In a paper published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, Dr. Chris Macdonald explored the best sources of protein currently available.

To answer the question, Macdonald had to build a new holistic scoring system that combines measures of environmental impact, health, affordability and availability into a single framework.

Applying the scoring system to 20 commonly consumed protein-rich foods, the analysis found a striking pattern: every product in the highest-scoring quintile was plant-based, while every product in the lowest-scoring quintile was animal-based. Tofu ranked first overall, while cheddar cheese ranked last.

The paper argues that many existing food rating systems focus on only one aspect of a product. While useful, these single-dimension labels can obscure important trade-offs and make it difficult to compare foods comprehensively.

TOFU DOMINATION

Link to open access article https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2026.1677796/full

    • Dr. Moose@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      Check out Thai vegetarian recipes. Mostly soy protein and the most flavorful food in the world. You can substitute a lot of Asian ingredients if they are not available in your region very easily too.

    • renrenPDX@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      6 days ago

      For something different, apply this technique to any of the suggested recipes here. ETA: firm and extra firm tofu works best.

      Freeze it. Thaw it. Press it. Shred (or cube) it.

      It takes on a different texture, and can remove even more liquid through pressing than fresh.

    • theprogman@lemmy.ca
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      6 days ago

      Magic Tofu:

      Per pound or 454g of extra-firm tofu:

      • Break the tofu block apart by hands in a bowl, make pieces of 2cm/1’’ large
      • Add 1 table spoon of preferred oil (nut, vegetable oils)
      • Add 1 table spoon of cider vinegar
      • Add 1 table spoon of soy sauce
      • Add 1 table spoon of sugar (best source are honey, agave or maple syrup)
      • (Optional) Add 1-2 table spoons of preferred spicy sauce (I use sambal oelek or thai red curry paste)
      • Mix
      • Add 30 g of nutritional yeast
      • Mix
      • (Optional) Add more nutritional yeast for flavor (another 15 g should do), mix again
      • Put on a baking tray, preferably with a parchment baking sheet to cover it, and spread the tofu apart
      • Bake for 25 mins at 375°F or 190°C in the oven

      Enjoy on everything! I add it on top of pizzas, in wraps, in a plate with vegetables and rice…—

    • zod000@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      6 days ago

      I don’t have a recipe as my wife is the tofu cook, but she uses silken tofu and cashews to make a shockingly good vegan mac and cheese. One of my kids became a vegetarian last year and now most of our meals are vegetarian or vegan just because it is too expensive and time consuming to make different meals.

    • Druid@lemmy.zip
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      6 days ago
      • 1-2 packs of plain tofu, drained, cubed (about 200-400g)
      • add to a pan and fry it a little until it shrinks in size and gets a little golden from all sides
      • add soy sauce until it’s all coated and let it simmer and absorb the soy sauce a little
      • add a sweetener of your choice (agave syrup is the one I use), a good squeeze from the bottle is good
      • paprika powder
      • maybe MSG if you like the taste
      • salt a little if you don’t like MSG
      • serve :)
    • abc@suppo.fi
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      6 days ago

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUI8Xu6Xpec (also contains chickpeas and dates)

      I tried this recently, and while it doesn’t quite match the texture and sweetness of “real” cakes, it’s … not bad. If you pair it with something very sweet like whipped cream, it’s actually very good.

    • Hobthrob@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      My personal favourite right now is:

      • A pack of firm tofu (~200g drained) cut into comfortable bite sizes
      • 2 tablespoons of soy
      • 0,5 - 1 inch of grated ginger
      • half a green onion chopped

      Add together in a bowl, mix and serve.

      It’s a super quick side that goes well with nearly any of my regular dishes, and I eat it several times a week.