Nutrition Notes

Is Tofu Good for You?

Health information on tofu has gone back and forth through the years. Essentially, tofu is a plant-based “cottage cheese” made from soymilk curds that have been pressed together to firm it up. Tofu is an excellent source of protein and one of the few plant-based sources of complete protein. It also provides a decent amount of calcium and iron. While soybeans have plenty of fiber, tofu loses most of it during processing.

Is Spinach Healthy?

Spinach is a leafy green that’s chock-full of nutrition. Eating spinach provides fiber, iron, calcium, potassium, folate and vitamins A and K. These nutrients plus the antioxidants in spinach have been shown to protect eye, bone and skin health, as well as improve blood pressure.

Tips from the Test Kitchen

What Can I Serve This Tofu Scramble With?

The sky’s the limit. For breakfast, a tofu scramble goes well with anything you’d typically serve with eggs: fresh in-season fruit, roasted potatoes, smoked salmon, breakfast meats or plant-based meat alternatives. If you plan on serving the scramble with toast, liven it up with a swipe of hummus, peanut butter, fresh avocado or an olive tapenade. For lunch or dinner, serve it with a salad. A few of our favorites include Chopped Cucumber & Tomato Salad with Lemon, Avocado Caprese Salad and Simple Cabbage Salad.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use Another Kind of Tofu?

From soft to extra-firm, each type of tofu will react differently to cooking and flavorings depending on its consistency and texture. We chose to use an extra-firm block of tofu for this recipe because it has the least moisture, which means it will hold up the best in skillet cooking. It also has the most chew. And while softer varieties are better for soaking up sauces, marinades and flavorings, that’s not a concern for this recipe because the extra-firm tofu is crumbled into smaller pieces, creating more surface area for flavors to adhere to.

What Is Nutritional Yeast?

Nutritional yeast is a fine or flaky powder with a cheesy, umami flavor that goes well on popcorn, mashed potatoes and cooked vegetables, and adds flavor to soups and stews. Nutritional yeast is grown on such things as blackstrap molasses and sugar beets, and it’s created from the same yeast as brewer’s yeast (for making beer) and baker’s yeast (for making bread). However, nutritional yeast is inactive, and you need an active yeast for making beer and bread. As the name implies, nutritional yeast is nutritious—it’s high in vitamins B12, B6 and folate. It’s usually found in your local grocery store’s baking or health-foods aisle.

Additional reporting by Carrie Myers, M.S. and Linda Frahm