TUBU OR NOT TO TUBU?

Some Like it Hot : TUBU CHIGAE

Since becoming a vegetarian recently I have been eating a lot of tubu ( Korean for tofu ). Illustrated above is one of my favorite concoctions, Tubu Chigae, or Tofu Stew. The red pepper paste ( kochujang ) is to say the least pretty hot, but it is delicious. Korean food is rather convenient for vegetarians as it ordinarily used meat as a condiment and can be rather easily substituted with tubu or omitted altogether.

My one fear in turning vegetarian was that I would be hungry all the time, but I actually wasn't because the plant foods are high in fiber and I can eat as much as I want.

Some of my friends want to eat more tofu but are at a loss on how to cook it. For a healthy, delicious and easy to make soup the entire family can eat ( it's not spicy ), try the following recipe for Spinach-Tubu soup , which serves 4 :

2 bundles fresh spinach
1 package of soft Tubu
Miso, or bean paste ( season to taste ), or
chicken broth
3 cups water
2 Green Onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Black pepper

Wash spinach 5-6 times. In large pot, slowly mix Miso with water to form a paste. Start with 3 tablespoons miso and if not salty enough, add more. Add water, bring to a boil and add spinach, garlic, tubu, and green onions. Simmer until spinach is tender. I eat it with brown rice but my hubby wouldn't even dream of anything but white rice. Anyhoo, he's skinny so he doesn't have to worry about calories. It's still a mystery to me how Asians can consume all that white rice and not pack on the pounds.

So I'm just stuffing myself with all kinds of veggies, beans, brown rice, fruit, and occasionally, eggs and whole grain pasta. I drink Soymilk, which doesn't taste as bad as I had imagined it would. I feel SO healthy. I'm just waiting for a " melt-down " of the pounds I put on while suffering through the long Chicago winter and not being physically active due to my foot condition and surgery.

I haven't had meat in 3 weeks and I'm surprised to say that I don't miss it that much. I think summer will be even easier with all the fresh vegetables and salads. More on my adventures in veggieland later.