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Growing up in Jamaica, Cita Coley never dreamed of a cuisine based on tofu. It was plantains and yams, coconut and spicy jerk chicken on the menu. When she moved to Canada and married into a Jewish family, blintzes and brisket became the foods of choice. And when her daughter Judi announced she was joining an Eastern spiritual movement that eschewed all meat-eating, Coley was forced to learn another new way to cook. "I liked to entertain but when we were all eating meat and she was not eating, I thought, this isn't nice", she said. So Coley picked up her first pound of tofu and started to experiment. Two years later she had self-published a book of her recipes called Tofulery, with illustrations by her daughter. Now, Coley admits she was never a trained cook. All her culinary successes have come after many failures and lots of experimentation in the kitchen. That's how she's approached those squares of bland bean curd, and while there are definitely some unusual combinations in this collection, there are some tasty ones too. From Filets Jacques (broiled tofu slices in a herbed tomato vermouth sauce) to Tofu Paprika and tofu & chick pea cutlets with cranberry sauce, tofu masquerades among some interesting flavors. And Coley borrows from her ethnic roots for legume, grain and side dishes like West Indian yellow yam fufu, rice & peas in coconut milk and chick peas in curry sauce. "I paid attention to caloric content so it's low cholesterol, low fat and in small amounts, low calorie", says Coley. "Vegans don't use dairy, so I use a lot of coconut milk and I didn't use gelatin because it's an animal product." You can buy her book at various book stores and health food stores in Calgary.
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