Carolyn Bell, RDN – Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Have you heard the word tofu, and thought ‘what is tofu’, or does hearing the word tofu shout healthy to you? Tofu is also known as bean curd, and is made by curdling soymilk and pressing it into blocks. It has a very mild flavor and takes on the tastes of other foods and sauces it is combined or cooked with. One-half cup of tofu provides 10 g of protein (complete protein), 47% of the daily recommended value of calcium, and 37% of the daily recommended value of iron. That’s a mighty powerful ½ cup serving of food and does place it in a healthy category. Because tofu takes on the flavor of what it is cooked or prepared with, try adding some to your favorite recipe. Add ½ cup to your favorite meatloaf or spaghetti. Tofu is used in many Asian dishes because the seasonings used are often tasty and pungent enough to give tofu good flavor. One of my favorite recipes is this Tofu Jell-O pie; it’s a must try!
Tofu Jell-O Pie
0.5 (14ounce) package soft tofu (Silken preferred)
1 (3)-oz. box lemon or lime gelatin (sugar-free may be substituted to cut calories)
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons of lemon juice (optional)
8-ounces of cool whip (fat-free may be substituted)
1 ready bake graham cracker pie crust
- Dissolve Jell-O in one cup hot water, then cool in the refrigerator until slightly thickened.
- Drain tofu package, and pat tofu with a paper towel to remove some water. Then blend the tofu in a blender until smooth.
- Add lemon juice, Jell-O, and half of cool whip to the blender mix and blend until smooth.
- Pour into pie crust.
- Spread remaining cool whip on top of Jell-O mixture.
- Refrigerate for several hours (until firmly set).
Makes 6 servings. Per serving: 391 calories, 21 g total fat, 10.4 g saturated fat, 48 g carbohydrate, 5 g protein, and .6 g of fiber. * Using sugar-free Jell-O and fat-free cool whip will reduce calories, carbohydrates and fat.
