I've been a vegan since 2018, so it might surprise you that I didn't eat tofu for nearly two years into my plant-based journey. I stuck to beans and other meat alternatives.
Growing up in a small town, and from a "meat and potatoes" kind of family, I wasn't very familiar with tofu. Even as a young adult, I'd tried all sorts of wild dishes — including alligator and haggis — but still, this bean curd evaded me.
If you read the headline and pictured bland or spongey meals, I feel you. The beauty of tofu is its ability to soak up any flavour it's paired with.
You can add it to every meal and use it in more ways than you'd think. And the texture? Well, it turns out there are different types.
Jenna Marie Schwartz | Narcity
Though I've been a reformed tofu-avoider for a while, I was in somewhat of a rut. After discovering recipes that I truly love — like tofu feta, which I often eat by itself — I stopped trying new things.
As I expanded my soy-based horizons, I wanted to try Sunrise Soya Foods, the leading Canadian tofu brand. Maybe their various products could shake me out of my pandemic-induced cooking fatigue.
Incorporating this non-GMO protein into my everyday routine led me to discover new ways to blend, crumble and air-fry quick and easy meals that pack quite the punch.
Breakfast
Tofu scrambles are one of my favourite dishes, no matter the hour. And it's such a customizable recipe — you can keep it traditional with some black salt or add veggies for a nutrient-packed start to your day.
To cook this, all you need is some nutritional yeast, turmeric, firm tofu and black salt.
The texture is a personal preference and can be made with other products, but for me, the Sunrise Extra Firm Tofu is the perfect base for a simple scramble. Once you have the basics down, mix in tomatoes, spinach, kale, onions, mushrooms or anything else you'd add to a typical omelette.
One block of product makes plenty, plus it keeps nicely in the fridge for upcoming days. Meal-prep lovers will rejoice with this easy-to-reheat dish.
Jenna Marie Schwartz | Narcity
Next, the dessert tofu presented my biggest challenge, but several blogs suggested putting it in a smoothie. Now we're cooking with gas (or rather blending with tofu?).
Adding the Sunrise Almond Flavour Tofu Dessert to a banana pineapple kale smoothie didn't prolong my breakfast routine — although it did lend an unmatched creaminess to my dose of leafy greens.
Jenna Marie Schwartz | Narcity
Thus far, the weekly challenge is off to a promising start, with two winners beginning the day.
Lunch
This week's goal of adding tofu into every meal allowed me to reclaim my lunch hour by making tasty, satiating meals (without the temptation of answering emails).
Smoked tofu and I have previously had our disagreements, but after giving it another shot, it seems my allegiances lie with Sunrise Soya Foods — or maybe distance makes the taste buds grow fonder?
Because it's already pre-cooked and bursting with flavour, Sunrise Smoked Tofu needs no prep and serves as the ultimate sandwich-meat substitute.
Jenna Marie Schwartz | Narcity
The foundation of a good sandwich, in my opinion, is delectable protein and sprouts. It's usually all I need, but I wanted to try something outside of my wheelhouse for a change.
I turned to food blogger Alison's Allspice for her smoked tofu sandwich recipe. I added pickles, cabbage slaw, vegan honey mustard and anything that could be considered a sandwich topping.
I may have been caught midnight-snacking on a quarter block a few nights ago. Cue my new love affair with smoked tofu.
Snacks
Tofu dips aren't new to me. You can find the odd one at your local grocery store, but vegans beware: some have sneaky eggs added.
Sunrise has some incredible inspiration on their website, and once I saw a recipe for spinach dip, I knew I was done for.
Jenna Marie Schwartz | Narcity
I think it's the best party food, but vegan options for cream cheese miss the mark for me. It's been a hot minute since I've dunked pumpernickel bread into a bowl of the good stuff.
Enter Medium Firm Tofu and an easy recipe, and suddenly I'm a believer again.
The finished product was so tasty that I sprung it on unsuspecting guests. They couldn't tell the difference between this and dairy-based dip — it's genuinely that good. And I haven't stopped eating it since.
Jenna Marie Schwartz | Narcity
You can also use it for the dip in your next snack recipe — baked tofu bites.
I've recently hopped on the air-fryer train, but I hadn't yet attempted to make a crispy dish.
Pressed Tofu in a garlicky soy sauce and nutritional yeast batter (pictured above) makes for great nuggets. These savoury, crisp cubes were a satisfying mid-week snack and only took 15 minutes to prep and air-fry.
You could bake these bad boys too. Now, time to dip!
Jenna Marie Schwartz | Narcity
Dinner
I'd fried, crumbled and blended my way through the week so far. Time to try another culinary skill: marinating.
I hadn't made tofu feta in a while, despite it being one of my favourites.
A craving for veggies provided the perfect opportunity to marinate cubed Sunrise Firm Tofu with apple cider vinegar, miso, lemon juice, garlic and herbs for an umami masterpiece fit for a starter salad.
I've tried a fair variety, but this recipe remains number one. Bookmark it for later.
Jenna Marie Schwartz | Narcity
Onto the main event. Tofu is often used in curries, so what better way to craft a quick and hearty dinner than a coconut curry squash lentil stew?
I chose the Extra Firm Tofu, added some curry powder and garam masala, and this 35-minute dish did not disappoint.
It yielded over four servings, so you'll have plenty to go around, plus leftovers — meal prep FTW.
Jenna Marie Schwartz | Narcity
I wanted to revisit my new fave the following night: smoked tofu.
This smoked tofu udon recipe with miso, greens and mirin seemed like an enticing way to turn the sandwich-stuffer into a warm meal.
It's essentially just tofu, udon, veg stock for slurping, and a topping of sprouts. This delightful dish was a crowd-pleaser on game night. I'm adding it to my weekly rotation — so fast and yummy.
Jenna Marie Schwartz | Narcity
Dessert
Surely this was going to be the step that broke me — the one that convinced me tofu couldn't actually do it all, that nothing tastes as good as dairy.
I was so wrong — and delighted to admit it. A vegan tiramisu sounds too good to be true, but with soft or medium firm tofu, it really isn't.
Paired with almond butter, rum (or extract) and maple syrup, plus a few spices set atop a Medjool date and instant coffee "crust," it makes for the tastiest end to the day.
Don't just take my word for it. My omnivore guest was shocked at how delicious this was: "10 out of 10 — would eat again."
Jenna Marie Schwartz | Narcity
Final Thoughts
My tofu-for-every-meal challenge is now complete, and each outcome was a hit.
This soy-based ingredient has endless possibilities — from smoothies and dips to traditional dinners and mouthwatering desserts.
Sunrise Soya Foods are available in nearly every grocery store (selection may vary), which makes it super easy to find their items.
Regardless of your kitchen skills or tofu-confidence level, the versatile options make cooking simple and flavourful. Plus, they're a GMO-free Canadian brand, so you can help support local.
This week reignited my love of soybean protein while adding a deck of new options to my rotation, including some that I've bookmarked for later (like this strawberry cheesecake recipe from Sunrise — I'm now a tofu-for-dessert advocate).
To get tofu inspiration for meat, egg and dairy swaps, visit Sunrise Soya Foods' website or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Although products were provided for free in this review, the author's opinions are genuine and do not reflect the views of Narcity Media.