I love to cook. I admit it.
But I have fallen off the horse in recent months. That isn’t to say I haven’t been cookin’ at all. Just most of what I have been cooking is same old. In an effort to challenge myself this year, I will be diving into the many cookbooks I own and or into my mind (as the case may be) to test out recipes and share them. These recipes will in most cases be ones I have never before attempted. In other cases, such as with this post I will share recipes that over the course of time I have adapted and created. I will post one per week with all the goods.
So let’s begin the Great Recipe Experiment of 2012.
I call this one: the Chew Salad w/Marinated Tofu.
INGREDIENTS
Marinated Tofu
- 1/3 of a package of Sunrise Extra Firm Tofu, rinsed & cubed
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup San-J Tamari Sauce*
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
Salad
- 5-8 leaves of collard greens or kale, stems removed & shredded
- 1 cup red cabbage, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup red pepper, chopped (or julienned if you are fancy)
- 1/2 cup carrot, shredded
- 1/4 cup leek, finely chopped
- 2 tsp fresh curly parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 a small avocado, chopped (optional)
- 1 tsp toasted hemp seeds
- 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
Dressing
- 1 -2 tbsp of olive oil
- 1/4 of a lemon, squeezed
- Dash of sea salt
- Dash of black pepper
First things first. The TOFU. (Not a tofu-lover, skip it and replace with another vegetarian protein source such as lentils, chickpeas, tempeh, etc…) Mix tofu marinade ingredients in a pyrex or other covered dish. Plunk in your cubed tofu. Add a little bit of water in order to just cover all of the cubes. Stick it in the fridge and forget about it for an hour or 2.
*Why tamari sauce? Tamari is a lower sodium, gluten free alternative to soy sauce. Although soy sauce is cheap and conveniently purchased anywhere, tamari is well worth paying a little more. You can find it in your health food store or health food section of supermarkets. It’s delish!
Get your salad ingredients in order. Chop, shred, etc… and toss it into a salad or mixing bowl. (I like to layer as you can see.)
Add your toasted hemp seeds, sunflower seeds or any other type of seed you like to eat. Then mix it all up!
Grab your marinated tofu cubes, scoop them out into a frying pan (with a little liquid marinade) and sizzle at medium to high heat. Turn them to brown evenly. You don’t want to make the mistake (like I have for many years) of letting them get too cooked. They shouldn’t be tough when you eat them.
Now chew. And chew again. This is a great meal to eat for lunch when you have just sat down after a flurry of activity and need to focus on something basic. Chew and enjoy!
