This recipe for chickpea tofu (Ela Vegan) is ideal for people who like eating tofu (it has no flavour, so just absorbs flavours of what you marinate it with) but are concerned over sustainability issues or prefer not to eat soy.
Before cooking, read up on kitchen safety for people and pets.
This is ‘Burmese tofu’ that is made simply with chickpea flour (high in protein) with water and optional salt and turmeric (to make it yellow). The recipe creator gives instructions to make both firm tofu (for savoury dishes) and silken tofu (above).
If you prefer to buy ready-made, look in stores for Tofoo. This brand is made with organic soybeans in Yorkshire, and comes in plain or flavoured versions (there’s even a ready-made tofu scramble for breakfast. Recycle packaging at kerbside or supermarket bag bins.
Top Plant-Based Protein Sources
Chickpeas are one of the main sources of plant-based protein, along with tofu. But there are many more.
- All tinned beans are good (if using dried, boil kidney beans first to remove a toxin – it’s much easier to buy tinned!)
- Tempeh is from Indonesia. Better Nature is a good brand in stores, pre-flavoured with Mediterranean flavours, just use like you would meat in recipes. It’s great with pasta sauce.
- Quinoa is naturally grown in South America, and after rinsing, makes a super-food. You can now buy British quinoa, for local food miles.
- And of course, nuts and seeds are good. Buy sustainable almonds (not ones from over the pond that can harm bees through growing). And choose palm-oil-free peanut butters.
Nut and seed butters are also choking hazards for young children, not just whole nuts and seeds.
