Turkey pepperoni chips! I have gotten so many of my non-WLS friends hooked these.
Once I gradauted to "foods as tolerated" my absolute must-have was Hormel turkey pepperoni. I lay them out on about 4 paper towels (25 - 30 of them will fit), and microwave them until they start to darken and most of the oils have cooked out. In my microwave, this is right around 1 m 30 s. As soon as you pull them out, blot them (hard) dry with another wad of paper towels, and then let them cool. They will be very crunchy, and very flavorful. They make a great low/no carb "chip". I like using them as scoops for cottage cheese or "garden vegetable" cream cheese. I pack them into ziplocs for on-the-go meals, and for when I travel.
Note: I have a lap-band, not a sleeve. The spices in the pepperoni may react differently to your pouches, since our stomachs are still intact.
I make tofu quite often. It has a bit of a nondescript taste on its own, but most importantly, will absorb the flavor of whatever you marinate it in.
Here are my tips. You want tofu as dry as you can get it. Do NOT buy "silken" tofu unless you want to cream it up, or have it be mushy. And I mean mushy, like pudding.If you want something you can chew, buy regular (won't have "silken" on the package) tofu, and get extra firm. Better yet, dry it out a bit when you get home. Not necessary, but it helps. To do this, sandwich it between hand towels, or a lot of paper towels, put a cookie sheet or small tray on the top layer of towel, and then add a can or two to weight it down. Let it sit for about an hour. THis will give you tofu that's still soft, but has some meatiness.
My favorite way to prepare it is "thai" style. I don't have a recipe for this, I just kinda throw it together, but here's a starting point:
Microwave a tbl or 2 of honey so it's soft. Stir in:
A cup or two of OJ (you can use reduced sugar/acid, if you like)
2 tbl sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
1/4 C (or more) peanut sauce
1/4 C light brown sugar
squirt of Sriracha
Slice the tofu into "steaks" and marinate them at least 4 hours. To cook, heat a frying pan with sesame oil. Cook the tofu until browned. I then add in the leftover marinate and cook it until it carmelizes.
