Doctor's Kitchen Monday: Alicia Silverstone's Tofu/Stuffing Casserole

I don't mind telling you I really thought this was going to be one of those posts where I got to make big fun of a recipe. I just knew I would hate this recipe.  I mean, come on. For one, it has tofu in it. That's a staight line waiting to happen right there.  For another, it's endorsed by a celebrity. Again, hello? Straight line. Come to mama.  Oh how I wanted to prepare this dish and then let it rip about how Alicia couldn't possibly REALLY serve this in the real world because it tastes disgusting.  It didn't.  Da**it.  Maaaaaaan, I just hate it when my fun is spoiled, especially when my moon is prepared to rise in saracasm. 

To be perfectly honest, there isn't a big "oh my gawd, I'm suddenly in love with tofu" flavor.  The flavor is all from the stuffing but if you make a decent stuffing and like eating stuffing, then you've got a win-win in this because all the tofu does is add some silky kind of cottage cheese-y like texture. That worked fine for me.  Then when you look at the calorie counts (following the recipe on the next page) it's a worthy dish to me to add to my repertoire.  I get flavor, I get a few yummy carbs in a world where carbs have suddenly become the evil protagonist, and I get protein. This is a good thing to a girl who isn't a big meat eater.  Not to mention I get easy.  I used to be into long compicated meals. I still am, but since going back to work I'm finding that I don't have the time I used to have to cook so I also need some faster recipes.  Let's see...a bag of good commercial dry stuffing mix from the pantry, a couple of veggies from the fridge crisper,  a box of tofu from the cheese drawer, and 10 minutes time from saute' to oven so that I can work on my novel during the baking time.  That really works for me.

And listen, I don't mean to have a bad attitude about tofu, I've just never found anything I really liked it in, as in recipes I've made. And I've made several recipes from the net and cookbooks, all promising to make tofu takes like steak but either those food writers are damn liars or they have no tastebuds because it still always tastes like tofu which tastes like, not much of anything or anything good, quite frankly, to me.  I love everything Morningstar Farms produces so it's not that I'm anti-vegetarian, I just haven't found any recipes that makes Mori-Nu real high on my "keep these things stocked in the house" list.  Every few months I go all tofu guilty and pick up a box while I'm the grocery store and promise myself that THIS TIME I'll find a recipe that makes me suddenly fall in love with the stuff. We all know it's good for us but it's like eating brussel sprouts. I'm all behind them in theory and I think they look kinda pretty but I just hate eating them. I try. I really try but I just can't figure out what's so tasty about them no matter how I boil, braise, saute, bake, or bury them in ice cream. Tofu's like that.

So along those lines I have a story to tell. It's not my story. It's Aunt Miranda's story and she can feel free to correct my mistakes in telling it in the comment section because I've lost her original email telling this story or I'd just copy/paste that so you could hear it in her own words.  Aunt Miranda works for a dairy co-op and part of her job years ago had her trekking in and out of the food lab.  The guys often handed her spoonfuls of new ice creams and yogurts to try, fed her new cheeses and milk mixes, and what I like to call "Dorito dust", the cheese flavorings Frito-Lay buys from them to flavor all your favorite chips and cheese doodles and what not.  So one day Aunt Miranda walked in the lab and was handed a spoon with some white stuff on it which she promptly put in her mouth, thinking it's a new ice cream or yogurt or soft cheese or whatever, and then she's so grossed out, she doesn't quite know what to do with it. Didn't want to swallow it and didn't want to not look like a lady by spitting it onto the floor with a gag.  You know, like a guy would do.  Finally, she either swallowed it or asked around it "What is this?" And one of the lab guys told her "They call it tofu but the nearest we can figure out it's the white part of chicken sh** "

See? It's not just me that isn't in love with tofu but I'm still trying to give it a chance and I've finally found ONE recipe I like it in.  We need to have a party to celebrate this moment.  This is it, the first.  Give it a try.  I'll be making this again.

