This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TABASCO® Original Red. All opinions are 100% mine.
I used to eat a lot more tofu (and soy, in general) than I do today. I really don’t eat it that much these days. But I do love a hearty tofu-oriented dish from time to time. One of my favorites is really quite simple, but worth a share if you haven’t tried it.
Here’s the recipe (I’ll get into the health benefits of some of the key ingredients after the recipe this time):
Fried Tofu with Some Tang
Ingredients:
- one block of firm tofu
- olive oil
- black olives
- half a yellow or white onion
- a bunch of green onions (aka scallions)
- TABASCO® Original Red
- Bragg’s liquid aminos
How to Make:
- cut the tofu into small- to medium-sized chunks (like in the photo above)
- slice olives
- slice the yellow or white onion (white onions are hotter) and fry on a pan with olive oil for a few moments
- add the chunks of tofu onto the pan and fry for a few more minutes
- turn the heat off, add the sliced olives, and let everything sit there for a moment while you chop the green onions into small pieces
- remove everything from the pan and add green onions to the mix
- pour on Tabasco sauce and Bragg’s liquid aminos to taste and mix again (alternatively, I also like adding theTabasco sauce on the side and dipping the pieces of tofu into it)
- enjoy!
Health Benefits of Olive Oil
I’m sure you’ve all heard by now that olive oil is good for you, but it’s not an issue we’ve covered on here before.
Olive oil contains “monounsaturated fat, a healthier type of fat that can lower your risk of heart disease by reducing the total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or ‘bad’) cholesterol levels in your blood.” Even the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proclaimed that olive oil may reduce risk of heart disease. “All types of olive oil contain monounsaturated fat, but ‘extra-virgin’ or ‘virgin’ olive oils are the least processed forms, so they’re the most heart healthy,” Katherine Zeratzsky, R.D., L.D. reports. “Those types contain the highest levels of polyphenols, a powerful antioxidant that also can promote heart health.” Always try to buy extra-virgin or, at least, virgin. Olive oil may also help prevent colon cancer.
Health Benefits of Tabasco Sauce
Unlike olive oil, you don’t hear a lot about the health benefits of Tabasco sauce, but it’s got a few. Tabasco sauce is so much more than “hot” and aside from unlocking the natural flavor of foods, which should reduce our desire to sprinkle a little more salt on top, can help the human body and mind in a few ways. Tabasco sauce “can increase metabolism and fat-burning ability by up to 25%.” It can also stimulate blood flow, which may help heal ulcers. Tabasco sauce also gets the body to release endorphins, which are natural painkillers and make us feel a little happier. 
And, FYI, Tabasco Original Red (the flavor I included in the recipe) was first introduced all the way back in 1868 and is still the McIlhenny family’s most popular flavor (they now have 6, in total). In addition to eating it with tofu (including in tofu sandwiches), it’s great on pasta and pizza… (I much prefer it over ketchup, which is ubiquitously used on pizza here in Poland). VisitTabasco’s Pizza Perfected page for more Tabasco-pizza ideas.
Health Benefits of Tofu
Like olive oil, tofu is well-known for having a variety of health benefits, but we haven’t covered these yet on Eat Drink Better (seems that we’ve skipped some of the obvious ones). Tofu is high in protein as well as numerous other nutrients (i.e. tryptophan, manganese, iron, omega 3 fatty acids, selenium, copper, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium). I think I could write pages and pages on the health benefits of tofu, but am going to try to keep this short. The World’s Healthiest Foods reports:
Research on soy protein in recent years has shown that regular intake of soy protein can help to lower total cholesterol levels by as much as 30%, lower LDL (bad cholesterol) levels by as much as 35-40%, lower triglyceride levels, reduce the tendency of platelets to form blood clots, and possibly even raise levels of HDL (good cholesterol).
It is good for people trying to avoid atherosclerosis, diabetic heart disease, heart attacks, or stroke.
Soy is also supposedly good for minimizing the symptoms of menopause, “may be helpful in reducing the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis,” and is good for building muscles and bones, among numerous other things! So, enjoy the fried tofu dish above or one of your own once in awhile.
Have you tried the dish above before? Anything else to add?
Photo Credit: jeffrey.kohn