hi Karen and anyone else looking for delicious lowcarb substitutes for high-fat dairy ingredients -

I tried a recipe from "the Allergy Self-Help Cookbook" by Marjorie Hurt-Jones, RN for tofu whipped cream, and it was great. Two days in the fridge, and it's still fluffy & creamy, not separating or going watery. The secret is to use the SILKEN tofu, not regular tofu floating in water.

Tofu Whipped Cream

3 Tbsp raw cashews
2 Tbsp safflower or other mild oil
2 Tbsp granular Splenda
2-4 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla extract
350 gm pkg silken tofu (Mori-nu Lite has fewer carbs too)
pinch salt, optional

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- In blender or food processor, grind the cashews to a fine powder. Add the oil, 2 Tbsp water, vanilla and Splenda. Blend well. Add tofu, a little at a time, until completely blended and creamy. It will thicken a bit with chilling, so you may wish to add 1 or 2 more Tbsp of water for a creamier consistency. I find a pinch of salt, less than 1/8 tsp helps to balance the blandness of the tofu. Chill well. Makes 1-1/2 cups.

total carbs - 11.8 gm, minus 4 gm fiber = 7.8 gm carbs
per 1/4 cup serving : 1.97 - .67 = 1.3 carbs, which is comparable to a similar amount of whipped dairy cream, and bonus of higher protein too.


I also found a recipe for tofu "sour cream", accompanying a recipe for Stroganoff. Truthfully, I haven't made it, but it sounds wonderful. To use in cooking, you add it at the end of the recipe, just like dairy sour cream, to prevent separation and curdling. This is from Annemarie Colbin's "the Natural Gourmet"

Tofu Sour Cream

350 gm pkg silken tofu (use the lite, has fewer carbs)
3 Tbsp mild vegetable oil
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt

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- Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor until creamy. Makes 1-1/2 cups.

total carbs - 5.8

:)
Doreen

[Edited by doreen T on 06-02-01 at 12:40]

Thanks Doreen!

Sounds totally groovy. I love the many forms of tofu, and really used to enjoy tofu almond pudding. I would get it at the manufacturer and it would still be warm...aagh! Time to stop!

Now I see that tofu mango pudding has appeared. :( The tofu whipped cream sounds like something new and exciting to get addicted to. ;)

I've made tofu mayonnaise--very similar to the tofu sour cream--and tofu egg salad before. The egg salad almost tastes like the real thing.

Karen

Silken Tofu
 

For those who can't find the packages of silken tofu, here's a hint to substitute regular tofu, the type you buy in blocks floating in water.

Drain the block(s) of tofu well, then steam over boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain on a rack to cool, and press to remove as much water as possible. The steaming will inactivate the enzymes in the tofu which can cause your recipe to separate and become watery. Use the cooled tofu as directed in the recipe. (*note - the carb count will be slightly higher for regular tofu - check the label)

Happy lowcarbing,

Doreen

[Edited by doreen T on 06-02-01 at 15:45]

QVESTION?
 

Doreen and/or Karen:
Do either of you have an idea as to why the cashews are used in the Tofu Whipped Cream recipe? [she muttered and mumbled to herself.... the chemistry of cooking... ]

Hi Judi,

It helps to create am emulsion, the way that egg yolks do when making mayonnaise. You can use almonds instead.

You see the same effect with pine nuts in pesto--helps the pesto cling to the pasta--and when making hummous. When the tahini goes into the chick peas, the mixture thickens.

Karen

I tried this recipe tonight. It turned out like liquid more then fluff, but I think I know why. You didn't rteally specify to use firm tofu. I bought soft because I thought it would be like a puree. Looking at the recipe on a different site though it states firm tofu cut into cubes. I'll try that next time.

Also for a sweetner it recomends 1/4 cup maple syrup (it's not LC obviously) I wonder though if using Atkins syrup instead of the water and splenda would work.

I've got some whipped with pumpkin atm though, it will be a nice dairy free treat since I can't handle real heavy cream without cravings. :)

I've made this with the soft/silken tofu and it does work. You have to grind the nuts really well or the mixture won't thicken.

What I do now is use a nut butter in place of the nuts. It's much smoother than when made with whole nuts.

Karen

Now that it's been sittin g in the fridge it thickened great. I just had to have patients. I used to many nuts though I think, hard to measure out whole nuts. It didn't turn otu bad, just nutty :) Probably messed with the carb count, but not enough per serving I am going to evenblink over it. I had some whipped with pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice last night. It was really good. I'll have to try the nut butter. I wonder if macadamia would work. I have some of that that's lived in my fridge forever (amazingly I think it's still good)

hi there,

It's best if you can find specifically silken tofu, which comes vacuum-sealed in cardboard tetra-paks .. not the block tofu that's packaged in a tub of water. Regular block tofu has to be drained and pressed before use to remove excess water, and even so it tends to separate with storage. Silken tofu has a lower water content to start with.

p.s. - Thanks for reviving this recipe .. think I'll make some this week to top a pumpkin mousse :).


Doreen

Try using raw almonds. They work really well.

Karen

Doreen or Karen,
Just did a search for some tofu-based treats (trying to stay away from dairy) and the whipped cream looks delicious. I have almond flour (Bob's Red Mill). I'm wondering how much of that I would need to add instead of the 3 tbsp of whole nuts? Would pre-ground nuts work?

Tam

Hi Tammy,

No, you have to use whole nuts. The ground ones just don't emulsify as well.

Karen

Thanks, Karen - your expertise is always a blessing!

Tam