High protein tofu recipes for runners
The past few weeks I've been experimenting with tofu recipes from Scott Jurek's part-memoir, part-cookbook Eat and Run.
Every other article on runners' nutrition talks about protein. Chicken is a long-standing favourite for its versatile, low fat, high protein, all-round deliciousness.
But I'm bored of chicken. I'm bored of a lot of meat right now. There has to be a more balanced, diverse way of getting that protein hit after a run. So I'm shaking things up a bit.
I'm a huge fan of any literature that explores ultrarunning. So when Jurek published some of his vegan recipes, I leapt at the chance of discovering how one of the world's greatest ultrarunners succeeds on a meat-free diet.
Homemade pizza bread with tofu 'feta' and Western States Trail 'cheese' spread were up first. Getting the ingredients together isn't as bad as you might think - if I didn't already have something in the cupboards, a quick visit to a whole foods store got me everything I needed. I use Beanfreaks in Cardiff.
What I loved about both of these recipes is how quick they were to make. While the pizza bread is great for the variety of ways you can mix it up and do your own toppings (I chose mushroom, olive and sundried tomato), my favourite was the Western States Trail cheese spread. Moreish beyond belief. I had it on toast with a few salad leaves and tomato, kept some for a sandwich the next day, then froze the rest. After defrosting, the taste and texture was exactly the same, making it perfect for preparing in large batches.
Since then I've experimented with a few of my own tofu recipes. I marinated chunks in miso, ginger, soy sauce and honey; before throwing it in a quick stir fry with plenty of cashew nuts. Superseded all of my chicken stir fry dishes by far.
So there you have it. Meat-eaters need to embrace plant-based foods more. It's not expensive (otherwise I wouldn't have even tried it), it's not difficult to prepare (again, wouldn't go there) and it was such a delicious change.
Next up, tempeh.
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| Jurek's pizza bread with tofu 'feta' |
Every other article on runners' nutrition talks about protein. Chicken is a long-standing favourite for its versatile, low fat, high protein, all-round deliciousness.
But I'm bored of chicken. I'm bored of a lot of meat right now. There has to be a more balanced, diverse way of getting that protein hit after a run. So I'm shaking things up a bit.
I'm a huge fan of any literature that explores ultrarunning. So when Jurek published some of his vegan recipes, I leapt at the chance of discovering how one of the world's greatest ultrarunners succeeds on a meat-free diet.
Homemade pizza bread with tofu 'feta' and Western States Trail 'cheese' spread were up first. Getting the ingredients together isn't as bad as you might think - if I didn't already have something in the cupboards, a quick visit to a whole foods store got me everything I needed. I use Beanfreaks in Cardiff.
 |
| Everything you need for your own vegan cheese spread |
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| Mix... and you're done! |
What I loved about both of these recipes is how quick they were to make. While the pizza bread is great for the variety of ways you can mix it up and do your own toppings (I chose mushroom, olive and sundried tomato), my favourite was the Western States Trail cheese spread. Moreish beyond belief. I had it on toast with a few salad leaves and tomato, kept some for a sandwich the next day, then froze the rest. After defrosting, the taste and texture was exactly the same, making it perfect for preparing in large batches.
 |
| Satisfying snack - and leftover mix freezes really well |
Since then I've experimented with a few of my own tofu recipes. I marinated chunks in miso, ginger, soy sauce and honey; before throwing it in a quick stir fry with plenty of cashew nuts. Superseded all of my chicken stir fry dishes by far.
So there you have it. Meat-eaters need to embrace plant-based foods more. It's not expensive (otherwise I wouldn't have even tried it), it's not difficult to prepare (again, wouldn't go there) and it was such a delicious change.
Next up, tempeh.
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