Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol, Low-Cost Tofu Is High in Public Interest

Dear SOS: The Tofu Fillet Sandwich served at Follow Your Heart Restaurant is really delicious. I believe many of your readers would appreciate having this recipe, myself included.

--MRS. S.D.

Dear Mrs. S.D.: Tofu is slowly winning more and more friends because of its low-fat, low-cholesterol, low-calorie and low-cost assets. Tofu, soy bean curd, has been a nutritious, high-protein meat substitute in the diets of Oriental populations for thousands of years. Although a bland-tasting product, tofu prepared this way is, indeed, delicious. TOFU FILLET SANDWICH

2 pounds tofu block

1/2 cup safflower oil

Breading Mix

6 whole-wheat buns, split

Tartar Sauce

2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced

6 romaine lettuce leaves

3 cups alfalfa sprouts (about 1/2 pound)

Carrot chips

6 lemon wedges

Rinse tofu in cold water. Cut each block into 3 lengthwise slices to make 6 slices. Place safflower oil in shallow pan and Breading Mix in another shallow pan. Dip each piece tofu in oil, then coat thoroughly with Breading Mix.

Place breaded tofu slices on greased baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees 5 to 10 minutes or until heated through. Toast split sides of buns lightly and spread with Tartar Sauce. Top 6 bun halves with 1 tofu slice, a few tomato slices, lettuce leaf and about 1/2 cup sprouts. Garnish with carrot chips and lemon wedges. Makes 6 servings. Breading Mix

1 3/4 cups whole-wheat bread crumbs

2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

Combine bread crumbs, whole-wheat flour, onion powder and salt. Tartar Sauce

1/2 cup eggless mayonnaise substitute or regular mayonnaise

3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Combine mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish and cream of tartar. Blend well.

Dear SOS: You printed a candy-bar pie recipe that I can no longer locate. Would you kindly send me this recipe?

--MRS. J.S.

Dear Mrs. J.S.: We’ve printed several recipes of the type over the years. Here is one of them, in hopes it’s the one you miss. MILK CHOCOLATE BAR PIE

Chocolate Petal Crust

1 (1/2-pound) milk chocolate bar or milk chocolate bar with almonds

1/3 cup milk

1 1/2 cups miniature or 15 regular marshmallows

1 cup whipping cream

Whipped cream topping or chilled cherry pie filling, optional

Prepare Chocolate Petal Crust and set aside. Break chocolate bar, chopping almonds, if used, into small pieces. Melt with milk in top of double boiler over hot water. Add marshmallows, stirring until melted. Cool completely.

Whip cream until stiff, then fold into chocolate mixture. Pour into Chocolate Petal Crust. Chill several hours until firm. Garnish with whipped cream topping. Makes 8 servings.

Chocolate Petal Crust

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Shape soft dough into 2 (1 1/2-inch) rolls. Wrap in wax paper. Chill until firm.

Cut 1 roll into 1/8-inch slices. Arrange, edges touching, on bottom and sides of greased 9-inch pie pan. (Small spaces in crust will not affect pie.) Bake at 375 degrees 8 to 10 minutes. Cool.

Note: Freeze any leftover dough for use for pie crust or cookies.

Dear SOS: I would like to have the recipe for squaw bread served at some restaurants in this area. It’s dark, dense and sweet.

--MRS. P.K.

Dear Mrs. P.K.: The bread, which has come to be associated with California dining, is usually made commercially for restaurants, but Marilyn Martell, a cookbook author and county fair prizing-winning cook, developed this recipe with excellent results. It’s as close as you’ll get to the commercial product. MARILYN MARTELL’S SQUAW BREAD

2 cups water

1/3 cup oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup raisins

5 tablespoons brown sugar

2 packages dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

2 1/2 cups unbleached flour, about

3 cups whole-wheat flour, about

1 1/2 cups rye flour, about

1/2 cup nonfat dry milk

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

Cornmeal

Melted butter or margarine

Combine water, oil, honey, raisins and 1/4 cup brown sugar in blender. Blend to liquefy. Soften yeast in warm water with remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar.

Sift together 1 cup unbleached flour, 2 cups whole-wheat flour, 1 cup rye flour, nonfat milk and salt in large bowl.

Add oil-honey mixture with yeast to flour mixture. Beat with mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually stir in enough remaining flours to make soft dough that leaves the sides of bowl. Turn out onto floured surface and knead until smooth and satiny, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Place dough in lightly greased bowl and turn to grease other side. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down and let rest 10 minutes. Shape into 4 round loaves. Place 2 loaves on each of 2 lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in warm place until light and doubled in size, about 1 hour. Bake at 375 degrees 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on racks. While still hot, brush with melted butter. Makes 4 (1-pound) loaves.

Dear SOS: I really enjoy Thai food, but can’t find a recipe for mee grob, a rice-stick dish. It’s my favorite. Please help me with a recipe.

--KIM

Dear Kim: Mee krob (or mee grob ), the sticky puffy rice sticks mixed with egg and shrimp, come in varying degrees of sweetness and complexity, but here is a moderately sweet, simplified version. Mee krob ( mee means “noodle” in Siamese) is much like nibbling on popcorn: The more you eat, the more you want. SIMPLIFIED MEE KROB

2 green onions

1/2 small carrot

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Oil for deep-frying

6 ounces boneless chicken, cut into strips

1/4 pound peeled, deveined shrimp

2 eggs, beaten

4 ounces rice sticks

Cut green onions diagonally into 1 1/2- to 2-inch slices. Cut carrot diagonally into long, thin slices, then cut carrot slices into shreds. Set green onions and carrot aside for garnish.

Combine sugar, vinegar and salt in small saucepan. Bring to boil and boil vigorously until slightly thickened.

Heat oil for deep-frying in large skillet. Add chicken and fry until almost done. Add shrimp and fry with chicken until pink. Drain chicken and shrimp on paper towels. Add eggs to skillet and cook until browned and crisp, stirring constantly. Drain.

Fry rice sticks in skillet in 2 or 3 batches until puffed and lightly browned, turning once. Drain on paper towels.

Heat wok. Add syrup and bring to boil. Add shrimp and chicken, mix with syrup and cook until liquid evaporates out of chicken and shrimp. (Mixture must be dry so noodles will not be soggy.) Add noodles and stir rapidly. Add some egg, leaving a little for garnish. Stir to mix. When noodles are well mixed and pan is dry, turn out onto serving platter. Top with green onions, shredded carrot and reserved egg. Makes 8 servings.