Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Recipe Improv: Asian Tofu Salad

To recap the Recipe Improv Challenge: I asked 3 friends to name the first non-meat ingredient that came to their minds. The challenge? I have to create a delicious meal using those ingredients. I definitely won this one - this salad was tasty, healthy, incredibly flavorful and packed with protein! (Of course, I am the only judge.) The ingredients I used were avocado, capers, and lemongrass paste.

I got the idea for this salad from a tofu salad that I recently tried, so this was a take off that. It was totally awesome, if I do say so myself. And extremely healthy. I love eating salads, but the problem is that I never feel full afterward. The protein in this salad definitely gets rid of that problem. Give it a try - I think you'll be impressed!!

And now a call for another recipe improv! The first 5 people to list the first VEGAN ingredient that comes to mind will be the winners! (Sorry, but you only win your name mentioned in my blog). So thanks to April and Jess for suggesting these awesome ingredients!


From Food pics



Ingredients:

For the tofu:

1/2 block well-drained extra firm tofu
1 tbsp lemongrass paste (I get mine in the produce section of the grocery store)
3 tbsp red miso paste
3 tbsp capers (finely ground to a paste)
1-2 tbsp soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
garlic and onion powder, to taste
pepper, to taste

1. Crumble the tofu in a bowl until it resembles feta cheese. Mix other ingredients in.

For the salad:

A generous handful of fresh spinach leaves
sliced red onion
1/2 avocado, cut into bite size pieces
3 tbsp chow mein noodles (those crunchy things that come in a can)
a few splashes each of soy sauce and rice vinegar

1. In a bowl, toss the spinach with the tofu mixture. This is sort of like a dressing, so make it coat as much of the spinach as possible.

2. Top with all other salad ingredients. enjoy!


From Food pics



No comments: