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Nope; got that down.
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Seriously, though, tofu must be the most versatile ingredient ever. Gone is the bland, eerily-smushy gunk you find in your Chinese takeout. It's been replaced by treats such as:
- Velvety Chocolate Mousse
- Rich Red Pepper Quiche Soup (or sauce)
- International Breakfast Scramble
- Meaty Mushroom Quiche
- Creamy Alfredo Sauce
- Yumlicious Yogurt
...and now tofu can add something else to its already-impressive resume: Perfect Pudding!
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Hopefully you're ready for a super-long post. I tried to make it as succinct as possible, but I just kept dreamin' up more and more pudding flavors.
Cheat Sheet: Links are in orange (as usual), and Pudding Flavor Ideas are in green.
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Tofulicious Pudding!
Just like with the Agar Pudding recipe, you can change this up to make an unlimited variety of pudding flavors. Hot Chocolate Fudge, Pina Colada, Cookies-n-Cream; these are just a few of the millions of puddings you can concoct using tofu. Let your imagination run away with you (preferably to somewhere warm and beachy).
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Start with a base of silken firm tofu (such as Mori-Nu), then add in whatever ingredients strike your fancy. Blend it all together using your blending-gadget of choice. You can get ideas from my Basic Agar Pudding post-- Just sub tofu for the agar base. And this time, there's no heating/stove involved! (Plus, there's no worrying if it'll gel or not... and the tofu is much less expensive than agar flakes.)
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Add-In Ideas:
1. Add pureed pumpkin, roasted winter squash, or sweet potato, and also add some cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. (Next week, I'll give Pumpkin-Pie Pudding its own post.)
2. Before blending, add carrots and vanilla extract (and pineapple or pineapple juice if you want). After blending, add raisins and walnuts. Now you have Carrot Cake Pudding!
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3. How about adding dried fruits, such as dates, for a Larabar Pudding? Throw in some cocoa powder and you've got Jocalat Pudding!
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4. Mix in some Tofutti Cream Cheese and pineapple tidbits for a Cheezecake Pudding.
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5. Add maple syrup, blend, then add walnuts-- Pancake Pudding!
6. Add a fruit cup, pureed fruit, or even a jar of baby food.
7. Add some coffee for a coffee-flavored pudding.
8. Add a splash of a flavored beverage such as Silk Coffee, Silk Eggnog or Pumpkin Spice, Chai Latte, etc. and don't add any other fruit... or do! It's up to you!
9. Mix in some protein powder or cocoa powder and/or banana.
10. Add coconut milk and coconut shavings (and maybe even chocolate chips!). Put it in a pie crust and call it Coconut Cream Pie!
6. Add a fruit cup, pureed fruit, or even a jar of baby food.
7. Add some coffee for a coffee-flavored pudding.
8. Add a splash of a flavored beverage such as Silk Coffee, Silk Eggnog or Pumpkin Spice, Chai Latte, etc. and don't add any other fruit... or do! It's up to you!
9. Mix in some protein powder or cocoa powder and/or banana.
10. Add coconut milk and coconut shavings (and maybe even chocolate chips!). Put it in a pie crust and call it Coconut Cream Pie!
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11. Mix in some nut butter, and jelly, fruit, or chocolate chips(!) for PB&J, PB-Banana, or Chocolate-Peanut-Butter-Cup Pudding.
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12. Use this recipe (with tofu, not agar), for a Banana Spice Pudding.
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13. Blend with rice (or another grain) and vanilla extract, then add raisins-- Creamy Rice Pudding!
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14. Jodye, of Couple of Vegans, told me that she used Ricemallow Creme and chocolate chips to make a Rocky Road Pudding! Add some graham crackers and ya get S'mores Pudding.
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15. Mix in some vegan ice cream for a truly decadent delight. Don't forget the Soyatoo on top.
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16. Look to energy bars, ice creams, and candy bars for pudding-flavor inspiration.
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And don't forget to watch out for that Pumpkin-Pie Pudding post soon.
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One question before I leave you:
I've given you a lot of ideas. But what is your dream pudding flavor?
50 comments:
Wow Katie!!! This post is amazing! I love every single idea you posted and you bet I will be trying them all...it's a good thing those mori-nu tofu's are so cheap! What type is your favorite to use? Extra Firm, Firm, Lite Firm?
My dream pudding is that carrot cake pudding idea you posted about, I can't wait to try that one out!
There is one thing it can't do...and that's be a real food. It's processed crap, essentially. Do you ever get concerned about that, especially as a vegan who eats quite a bit of it? As a vegetarian myself I ate a lot of soy "products" such as tofu in the past...until I had cysts on my ovaries which were cured by cutting out the soy milk and tofu. Just a worried poster who doesn't wish that feeling on ANYONE...
Ohhh, I love Katie creations!
I'm getting blendin' happy over here so I can't wait to play more.
I want chocolate pudding!
My dream pudding flavor would be peanut butter!
so many great creations :) i'd have to say my fav would be a pb-banana, or a coconut cream pie type!!
I have been thinking about trying tofu pudding and now I know I have to do it! I am with Shelby...carrot cake pudding!
Wowza girl, you are legit! All these ideas are making me hungry, girl you are FULL of it (in a good way!)
Im thinking Chocolate naner for me : )
Or simply Banana spice.
Or maybe carrot cake..
or maybe..
;)
I loves me some mori-nu tofu - such an excellent and simple source of protein and nutrients and the perfect base for decadent puddings and delicious brownies too! Doesn't get much better than that, in my opinion. 127 million Japanese can't be wrong!
Katie - love you! Totally trying carrot cake pudding today. You're brilliant. I can't pick a dream flavor - they all sound too good!
I love this post. Tofu is amazing.
Dear Katie,
You are so tiny and cute! How tall are you? You don't look like you weigh an ounce over 70 pounds! But you eat so much. I could never eat that amount! How do you stay so little? Do you count calories? I love your blog!
Tofu rocks my world, I can't imagine living without it. And to think there was a day when I wouldn't touch it! Thanks for all the cool ideas, you are such a creative genius!
I think I feel a Year of Pudding Flavors coming on! Carrot cake? Great idea! Actually, they all sound delicious. But of course chocolate is still my one true love. :)
Well, I take issue with your assertion that tofu is "bland, eerily-smushy gunk." If you want to, you can firm up its texture by pressing out the water and then baking it, which is pretty good -- but then again, I like tofu as-is, so maybe you wouldn't agree with my tastes.
And, to joanna: I'm not trying to make light of your cysts, but I don't think it's wise to generalize your own body's reaction to tofu (or soy) as something that'll affect everyone equally. Just go ask 1.3 billion Chinese people if they think tofu is real food or not. While it is processed, I wouldn't characterize it as "crap." Soy milk and tofu are both items you can make at home, so it's not like some industrialized product made with mysterious ingredients.
That said, there are highly-processed soy products that certain people may want to avoid, and some people have soy allergies. But I'm not your doctor, so I can't tell you if your body will disagree with soy or not.
tofu is really amazing! I love it
Clearly I'm humor-challenged...
great job working with the tofu katie!! you give such great ideas :)
since agar was a bit..er..difficult for me..haha i'll definitely have to try the pudding deal again with tofu.
oh,and your picture made me laugh after just waking up..thats impressive..haha
Mmmm....I LOVE butterscotch pudding. I have no idea how to replicate the flavor without using butterscotch chips. Or butter. Or scotch. And unfortunately, I don't stock any of those things in my house. Especially the scotch.
