WHAT: Nasoya Tofu

STATS: Varies by flavor.

The Lite Firm Tofu contains 45 calories, whereas the Cubed Super Firm Tofu contains about 100 calories per 3-ounce serving. Complete nutritional information at nasoya.com.

THE SKINNY: Recently the Nasoya folks asked if I would like to sample some of their products. Sure, I said, expecting a tiny carton or two.

Instead they sent a coffer - a huge, heavy cooler crammed with a mind-blowing assortment of bean curd. Which illustrates this point: There are tons of varieties of tofu (Firm, Lite Firm, Extra Firm, Cubed Super Firm, Silken, Lite Silken, Soft and the vitamin-fortified Sprouted TofuPlus, Black Soybean TofuPlus, Firm TofuPlus and Extra FirmTofu Plus).

Mild in flavor, high in protein and low in cholesterol and fat, tofu can be used in all kinds of dishes (see naysoya.com/recipes) from smoothies and soups to tacos and even cheesecake. A vegetarian co-worker reported: “I sliced ours, dredged it in panko breadcrumbs, baked it and served it with Sriracha ketchup. Mmmm.” But one need not be a vegetarian to enjoy it. I made a satisfying stir-fry with the Lite Firm variety, vegetables and some Asian sauces that we’ll review next week.

Nasoya also sells low-calorie shirataki noodles, Asian wraps and soy-based vegan Nayonaise.

Slim Pickings is a weekly review of light foods. Email: [email protected]

ActiveStyle, Pages 25 on 02/17/2014