Today for dinner with friends, I am in charge of bringing a cold dish. I have no idea what else will be served, so I am kind of going out on a limb here with this Asian flavored tofu salad. Not feeling particularly inclined to grocery shop, I went to the fridge to see what was on hand and found an abundant supply of cucumbers, broccoli, tofu and a few snap peas. Next I went straight to Heidi Swanson’s 101 Cookbooks salad section and found her Miso Vegetables and Tofu idea from a few weeks ago. Using what was available in my pantry without a trip to the co-op, this is what I came up with.
Dressing:
- 1 Tbs. red miso
- 1 Tbs. sesame oil
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 1 Tbs. sugar
- 1 tsp. chopped ginger
- 2 Tbs. Brown Rice vinegar
- 1 tsp. soy sauce
Oven Browned Tofu:
- 1 pound super firm tofu cut into cubes
- sesame oil
- salt
- hot pepper flakes
Toss the cubed tofu in the oil and spices and bake in a single layer at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. You will want to flip the tofu cubes once while baking.
Veggies:
- Cut broccoli, to bite size pieces and steam until just tender. You can use any combination of veggies you like, but steam each vegetable type separately as some cook more quickly than others. I started with the broccoli which needed a few more minutes in the steamer than the snap peas. Once the veggies are just tender and bright green, run under cold water to stop the cooking process.
Toss all the ingredient together, decorate the plate with sliced cucumbers and chill.
Vegetarian Perspective 