CCV, Your pictures are too cute! You always make me laugh (with you not at you of course :)
They say that tofu helps prevent baldness too, so the guys can keep looking like Elvis for longer. However beware. There may be a downside:
Tofu and Alzheimer's
Yep! That silken tofu is a winner! There are so many fabulous ideas here Katie. I'm a sucker for pumpkin pudding with cinnaman & stevia sprinkled on top. LOVE :) Also I do plain chocolate with a splash of coconut extract & lite coconut milk and that is delish. Love all of the ideas :) Happy Friday dear!
i actually like making soy sour cream with mori-nu:
2 small lemons+ mori nu lite+ splash of balsamic+ sea salt+ soy sour cream. i also like to mix things up by throwing some jalapenos (pickled) for a little spice.
love what you did with the pkg of tofu.
xo jewy
Oh my goodness -- you are brilliant Katie! As soon as I think of a flavor I like, you got it covered. Hmmmm. Perhaps a simple strawberry pudding made with fresh strawberries. Mmmmm.
Wow Katie, I am so excited about this post! I just purchased my first ever block of firm tofu today just for heck of it. I didnt even have any ideas for it. I unloaded the stuff and sat down at the computer to find this awesome post. Thanks a bunch!! I cant wait to try a pudding. :)
~Justine
That is a great idea! So much easier to work with than agar. My dream pudding is probably blueberry cheesecake or chocolate chip cookie dough!
Whoa! I <3 tofu because it's so verstile and nutritous, but you are branching lut to even further ideas! My dream pudding... maybe something like mocha fudge with chunks of other ramdom goodies like banana, frozen strawberries, PB swirls and graham cracker pieces... kinda ramdom, oh, and topped with soyatoo! ;)
My dream pudding flavor would be rocky road or banana chocolate almond. The other day at the grocery store I saw some silken tofu (the fresh kind, not aseptic) and it was already chocolate flavored! It said you could add to smoothies or make puddings...I thought it seemed interesting, but it was pretty expensive!
Cool! I will have to keep a record of this post for when I eventually buy tofu. It's nice to have such a versatile food.
wow holy cow, so many good ideas! :D i've got a box of firm mori-nu in my fridge and it's just dying for some of these applications! mmmmmmm yum yum. my ideal flavor would probably be a gingerbread-spice mix, or something chocolateley, with marshmallow fluff and/or praline. salivation!
Great ideas! I like your tofu pudding better than agar because it means I don't have to heat it. Thanks for the great post!
Joanna, I hear your pain as a soy intolerant vegan (and occasional vegetarian). However, tofu is a commonly used product and most people do not react to soy.
CCV, sorry to hijack your comments, but joanna needed an answer from someone in a similar boat. I will have to try some of your Agar pudding ideas and might even try it as a smoothie thickner. It has possiblities as you say.
I love this post!
How are you so brilliant? Really? My dream puddin' would be chocolate hazelnut peanut butter. YUMM
I'm still laughing about that picture :)
I agree- tofu is versatile and amazing (for vegans and carnivores alike!)
To the other anonymous commenter, it seems kind of weird. Why do you want to know all that stuff about CCV?
Well, my favorite food is Buffalo Wingz, extra sauce. So, um, Buffalo pudding? Might be worth a try :)
I think a Lemon Coconut Cranberry pudding would be most excellent (as a spin on my work-famous cranberry bars). And you can't go wrong with peanut butter & chocolate. Love your idea for s'mores pudding as well. And that picture you photoshopped up at the top is too funny!
Hey-
I think you should post about Brooklyn Fudge's Double Dutch Fudge because it is vegan and sooo good! It tastes like the best brownie never baked! Seriously- I melted some of it down and added a touch of soy milk and made it a frosting for cupcakes! OMG sooo good!
www.brooklynfudge.com
All hail tofu! I probably only eat tofu once a week, but what would I do without it!
I found a Vegetarian Times recipe for Chai-Rice Pudding... hmm, future?
Tofu is a wonder-man (or woman?)
Tofu, unhealthy? Honestly, Joanna, are you really tying to say that? Unlike pork, steak, cheese, beef, and about a bazillion other non vegan sources of protein, tofu is actually a healthy way to get your protein. If I were you, I'd be more worried about the non-vegan "foods" that you are consuming. Just think about all the hormones, antibiotics, chemicals, etc that go into cheese, milk, eggs... I'll take tofu any day!
green tea and adzuki beans pudding!
oh btw, on the tofu debate: actually the tofu we asians eat are quite different from the ones you buy in the supermarket...ours are less processed. I think tofu is definitely healthy, but make sure it is minimally processed and like all other foods, in moderation!
omg this is SUCH an awesome post. Thank you so much! These are fabulous ideas-and copy and paste! HAHAHAHA that photo-just amazing.
