That said, this is what I made with my unexpectedly soft tofu.

What You Need

• 1 box Mori-Nu tofu, “firm” (12.3 oz) OR medium to soft tofu of another brand
• 2 TSB curry powder
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 20 leaves of fresh basil (coarsely chopped)
• 1 large fresh tomato (cubed 3/4″)
• 1 cup of dry brown rice

What You Do

1. Start your rice (boil 2 cups of water, dump in rice, reduce to simmer, keep an eye on it)
2. Drain the tofu and “chop” it into smaller pieces. This tofu is not firm, so basically, you’re just making smaller globs of it.
3. Break up the tofu while sautéing it in a pan with a little oil. THe goal is to get some of the liquid out, while browning it just a little bit.
4. Mix the curry powder in a small cup with about 1/4 cup water, then dump the mixture into the cooking tofu. Mix thoroughly.
5. Cook the tofu down so the curry is mixed in well.
6. Add the onion and sauté until translucent.
7. When you’re just about ready to serve, add the tomato. Cook until barely soft.
8. Mix in the basil, and serve over rice.

• 1 onion, chopped
• 5 medium cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup of uncooked rice
• 1 can of red or black beans (if you want to use dried beans, see instructions below)
• 1.5 Tbs Alfaro Salsa or Salsa Lizano (or purreed onion, carrot, cauliflower, cucumber, cayenne pepper. do not use standard red snacking salsa. this is completely different. some people recommend substituting Worcestershire sauce.)
• oil
• water or broth

What You Do

1. add a little oil to the bottom of a soup pot and brown the dry rice
2. add onion and garlic to the rice and keep stirring the rice
3. add your canned beans (do not rinse) and a cup of water
4. bring to a boil
5. add salsa and reduce heat to a simmer for about 30 min
6. if you are using the simmering dried beans, dump the whole pot (with water) into the rice, boil, add salsa, then simmer for 30 min

If you are using dried beans: (start this 3 days in advance)

1. Soak 1 cup of dry black or red beans in water for two days (day one on the counter, day 2 in the fridge).
2. Drain & rinse the beans, add them to the onions and garlic.
3. Add 4 inches of water, boil for 20 minutes then simmer covered for 5-10 hours (depending on how soft you want them to be).
4. Toss in a small/medium white onion and 1 TBS minced garlic.
5. This is best done in a crock pot ot a big pot on the stove. You will need to check in every 30 minutes or so to make sure there is enough water.

• 1 cup dried red lentils, rinsed
• 1 onion, finely chopped OR 1 leek, finely chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 8 fennel seeds
• 1 tbs coconut oil
• 5 cups water
• spices:
  • ½ tsp basil
  • ¼ tsp thyme
  • ¼ tsp rosemary
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ¼ tsp marjoram
  • ½ tsp sea salt

What You do

1. in the bottom of a large soup pot, cook the onions/leeks, garlic, and fennel seed in coconut oil until the onion is clear
2. add lentils and only 3 cups water
3. add all spices
4. raise heat to high, cover, and boil for 15 minutes
5. add remaining 2 cups of water, reduce heat to low and  simmer for 30 minutes

Notes on Candida-Friendliness

This recipe has a very low glycemia index, so it is generally safe for candida sufferers. However if you are in a very strict stage of the diet, you may want to avoid some of the spices in this soup. Some spices are allowed fresh, but not dried. I would suggest looking into what spices are safe for you before making this soup.

• 1 head kale (chopped into bite-size bits)
• 3 bell peppers of different color (chopped into bite-size bits)
• 15 raw almonds
• 1/4 cup raw hulled sunflower seeds
• 1 large lemon (or 2 smaller ones)
• chopped dried figs (not candida friendly)
• sea salt (to taste)

What You Do

1. after chopping the kale, put it in a large bowl and squeeze the lemon juice into it.
2. squeeze the kale and lemon juice mixture, working the juice into the kale.
3. after about 5 minutes, you’ll notice the kale is softer, as if it had been steamed.
4. then add in the other ingredients and mix them
5. serve cold

• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1/2 head bok choy or 1 baby bok choy
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
• 12 almonds (raw, whole, unsalted)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh minced ginger
• coconut oil

What You Do

1. heat coconut oil in pan
2. cut all vegetables into chopstick-friendly chunks
3. leave almonds whole
4. put all ingredients into the pan and cover for a few minutes
5. stir occasionally. it won’t take long for the broccoli and peppers to soften slightly.
6. serve as-is or over brown rice (if you are at a stage in your candida diet where brown rice is allowed)

