Tofu Mania

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Tofu has made it to the end of the century with a greater following than
ever. No longer only a 1960s “hippy food,” tofu has been welcomed by
the health-conscious, the budget-conscious, and lots of middle-aged,
middle-class folks who like their food moist, flavorful, and easy to
digest.

The core concern in this work is the health benefits of tofu, which the
author believes cover everything from relieving menopausal agony to
preventing and/or treating cancer, osteoporosis, and kidney and heart
disease. Although these health claims may not be proven, tofu is
presented as the perfect health food: low fat, cholesterol-free, high
protein, low calorie, yet rich in vitamins and calcium.

Housez suggests that integrating tofu into your everyday diet is the
only way to benefit from its unique properties. It can be used to
replace part of the meat, eggs, oil, cream, sour cream, and butter used
in baking and meal preparation. It has a role to play in soups, salads,
baked goods, entrées, casseroles, stir fries, pasta sauces, sandwiches,
stews, even desserts and beverages. It is a staple for vegetarian
cooking.

Housez provides a generous selection of recipes, including dishes for
breakfasts, lunches, dinners, appetizers, dips, spreads, sauces, soups,
salads, vegetable and side dishes, fish and meat main dishes, some
meatless entrées, and lots of desserts. These include some traditional
fare such as baking-powder biscuits, pizza, and seafood chowder. Nothing
too scary.

A parsimonious sprinkling of color photos, an extensive nutritional
analysis for each recipe, a good index, and some generic information on
buying and storing tofu complete the book. Overall, it’s not bad, but
a bit short of inspiring.