I really can’t believe that I went all these years without tofu in my life.
I was under the impression that tofu gave me horrible stomach pains whenever I ate it, so that was the main reason for avoiding it. I recently discovered it doesn’t seem to bother my stomach like I thought. When you have IBS, it can be extremely difficult to pinpoint which stomach issues are food related and which are anxiety/stress related.
I left you guys hanging after my first visit with the Naturopath, but there wasn’t a lot to report. I only went for two visits. The doctor went over my medical history and food intake and also did allergy testing. When I showed him my food diary, he took one look at it and guessed that all the tannins in the green tea I was drinking (often 2 huge strong pots a day…!) were probably irritating my stomach lining. My allergy tests came back negative thankfully. The other piece of the puzzle would be to manage my IBS by continuing to work on my anxiety.
I thought he was insane for suggesting that my green tea could be a problem for my stomach, but I figured it was worth a shot. I reduced my green tea consumption to just 0-1 cup a day to see if it made a difference. Wouldn’t you know it, my stomach pains reduced by about 50% almost immediately. I’m sure there was also a little placebo effect going on, but after reading up on tannins and stomach issues, I do believe there is truth to it. I have a cup in the morning, but I don’t overdo it anymore. I’ve brought back the water in my life, which was needed. Something so simple, made such a huge difference in how I feel.
But, back to the tofu.
I’ll admit, I was also scared of tofu…a lot. First impressions are everything and the big white hunk floating in murky water just didn’t scream “eat me”. I had to figure out what the heck to do with it first.
One of my favourite ways to prepare tofu is just a simple pan fry. After pressing the tofu for about 25 minutes to drain out the water (this results in a firmer tofu), I preheat a large skillet with 1 tsp of cooking oil and then chop the tofu into small squares. Then I cook the tofu for about 6 minutes on high heat, flip, and cook for another 6-8 minutes or so, reducing the heat if necessary. This method results in golden tofu with a nice crispy exterior.
Sometimes, all I do is add a bit of ketchup and enjoy it as is or I marinate it first with a bit of apple cider vinegar & tamari.
My other favourite way is to turn it into Crispy Tofu Strips! You must try these if you haven’t. Eric said he would happily give up regular chicken strips for these bad boys.
Other times, I like to get creative with sauces…like this incredible lemon dill sauce. If you adore my lightened up lemon tahini sauce…and the lemon dill spin-off…you’ll love this super lightened up version. It packs in 3/4 cup of fresh dill and has just a touch of tahini and oil in it. While the tofu is cooking, just whip the dressing up in processor and you’re good to go.
Do I even have to tell you that I used my mini processor again? Gah, I love that thing.
Maybe you’d like a gigantic tripod leg with your tofu, perhaps?
Sometimes a close up shot is all you need. That’s what I told myself anyways.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Easy Lemon Dill Tofu
Yield
2 servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
White, wintery looking tofu is now dressed up in greens for the spring.
Ingredients
For the tofu
- 1 package extra-firm non-gmo tofu, drained, rinsed, and pressed
- 1 tsp cooking oil (I like to use safflower oil as it has a high smoke point)
For the dressing
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp dill pickle juice (or water)
- 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup fresh dill weed, large stems removed & roughly chopped
- Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- Rinse and press the tofu for about 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the lemon dill dressing in a processor. My mini processor worked well for this (just call me a broken record).
- Preheat a large skillet over high heat and add a teaspoon of oil. Meanwhile, chop up the tofu into small, thin squares.
- When the skillet is HOT (the tofu should sizzle when placed on it), add the tofu (being careful not to let the pieces touch too much or they will stick) and cook on high heat for 6 minutes or so, flip, and cook for another 6-8 minutes, reducing heat if necessary to avoid burning.
- When tofu is golden brown on each side, remove from heat. Pour dressing into a medium-sized bowl and add the cooked tofu and stir well until coated. Serve immediately on its own, in a wrap, on a salad, or over grains and vegetables.
Tip:
I’m in love with this lemon dill dressing. Who knew you could pack in 3/4 cup of greens into a dressing?
The clean up was also minimal.
But first, I devoured this tofu.
Feel free to enjoy this in a wrap, on a salad, over a bed of grains and vegetables, or on its own like I did. Maybe next time I’ll have a bit more restraint to prepare a full meal with it…
My husband, who is omnivorous as they come, even tried a bite….that is saying a lot! And he said, ooh this sauce is good. I didn’t make a big deal of it. I didn’t want to ruin the moment. Haha
We made this tonight. Lovely sauce. In addition to the tofu, I also slathered some over asparagus.
I just used this dressing as for a chickpea salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and feta and it is delicious!
Loved the dressing, Angela. I used it with pan-roasted chickpeas instead of tofu. They absorbed the dressing as leftovers but were great fresh from the pan! Thanks for sharing! :)
Just made this recipe for the first time! LOVED IT. Hands down the best tofu recipe I am yet to come across.. so healthy too! Definitely going to be sharing this with family and friends. Thanks!
