Tofu can be enjoyed raw as well. (Just make sure you’re using tofu from airtight packages and that the tofu hasn’t been sitting around opened for days.) Here’s a recipe for tofu crumbles using firm tofu. These tofu crumbles are pretty basic and can be used as a topping for many dishes, e.g. scooped onto a salad or added to a sandwich or wrap. If raw tofu is not your thing, you can cook it in a pan with some olive oil and it’ll kind of resemble scrambled eggs.

The basic idea is to press the tofu and then crumble the tofu with your hands. The tofu should reach a ricotta-like consistency. Then, season and flavor the tofu as you like.

Pressing the tofu changes the texture, drains out the water, and makes the tofu a bit firmer. A simple way to press tofu is to place the block of tofu between some paper towels in a large flat plate. Then, place another flat plate and then put a heavy weight on the plate. Let it sit for about an hour.

Here’s one recipe that I tried for flavoring the tofu crumble. I decided to go with a simple herbs and olive oil blend.

Ingredients:

• 7.5 oz firm tofu, pressed and drained
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, crumble up the tofu with your hands.
2. Add lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.
3. Mash until it reaches the consistency of ricotta cheese, a few minutes.
4. Add olive oil and stir.
5. Add nutritional yeast and combine all ingredients well.
6. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
7. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Here’s another variation for tofu crumble. This one has curry powder!

Ingredients:

• 7.5 oz firm tofu, pressed and drained
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Same as above.

Enjoy in a sandwich!

Or in a salad!

Pizza 1: This one is like a Supreme Pizza. It’s toppings include… pretty much as many of the toppings you can find! This one has sliced mushrooms, onions, green pepper, and sausage.

Pizza 2: This pizza is my favorite. Its main toppings are pineapples and ham. This is also known as the Hawaiian. (Interesting fact: The Hawaiian pizza actually did not originate from Hawaii. It’s only called Hawaiian because of the characteristics of the toppings.) Occasionally, I would find this available at a local pizzeria. However, they are usually pretty stingy with the toppings. My slice would usually contain no more than 2 chunks of pineapple and 3 tiny pieces of ham. This is what a pineapple and ham pizza should look like!

Can’t forget about the Parmesan cheese!

Enter the oven and about 15-20 minutes later…

Sausage, Mushroom and Pepper Pizza

Pineapple and Ham Pizza