Asian Tofu Salad
“What do you want for dinner??” – Me
“Let’s just have an all-vegetable dinner tonight.” – My wife.
“Just vegetables?? You mean no meat??” – Me
“Sure, we can go to the Farmers Market and pick out some really good stuff.” – My Wife
“Just vegetables?? You really mean no meat??” – Me
“Yes, it will be good for you. You don’t need meat at every meal.” – My Wife
“YOU don’t need meat at every meal. I’ll get myself a nice steak to eat with your vegetables.” – Me
That was a real conversation I had with my wife about ten years ago. In BV times (before vegan), I truly believed a meal was not complete without some form of meat. I thought vegetables were great, but they really were just side dishes meant to accent the main course. And, I share this story because it came to mind while coming up with my next recipe. I found it ironic that the guy who ate meat (sometimes multiple meats) at every meal was now thinking about how many vegetables he could pack into his next dish.
Well, I was able to come up with six different kinds of vegetables for my latest creation…seven if you count the tofu. So, I present my version of ASIAN TOFU SALAD. It makes a great dinner with enough left over to pack in your lunch box and take to work the next day. Feel free to incorporate additional items like edamame or cucumbers if you want because you can have an all-vegetable dinner tonight. “It will be good for you.” – My Wife
Ingredients Instructions Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, wine, oil and pineapple juice. Pour this marinade over the tofu that you have put in an oven safe dish, and marinate for 15 minutes, turning over once. Then bake the tofu for 15 minutes, flip, and bake for another 15 minutes or until the tofu is crispy and brown on the outside.
While your tofu bakes, whisk together the dressing ingredients in a large mixing bowl: juice, ginger, garlic, scallions, soy sauce, vinegar, and wine. Next chop your vegetables. I julienned (cut in thin strips) my carrot, zucchini, and bell pepper for presentation purposes; however, if you are short on time, chopping works just as well. When the tofu is baked and cool enough to handle, cut it into cubes. Put the tofu, snow peas, carrot, zucchini, and pepper into the bowl with the dressing and mix to combine and evenly coat all the ingredients.
Put a generous handful of the chopped cabbage and bok choy on your plate and then top this with the tofu and vegetables. If there is dressing left in the bottom of the bowl, drizzle this over the salad. Feel free to garnish with chopped peanuts or fresh cilantro.
All-Vegetable Dinner
Then enjoy your all-vegetable dinner and lunch the next day. Who knew my wife was so wise? I really need to listen to her words of advice more often. I’ll work on that while you eat supper. Longer Letter Later.
Love, Bob aka The Grassfed Carnivore
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