooked up it has a grainy texture, almost like couscous or bulgur, and I don't particularly taste it when I cook it up. It's like tofu to me - absorbs whatever flavors I'm cooking it in.

Might give it a try...

I've also been told you can make seitan from vital wheat gluten (also dry, in a box, found, for me at least, in the same section) but honestly, I'm a little intimidated because the process seems a bit time consuming. But maybe when I finally get settled into my new place (moving to South Dakota to do my PhD) then I'll give it a shot since I have an unopened box in the pantry...

I totally understand about wanting to up your protein. I came from a lowcarb diet (not ultra lowcarb like Atkins, though) where I was getting plenty of protein (vegetarian) and I wanted to keep it that way when I went vegan.

Tam