Tofu
Tofu For Your Baby
Tofu or bean curd is one of those "new age", California, "granola eater" type foods. It is a great source of protein that is low in calories and contains beneficial amounts of iron. The production of tofu from soy milk is similar to the production of cheese from milk. We like to think of it as "bean cheese". It has little flavor so adults will need to season it to make it palatable. For baby tofu is a great first finger food because it is soft enough to mush with little or no teeth but substantial enough to pick up with little fingers.
Tofu is in Week 9 of Babyfood101's Course - Please Join Us
Recommended products for your baby:
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
When is baby ready?
8 months old
How to buy
Tofu most commonly is sold in vacuum packs and is usually found in the produce section of the grocery store. It is impossible to buy a "baby" sized serving, so once you buy a block of it you are stuck. If you don't intend to eat it, the best way to deal with the extra is to freeze it. You will see three varieties of tofu at the grocery store:
- Firm tofu is dense and solid and is higher in protein, fat and calcium than other forms of tofu.
- Soft tofu is a good first choice for baby because it has shape but is soft enough to mush it baby's mouth.
- Silken tofu is made by a slightly different process that results in a creamy, custard-like product. This is the softest and can be mixed with other fruits and vegetables.
For our purposes, we suggest buying soft tofu and then moving up to firm as baby can grasp his/her own food.
Homemade Baby Food Recipe
Cut off little chunks and feed to baby.
How to store
Once the tofu package is open, leftover tofu should be rinsed and covered with fresh water for storage. Change the water daily to keep it fresh, and use the tofu within a week. You can also freeze tofu (wrap in plastic wrap or put in a ziploc) for baby size servings.
Are there baby food jars?
No.
Should I buy organic?
Soy beans are a heavily sprayed legume. Their shells should protect them from pesticide contamination, but the USDA has not made a recommendation here.
Adult Recipe
We are going to give two recipes - one sweet and one savory.
Tofu Smoothie
1/2 package soft tofu
1 medium banana
1 cups unsweetened juice
1 cup frozen berries
Add to blender, blend, and drink!
Tofu Salad
1/2 package soft tofu
2 scallions
soy sauce to taste
Chop tofu and scallions and add soy sauce. Serve with rice.
Tofu is in Week 9 of Babyfood101's Course - Please Join Us
