Tofu Challenge

Tofu is a soggy, rubbery-tasting, body-odor smelling, concoction and a weak substitute for good meat.  At least, that is what I used to think.  I mean, look at it:

Who would trade in steak for that?

The first time I had tofu was on a date to a Thai restaurant.  We ordered a yellow curry full of chicken and vegetables.  It was delicious.  I eyed a potato in the mix, and after stabbing it with my fork, brought it to my mouth.  What a surprise when expecting a potato, my teeth slipped into the soggy substance of a tofu square.  At this, our first meeting (tofu and me), I was not impressed.  

My second tasting was somewhat better.  My Japanese roommate made miso soup and another tofu dish for dinner one night.  Admittedly, I was not as repulsed as at first and found the tofu to be alright.  It was still very foreign to my immature taste buds, but I found I enjoyed it much more when I expected it. Then, after these two tastings and maybe a couple other, I put the soy-jello-ey substance out of my mind. 

Until this week.  Being sick of chicken and fish, I decided to try my hand at tofu.  I found an amazing natural, whole foods cookbook online called 101 Cookbooks by Heidi Swanson.  I found and decided to test the following recipe: Lemony Chickpea Stir-fry Recipe.  Instead of the tofu block, I opted for a package of extra-firm tofu noodles.  This recipe was really fun to make and delicious.  Here is a picture of my finished project: 

Instead of two zucchini I used one zucchini and one crookneck squash--more color! I also added a sliced clove of garlic to the olive oil and shallots. Shallots are feisty little veggies that make even my eyes cry (I don't cry when cutting an onion).  

I was impressed with this delicious recipe.  I even liked the tofu.  Liked it?  It was great!  After draining and rinsing the noodles the rancid, body-odor smell was gone, and the tofu was actually really good.  I just might have to try it again sometime.

A taste for tofu will be an acquired one for me, but this chickpea stir-fry is helping do the trick.