This is also my entry for this week's ARF Tuesday, Antioxidant Rich Foods, brought to us every week by Cate, at Sweetnicks.  Besides the non-artery clogging tofu for protein, the stuffing has walnuts in it which are loaded with great Omega fatty acids, manganese, copper, and tryptophan which is the amino acid in turkey that acts as a relaxant I usually blame for my holiday afternoon napping.  I promise there aren't enough walnuts, nor that particular amino acid in the recipe to send you dropping to the couch, or if you do nap, don't blame the walnuts.  Be sure to check out Cate's round up of all the delicious and healthy dishes prepared this week.

You can find the original Alicia Silverstone Tofu/Stuffing Casserole recipe at these web sites.  Both recipes are slightly different from each other but both attributed to Silverstone. Gentle Thanksgiving has an interesting picture of the stuffing actually stuffing the tofu shell.  I had nightmares just thinking about trying that one. At my house, I could see it ending being a big mess but their photo looks fabulous.

   

Isn't this pretty?

Gentle Thanksgiving

Shape Magazine

Now for my version.  You know me. I've never met a recipe I didn't want to play with. The main changes I made were adding fresh pear and walnuts to the stuffing, to add tastebud action, because I thought the original recipe's dressing sounded a little bland.  I also dumped the whole idea of basting liquid. It's not Thanksgiving anymore. You can't make me baste anything.

Glenna's Tofu/Stuffing Casserole

1 12 oz pkg Firm Tofu (I used Mori-Nu Silken)

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp Worcestshire sauce

1/2 cup celery, diced

1/2 cup onion, diced

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 pear, peeled, cored, and diced

1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

2 cups commercially prepared dried stuffing mix

1 1/4 cup water, boiling

1.  In small bowl, mash tofu into small curds with a fork. Stir in soy and worcestshire sauces. Press into bottom of 8"x8" casserole dish or divide between 6 individual baking ramekins.

2.  In large skillet over medium heat, saute onion and celery in canola oil until tender.  Add rest of ingredients to skillet and lightly mix together to hydrate stuffing mix.  Layer stuffing mix on top of tofu in casserole dish or divide amongst the baking ramekins.

3.  Bake at 400 degrees covered for 30 minutes (15 for ramekins).  Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes or until stuffing niced browned.

Makes 6 servings.

Per serving:  Calories  233; Protein 10g;  Carbs  8gr;  Fat  6gr.    

Comments

[sher]

Glenna--that looks and sounds delicious! As I recall, Alicia Silverstone started having a weight problem years ago and when she decided to go vegan, she was able to take the weight off and stabilize it. I love stuffing and a cottage cheesy taste--so this would taste great to me. Thanks.

[Jeff]

mmmm...Alicia Silverstone! The recipe sounds good too ;)

[Mimi]

That really does sound good. Your Aunt Miranda story reminds me of the first time I tasted tofu. I was just out of college, working as a marketing assistant for a software company, and a magazine rep who was in town took me out for lunch at a nearby Chines place. He kept tellling me the tofu in the dish were having was calf's brains. I don't recall if that was supposed to be a joke or if he really thought that.

[Rachel]

I'm going to have to try this because, like you, have tried many different ways to cook tofu and still have not found a single one I like. I take about three bites and then head to McDonald's. Thanks for the tip!

[Glenna]

Sher--Yeah, I've read that too and I really admire her for it. I'd love to have the guts to go vegan but I don't think I can live without dairy and eggs. I have a friend, though, who goes pescaterian to diet (she still eats dairy, eggs, and fish) and she does really well too.

Jeff--LOL! You're such a man! :-)

Mimi--I love it! So will Aunt Miranda. She reads this blog. That's really funny. I wonder if he was serious?

Rachel--a woman after my own heart! yep, that was always me. I'd make a dish with the best of intentions and end up scrapping it to order pizza.

[Tinosweb]

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