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Written by Kathy Manweiler, MCT
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Monday, 30 April 2007 |
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I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with tofu.
Until recently, I had never even tried it. Nutrition-wise, I knew it would be good for me, but from the looks of it, I couldn't see how it could possibly taste good.
My taste buds can be picky. I don't even like ground turkey, so I knew the idea of "tofurkey" wouldn't fly with me.
But since learning to eat healthy after years of overdosing on junk food, I figured there had to be at least a couple of tofu dishes that I would like.
It's a very versatile ingredient. I found recipes for everything from tofu stir-fries to tofu cheesecake, so I chose several options that looked promising and put on my chef's hat.
I eased into this experiment with tofu parmigiana, thinking that anything breaded, fried and covered with sauce and cheese couldn't taste terrible.
The author claimed the recipe was so good that anyone who ate it would swear it was veal or eggplant. Well, it was edible, but the only thing about that recipe that made me want to swear was figuring out later just how many calories and fat grams tofu parmigiana contains.
After that dietary disappointment, I didn't have the nerve to even try the recipes for tofu stir-fry or tofu and watercress salad.
There was one more recipe left in my pile - a chocolate mousse made with tofu. I was skeptical, but I'm glad I didn't give up before I tried it.
Cooking Light named this recipe one of its Top 10 desserts. I make it a little healthier by using dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet.
The key to this recipe is blending the melted chocolate chips and tofu together until the mixture is completely smooth. And you'll want to have a candy thermometer handy to make sure the sugar water reaches the right temperature.
This recipe tricks my taste buds into thinking that I'm giving them an ultra-rich dessert that no diet on Earth would endorse. But the truth is that a serving of this mousse contains only 147 calories and 5.6 fat grams. Plus, it has 5.2 grams of protein.
In comparison, a half-cup serving of a typical chocolate mousse recipe contains 397 calories and a whopping 34 fat grams.
By choosing this chocolate mousse instead, you'll save 250 calories and 28.4 fat grams. And if your taste buds are like mine, they'll never guess that they're swooning over tofu.
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CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
¾ cup dark chocolate chips, melted
1 12.3-ounce package reduced-fat extra-firm silken tofu (such as Mori-Nu)
¼ teaspoon salt
3 large egg whites
½ cup sugar
¼ cup water
8 tablespoons Cool Whip Lite
Optional garnishes: grated chocolate or cocoa powder
Place melted chocolate chips and tofu in a food processor or blender and process 2 minutes or until smooth.
Place salt and egg whites in a medium bowl and beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 238 degrees.
Pour hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over egg whites, beating at high speed. Gently stir one-fourth of meringue into tofu mixture, then gently fold in remaining meringue. Spoon ½ cup mousse into each of eight 6-ounce custard cups. Cover and chill at least four hours.
Garnish each cup with 1 tablespoon of Cool Whip Lite. If desired, add a sprinkling of grated chocolate or cocoa powder.
Serves 8.
Per serving (not including grated chocolate or cocoa powder): 147 calories, 5.6 fat grams, 23 carb grams, 134 mg sodium, 0.2 grams of fiber.
—Slightly adapted from a Cooking Light recipe.
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WE'LL SLIM IT DOWN FOR YOU
Do you have a favorite food or popular recipe that you'd like to see made healthier? Send your ideas and recipes, along with a daytime phone number, to me at
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or:
Don't Say Diet
c/o McClatchy Newspapers
825 E. Douglas
Wichita, KS 67202
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Reach Kathy Manweiler at 316-268-6266 or
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