Tofu Salad - Easy Vegan - Make Ahead (Moosewood)
"Courtesy of the original Moosewood Cookbook. Love that you can make it ahead and just pull it out of the fridge at serving time. I'm serving this at a birthday party buffet to make sure there is something substantial for vegetarians/vegans in the group.
The book recommends stuffing this salad into pita bread to make it a meal, which I've never tried but sounds great. Prep time includes the minimum 2 hours for marinading. Serves 6 as the main attraction, but more if it's a side dish. Enjoy!"
photo by Katzen
- Ready In:
- 2hrs 30mins
- Ingredients:
- 20
- Serves:
-
6
ingredients
-
Marinade
- 4 tablespoons sesame oil
- 5 tablespoons rice vinegar or 5 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar (or your choice of sweetener)
- 3 tablespoons tamari or 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt, to your taste
- 1 dash crushed red pepper flakes, to your taste
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced (optional)
-
Salad
- 1 lb extra firm tofu, well drained (6 cakes)
- 12 medium mushrooms, left whole
- 1 small carrot, grated (or in matchsticks)
- 1 small bell pepper, finely chopped (any colour except green)
-
Optional Salad Ingredients
- 1 -2 cup cabbage, shredded (optional)
- 1 -2 shallot, minced (optional)
- fresh mung bean sprouts (optional)
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Optional Toppings
- 1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped peanuts (optional)
- minced fresh cilantro (optional)
- minced fresh parsley (even basil would be nice) (optional)
- 1 fresh tomato, diced (optional)
- sesame seeds (optional)
directions
- Combine marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
- Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch cubes and add it along with the salad veggies into the marinade. Stir gently.
- Cover and let marinade at room temperature for at least two hours. You can prepare this a few days in advance, in which case just keep it in the fridge.
- Serve cold or at room temperature, sprinkled with all or some of the toppings.
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Reviews
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AMAZING. So happy I found this recipe! I made a half batch, added cabbage and a small shallot, but made the entire amt of marinade. I subbed out stevia for the sugar. Will serve this in pitas for lunch in an hour or so and can't wait! Delish! UPDATE: On day 2 I added some water chestnuts which were awesome in here - totally soaked up the marinade and did it quickly. Very flavorful on day 2, but not as pretty because the brown coloring took over. -
This recipe is seriously amazing. Dedicated carnivore here and it has made it into our weekly repetoire since we tried it a couple months ago. It's especially good to have a filling, no stove dish now that its summer. I've made it at home, made it at parties, it is now a fave. One tip for tofu prep is to freeze it before using it and then press it for several hours before using to get as much water as possible out. Enjoy! -
Love it! I picked up some organic tofu at the market yesterday specially for this salad. Kept it simple, just using the optional shallots, but plan to top it with sesame seeds and cilantro before packing it off for lunch in the morning. This is so delicious, and will be a regular lunch now! Next time I plan to add the cabbage and mung bean sprouts. Thanks, magpie! Made for PAC Spring 2010 - you were adopted! -
What a wonderful dish! I thought the coriander was key - made it so flavorful. This is definitely going into my favorites. -
Great! Used shallots, sesame seeds & cilantro from the optional ingredient list. I also used a bit more mushrooms and it turned out great. We stuffed whole wheat pitas with the salad and had sliced cucumbers & apples on the side. After sitting for 24 hours in the fridge, this was also okay for leftovers. Tip: There was a lot of marinade/juice the next day... probably from the veggies releasing their water. So make sure to use a slotted spoon so that your sandwiches are not soggy!
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Tweaks
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AMAZING. So happy I found this recipe! I made a half batch, added cabbage and a small shallot, but made the entire amt of marinade. I subbed out stevia for the sugar. Will serve this in pitas for lunch in an hour or so and can't wait! Delish! UPDATE: On day 2 I added some water chestnuts which were awesome in here - totally soaked up the marinade and did it quickly. Very flavorful on day 2, but not as pretty because the brown coloring took over.
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This has everything I look for in a recipe: nutrition, convenience, and LOTS of flavor! I have never used tofu without cooking it before (except for pureed silken tofu), but the marinade made it delicious! I could tell from looking at the ingredient list that I was going to love the marinade, so I doubled it. I used half rice vinegar/half apple cider vinegar and used agave nectar instead of sugar. It could probably do without the added salt, since the soy sauce is salty. I chose cabbage and mung bean sprouts for the optional salad ingredients. I loved the crunch of the cabbage and definitely recommend including it. For toppings I used peanuts, cilantro, and sesame seeds. It was the perfect thing to make ahead and take to school (although it's pretty garlicy, so it's a good thing I carry a toothbrush and toothpaste in my book bag). I enjoyed it with rice cakes. The next day I served it over a bed of rice noodles. I will definitely make this again. Reviewed for Veggie Swap, November 2009
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