No-Moo Tofu Berry "Ice Cream"

I have a number of lactose-intolerant friends, all of whom LOVE ice cream but can't eat it. What torture! I myself was craving ice cream after an unfortunate lab for my food science class required me to make and then sample hot chillies...bad news, dudes.

There are numerous soy- and almond- based ice creams available, but boy are they expensive! And a handful contain some funky ingredients, so I decided to try and make my own dairy-free frozen treat.

Ingredients (makes 4-5 servings):

• 12 oz extra firm tofu, drained (I plan on playing around with different types of tofu to see which firmness works best here)
• 2.5 c frozen mixed berries
• 1c soy milk
• 1 TBS agave (or honey)
• 1 Tsp vanilla extract

 Drain, Dump, Blend:

1.  Drain the tofu and press out any excess water with a dish towel.
2. Blend tofu, 1/2 cup soy milk, agave, and vanilla until smooth. Add berries in three parts and blend together. Add additional soy milk as needed to allow the mixture to blend. I ended up using about 1 c soy milk.
3.  Now for the hard part... RESIST eating it just yet! Transfer the berry tofu mixture into a sealed container and stick it in the freezer for 3-4 hours or until it solidifies. Stir every hour or so, as the edges will freeze faster than the center.At the 3-4 hour mark it is a scoopable consistency, but if left overnight it becomes rock solid. Nothing a quick defrost in the microwave can't fix.

Soy: Cancer culprit?
The estrogen-like compounds in soy have been accused of predisposing women to breast cancer. There are other studies that suggest that  among women with breast cancer, consuming soy-based foods such as tofu was associated with a decreased risk of death and recurrence.The bottom line is that too much, or too little, of any number of lifestyle or diet factors can lead to disease. It is difficult to trace cancer back to one definitive cause. Maintaining an active lifestyle, abstaining from certain activities such as smoking, and consuming a varied and plant-based diet (which can include soy) is your best bet for preventing cancer.
Another note on soy: along with corn, soy is one of the most heavily genetically modified crops. I don't buy all of my produce organic, but soy (tofu and soy milk) I buy organic without fail. We're not really sure of all the negative effects of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) quite yet.

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Confession: I hate cauliflower.

Raw, it burns the roof of my mouth. Weird, right? Maybe it's an allergy...Cooked in macaroni and cheesy goodness, however, cauliflower is magnificent!

I adapted this recipe from Runner's world to make my mac and cheese. My friend's wife who has an aversion to all veggies tried it and love it as is. I made mine with a greater cauliflower to pasta ratio and added some other goodies.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 c vegetable broth
• 1 head cauliflower (mine was HUGE and made ~6c chopped and cored)
• Salt - enough for salting boiling water
• 1.5 TBS dried mustard
• 1c shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2TBS olive oil + 1 TBS
• 1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ~3/4 lb (4c dry) pasta (elbow, bowtie, or ritoni would probably work best)
• Black pepper to taste
• 1/2c Parmesan cheese

Makin' Mac Magical...

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Heat 2.5 c veggie stock in a sauce pan to a boil, then turn off heat.
3. Boil a large pot of salted water
4. Cut and core 1 head of cauliflower (~6c total)
5. Boil cauliflower for 15 minutes.
6. Saute chopped onion and garlic in 1TBS olive oil until translucent.
7. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cauliflower from the pot of water to a colander set over a clean dish towel. You will re-use the boiling water for the pasta.
8. Add pasta to the boiling water, cook according to directions on package (something like boil for 8-10 mins)
9. Press a plate or bowl down on the cauliflower to press out excess water. Transfer the cauliflower to a blender (or food processor if you're lucky enough to have one!).
10. To the blender, add the warm vegetable stock, sauteed onion and garlic, 1.5 TBS dry mustard, 1c shredded cheese, 1/4 tsp nutmeg 2 TBS olive oil and pepper (~0.5 TBS). Blend until smooth.
11. Mix blender contents and drained pasta. Transfer to a 9x13 pan sprayed with olive oil.
12. Top with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese on top melts ans browns a bit.

Colorless Cauliflower...

In a previous post, I promoted eating colorful foods - especially fruits and veggies - for the phytochemicals they contain. Cauliflower may be white... but it does not lack in nutritional value!
Cauliflower has an extremely low glycemic index of 2 (on a scale of 0-100). It's also a fabulous source of fiber, folate, and vitamins C and K. Fun fact: humans and guinea pigs are the only animals on earth that cannot make their own vitamin C!

Furthermore, a study published in 2011 (Hooper, L.V.) found that specific dietary compounds present in cruciferous vegetables (like cauliflower and broccoli) promote intestinal immune function. Your intestinal tract is something of an MVP for your immune system, so keeping your digestive tract healthy keeps YOU healthy.