I just made this recipe. Only thing i did different was I froze the tofu and defrosted it first as I heard this helps to remove more liquid when pressing. I sliced the tofu into 1/4” thick triangles. My 8 year old son thought the sauce was too spicy with the raw garlic but ate up the tofu triangles, exclaiming they were like “little tofu cookies.” My two year old daughter offered up a “yum yum.” This is definitely one to work into regular rotation. Thank you Angela, for another winning recipe.
Just made this recipe. It’s good, but I made some changes. I found it very, very strong so I added a little agave, extra nutritional yeast. Also added a little arrowroot because it was a little thin. Overall tasty, but may be a little intense if you’re not into super sour dill.
I also put it on broccoli, very tasty.
Normally I bake tofu, marinaded in ginger, soy sauce and garlic marinade, but fried is so much faster.
Another note – you can dry fry tofu as well and get similar result. I like the added fat, but it isn’t 100% necessary.
I recently discovered how much I love tofu, after being a non-tofu-eating vegetarian for a couple of years. When I first starting following your blog, I was so relieved that there were other non-meat eaters that didn’t eat tofu, either. Now I’m equally glad that we both eventually discovered the amazingness that is tofu, because this recipe just knocked my socks off. I served it over turmeric couscous and sauteed asparagus. :)
Great recipe! Will be trying it out tomorrow!
As for your IBS… Apologies for unasked advice, but my close friend had the same issue, she was trying to get her problem under control for years and not one doctor could tell her exactly what was the cause or triggers.
Until she was tested for gluten allergy. Believe it or not, as soon as she stopped eating gluten she never had issues again. She’s on gluten free life style for over a year now. And additional bonus of that was weight loss of 15 kg!
Maybe you have something similar?
I’ve never eaten anything like this! It’s so full of lemony dilly flavor! I ate it with some brown rice and was particularly generous with the dill. I haven’t been this blown away by a tofu recipe since General Tao’s tofu.
Awesome ! I made this for my father tonight. He is a hard core non vegetarian and was very skeptical when I told him it was tofu-based. But he loved it and told me i should do it again. :)
Baaaaaah! I just LOVED this recipe – especially the dressing!! I made it tonight for dinner and still can’t get over how awesome it is. I’m new to your blog and have found several other recipes that I cannot wait to try! Like many have already stated, I too suffer from IBS and have turned to your blog as inspiration to eat a healthier, whole foods diet. Thanks for sharing your story Angela!
This looks awesome! i am going to try it with some angel hair pasta… mmmm.
I’m going to make this next weekend when my bff visits! we’re gonna have it over some angel hair pasta, and maybe pour some extra sauce over top of the pasta. mmm. so excited to try it out! but- i don’t have a food processor. do you think it would be okay if i just chop everything as finely as possible and mix it super well? thanks in advance!
Thank you so much! I’ve been trying to incorporate more tofu into my diet since going vegan, but I’m also sort of scared of it. You have given me hope! Haha can’t wait to try this recipe. I love all of your recipes – you’re great!
I have made this recipe with the tofu and I really loved it. Recently I had to make a salad for a party in a hurry. I chopped up a head of cabbage, julienned some carrots and used this Dill Dressing. It ended up being the show stopper on the salad table!
We had a huge bunch of dill in our weekly vegie box this week. I came across this recipe yesterday and made the tofu for dinner last night. We ate it all and I’m making it again tonight. I think I’m addicted ☺
This recipe just blew my mind! I thought I knew how to cook tofu but I actually took the time to press it and cook it just like you said and it turnes out nice and crispy and just a bit crunchy. I had it on a sandwich with a few simple toppings and was a few bites in when I realized how heavenly the dressing was… and that it was one of the best sandwiches I had ever had.
I’m dreaming of eating it for lunch tomorrow… thank you Angela!
I used dried dill instead of fresh. I found a conversion on the web indicating I should use dried at 1/3 the amount of fresh. I must have done something wrong because it was inedible. Has anyone made this with dried dill? If so, how much did you use. I was so looking forward to trying this recipe. I have had lemongrass tofu in a restaurant and loved it. I thought this would be similar. I’m not going to rate this recipe since I changed it.
I have not tried this using dried dill unfortunately! I would suggest using much less if you try the recipe again in the future. Maybe start with 1 tablespoon and you can always add more as a garnish sprinkled on top if you think it needs more. Hope this helps, Nancy!
This is my new favorite dish! I love, love, love, love, love, love, love lemon but I’m new to using fresh dill. WOW. I do prefer my tofu thicker than in your photos so slice mine pretty thick. Delicious! And I’ll definitely be using this dressing on other things as well.
So glad it was a hit!