WOW, your puddings sound incredible! You should write a pudding cookbook, seriously!
I adore your tofu photo, too... :-)
Mmmm, I vote for coffee or chai pudding... :-)
love that picture and love this post! my dream pudding is chocolate covered PB!
Anonymous—
Oh my goodness, I DEFINITELY weigh over 70 pounds!!! (For the record, I also weigh over 80 pounds.) And as for height, I am 5’5. I always wanted to be 5’8… until I realized that shorter girls have the advantage of getting to wear heels and still not tower over the boys! Ha! As for calorie-counting, I don’t do it, but here’s a link to a post where I list a sample of everything I eat in a day:
http://howtogainweightonavegandiet.blogspot.com/2008/11/2600-calorie-post.html.
Thanks for the comment!
Joanna—
Actually, I don’t really eat a lot of tofu. I eat it maybe about 4 times a week, and I don’t really ever eat it more than once a day. But honestly, I think stressing out about eating only “perfect” foods is more detrimental to one’s health than eating a few processed foods now and then. Plus, eating *anything* in excess is bad—did you know that a person can die from acid poisoning if he/she eats too much broccoli?! It’s true! And there are many health benefits of tofu. As DJ pointed out in her comment, the Japanese have been eating it for years and years, and they have the longest lifespans of anyone! I know that conflicting research exists, but many studies show that including soyfoods such as tofu in one’s diet may help reduce the risk of certain cancers, heart disease, and osteoporosis. Furthermore, tofu is low-fat (with no saturated fat), cholesterol-free, and a good source of protein (it’s a complete protein). But you are certainly entitled to your opinion. I’m sure you probably eat some things that I would consider to be unhealthy (cheese or milk, perhaps?), so to each’s own! And you’re right—too much of anything, soy included, can be a bad thing. Variety is the spice of life!
Snugglebunny—
No worries! Please please please feel free to “hijack” my comment section any time you want to respond to another commenter! That’s what the comment section is for :o).
Second Anonymous—
I’m not going to post about the fudge, as I’ve never even had it… but good try to get me to give your company free advertising. Now if you’d like to send me a sample…
Lauren—Aww, thanks!
Second Lauren—I definitely agree with you that tofu is a MUCH healthier (not to mention more humane) source of protein than animal protein.
Everyone else--
Thanks for your comments, and I'll hopefully be visiting all your lovely blogs soon!
relax, relax...if you read my comment you'll see i said i was vegetarian...and still am. and have no problems with things like almond milk, nut protein, etc. and even tofu ON OCCASION. however, after going through a year of doctor mystery tests, etc, I came across a TON of women who were negatively effected by soy and it's products, milk and tofu included. hormonally effected. it's something to be aware of.
all i'm saying is be careful, there are better options out there that are NOT ANIMAL products, and not soy. no need to get defensive!
joanna--
As I said, to each's own.
Variety-- and not stressing out about one's diet-- are key to living a healthy life.
Joanna, I'm sorry to hear about your body's troubles with soy, but telling people that it's not real food just makes you sound like a screeching harpy.
And the way I read your last paragraph, it sounds as though you're saying that, categorically, there are better options than soy. This is just plain not true. I'm not saying that soy is the best, but our bodies are all different, and will have different reactions to various foods. I'd hardly think that almond milk would be a suitable option for someone with nut allergies.
Take care of yourself, but, once again, I don't think it's wise to generalize your own experiences as one that'll apply to everyone.
Thanks for answering my comment! I think it's great you don';t count calories, although I'm still jealous of your fast metabolism, even more so after I went to the link you gave me and see how much you can eat and still be so small!
To one of the other comments you got: joanna, it sounds like YOU are the one being defensive! Sorry, I know it's none of my business, but I just had to put my two cents in.
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