• fresh garlic bulbs (as many as you’d like)
• foil
• olive oil
• toaster oven or oven

What You Do

1. preheat toaster/oven to 400F
2. peel all of the loose paper off the garlic, but leave the bulb in-tact
3. cut the tips off to expose some of the garlic. (when it’s done roasting, you’ll want to be able to pull the soft clove out of the paper with the tip of a knife)
4. if you have an oil sprayer, spray the bulb, if not, just rub a little oil onto each bulb. no need to saturate.
5. wrap each bulb in foil and place into the toaster. if you’re doing several bulbs, you can put the foil balls into a muffin tin and put it in the oven. (got that idea here)
6. bake for 30 or so minutes, or until the garlic is soft.

• 1/2 head cabbage, chopped into thin strings
• 1/2 head bok choy, chopped into inch chunks
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 head garlic, finely minced
• 1.5 cups water
• 1 cup mixed dried beans (any legumes are okay: lentils, navy, pinto, garbanzo, kidney, black, etc.)
  OR 3 cans of beans of your choice (drained & rinsed) but only if you’re not concerned about candida 
• 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3/4 tsp ginger
• sea salt to your liking
• crock pot!

What You Do

1. soak the dry beans in sufficient water for a couple of days. yeah that’s right, it takes a while.
2. after your beans are prepped, put them in a crock pot with water
3. turn crock pot to low
4. toss the cabbage, onion, and garlic into a large soup pot on the stove and cook it down in some oil (coconut for candida)
5. mix garlic & cabbage into the beans in the crock pot
6. add ginger, cayenne, and salt to the mix
7. cover and cook for 6 hours, if you can, keep an eye on the water level to make sure there is till some in there. if you have to leave for the day, add more water. the goal in the end is to have a beany mix, not soup.
8.  after 6 hours, mix in the bok choy
9. cover and continue to cook for another 2 hours

• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1/2 head cabbage
• 1 large zucchini
• 1/2 head bok choy (greens & stems)
• 1.5 cups broccoli florets
• 1 leek
• 1 lime
• 1 tsp fresh ginger (finely minced)
• 1 Tbs sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or to your liking)
• salt (to your liking)
• water or broth (the broth is not candida approved)
• rice noodles <– not candida approved. you can make them in a separate pot for the other members of your household who may want a more pho-like experience.

What You Do

First of all, i just bought a food processor, so all of this chopping was super fast and easy. awesome.

1. chop all vegetables into sizes that would be good to eat with chop sticks (you know your own chop stick skill level…)
2. add a little coconut oil to the bottom of a big soup pot and toss all of the vegetables and minced ginger in
3. zest the lime into the pot. save the rest of the lime for use later.
4. add salt, sesame seeds, and cayenne to the pot
5. cook vegetables down on medium until they soften
6. if you are having rice noodles, start cooking them now in a separate pot of water
7. add water to the pot of vegetables – enough to cover the vegetables. as the soup cooks, you decide how much water you want to have to give you the consistency you want. i wanted a more miso/pho type ratio, so i added a few cups more water than what covered the vegetables.
8. bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer for about 20 min.
9. if you are adding rice noodles, serve them in the bottom of a bowl and top them with the soup
10. squeeze the lime to serve the juice in a small bowl for people to add

• 1 can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
• 1 1/4 cup frozen spinach
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 tsp powdered milk
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp marjoram
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• italian sausage
• spaghetti

What You Do

1. cut sausage into quarter moons and brown in a skillet
2. start your pasta
3. in a separate pot, make the sauce by mixing together all other ingredients until it boils lightly. use the amounts as a guide, but they’re just estimates
4. keep an eye on the texture and add stock, wine, or powdered milk depending on how much you’d like to thicken or thin the mix
5. stir regularly
6. serve with pasta on the bottom, then sausage, topped with the sauce and some parmesan cheese

• ears of corn (as many as you’d like)
• cayenne pepper
• garlic salt
• chili powder
• fresh lime
• butter/olive oil
• shredded pepperjack cheese (optional)

what you do

1. shuck the corn, removing all of the silk
2. coat the uncooked corn with olive oil (spray kind works very well)
3. sprinkle on cayenne, chili powder, garlic salt
4. roll the corn in foil and place on the grill for about 10 min
5. cut the lime into wedges to serve
6. squeeze fresh lime onto the corn (and sprinkle with cheese) before eating