Add Tofu to Dressings, Marinades and Sauces

Chef Bryant Terry created ripples in kitchens all across the world a couple of years ago when he published an incredible recipe in his cookbook. The recipe in question was asparagus with a lemon pepper marinade. So what's so surprising here you ask? Well, Terry used a little bit of silken tofu as the base for his marinade. Epicurious discovered that adding tofu to Terry's lemon-vinegar-mustard marinade gave the bright and pungent recipe a creamy texture and a characteristic similar to ranch dressing. Terry says you may use medium or firm tofu in place of silky tofu in his marinade as long as you blend it well and only use an eighth of the silken tofu that has to be replaced.

The cheese-like creamy texture of the pesto sauce in this tofu pesto pasta is also due to tofu. Another example comes from cookbook author Elizabeth Andoh, who told Serious Eats that she loves to add a bit of miso paste to her tofu dressing to disguise the raw soy flavor. Serious Eats also discovered that depending on whether you use soft or firm tofu, you can make the sauce either a smooth spread or a thicker dipping sauce.