To Fu or Not To Fu?

Hello again! Two posts in a week..what has gotten into me? Well, I'm very excited about two new soy products I found in the market last week and just had to share. This is NOT the promised tofu post I wrote about in my last post..that's coming soon (and there will be mangoes)! But first, I have some older friends (boomers) who write and pronounce tofu as "To Fu." I have no idea the reason for this. When they speak it, they even pause between the "To" and the "Fu." It sounds and looks so odd to me! They can't explain why..it's just how they were first exposed to tofu. I, however, was raised on the Fu but we always called it "tofu" back in the seventies and eighties. Gosh, did my mom rock or what? Small town in NH back then when tofu wasn't a staple in the markets..yet hummus and tofu were regulars in our house. I'm still amazed...anyway, I digress, check these guys out:

I stumbled across Nasoya's Silken Creations soy starter for desserts/smoothies. I thought, well, how good could this be? I picked up the chocolate and thought, well, let's give it a try. OMG. Like total rich chocolately velvet pudding. I remember trying some other brand of soy chocolate pudding cups..found them disgusting..thought this might fall into this category. Happy to report that I was TOTALLY wrong. This stuff is amazing! You can eat it right out of the container (um, which is why I don't have my own pics..devoured this stuff..okay in several sittings but forgot to take a picture). Whirled with a little almond, coconut, or peppermint extract OR with some berries, amazing dinner-party ready dessert if you don't have time to whip something else together. Trust me, I am the toughest chocolate critic I know..this stuff rocks!

The second product I found was from Vermont Soy. They make a variety of products including artisan tofu! Wow..it's about time, yay! This tofu will be featured in an upcoming tofu post dancing with mangoes..he he he! I was also so excited to see that they have just released a maple-ginger tofu..oh, wait til I get my hands on that one. I'm also thrilled to support a local New England business. I keep thinking of Vermont as "just across the river" on account of me growing up in New Hampshire, right on the border of Vermont..in reality I am now a couple of hours away here in Boston. However, the distance does nothing to quell my fondness for all things Vermont (and of course, Maple..grade B? Oh yeah). And just look at the goodies Vermont Soy is working on for us! "We're working on an okara burger, a soy creamer and a new soymilk flavored with organic Vermont maple syrup. Stay tuned!" You betcha! Check out their web site recipe section..

Do you have trouble with soy sometimes? Me too. I was so upset last year when I thought I'd have to break up with tofu! However, I've found that my stomach is selective about just what exactly kind of soy I am eating. Super processed soy such as soy protein powders or the soy protein isolate that is found in so many vegan/vegetarian "fast foods" really bothers my stomach. I can't eat very much, especially of those bars that have a lot of processed soy. BUT soy that is less processed such as artisan tofu and tempeh are not a problem. Organic probably helps too since so much processed soy is GMO (nasty genetically modified). If you have trouble with soy, could it be the same with you? Not sure but maybe try my little experiment by looking at the kind of soy that you are eating and see what happens. Then you and tofu can be true loves always once again!