HOW DO I COOK WITH… TOFU
With a low GI and packed with protein and important minerals, use this in place of meat and your body will benefit
KITCHEN CUPBOARD HERO
VEGETABLE BROTH
BEST FOR Healthy blood pressure
Serves 1
250ml vegetable stock
100g dried noodles of your choice
75g tofu, cubed
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 red chilli, finely chopped
Thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
3 chestnut mushrooms, sliced
Juice of 1 lime
1½ tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp fresh chopped coriander
Bring the vegetable stock to the boil in a large saucepan. Add the noodles and cook for 2 mins. Add the tofu, soy sauce, chilli, ginger, mushrooms, lime juice and sesame oil and cook for five mins. Transfer to a serving bowl and scatter with chopped coriander. Serve.
HEALTHY BENEFITS Eating foods that contain isoflavones – so tofu – daily can help lower blood pressure, US research has shown. Why? Because isoflavones help to increase production of enzymes that create nitric oxide, which in turn helps dilate or widen blood vessels, reducing pressure, say the study’s authors. The compound in chillies, called capsaicin, is also thought to help relax blood vessels, so this broth provides a double hit!