Ode to Tofu

I love tofu in any way shape or form, and over the years, I've made desserts, dressings, cheese-less pasta fillings and stir-fries with it. I'm always amazed at how tofu accepts all the flavors around it and becomes something new with each recipe.

Take silken tofu: in dressings and desserts, it adds a creaminess and texture that's missing from most dairy-free products. My all-time favorite use of silken tofu is this Chocolate Mousse.

Firm and extra-firm tofu are my choices for hearty dishes such as stir fries and baked tofu dishes. However, the problem is that tofu is packed in water, and water does not add flavor to anything. In fact, it just makes things, well, watery. Getting rid of the water involves a step called pressing the tofu, which can be messy and involves wads of paper towels, plates and weights and frequently results in puddles of water on the kitchen counter.

Enter the TofuXpress, which presses the water from tofu without all the mess. Fellow Blogger Ellen Allard was singing its praises, so I've decided to throw my toque into the ring in her contest to own my very own Tofu X-Press. Then making dishes like her yummy stir-fry will be even easier!