Friday, April 19, 2013

Crispy Tofu and Arugula Summer Salad

After a month of no grocery shopping, I started getting desperate with meal prep. Finally on Sunday, Aaron and I went shopping and stocked up as we had practically eaten everything in the pantry minus a can of tomatoes, and the remaining half cup of peas I didn’t add into the last week’s meals.


That means that the first week after a grocery shopping trip is always heaven. Oh, I can have fresh veggies or a snack? Awesome! We have more than rice? Great!

So with that abundance, comes this Japanese-inspired Arugula salad with crispy glazed tofu. I ate this whole thing in about a minute.


I’ve never actually cooked tofu on my own before but felt inspired after seeing these step-by-step instructions from One Ingredient Chef. He makes it look so easy, and after doing it, I realized how simple it really is to cook crispy, delicious tofu.


If you can’t get your head around tofu, I understand. The glaze I used (also inspired by One Ingredient chef) would be delicious on chicken, pork, salmon, or shrimp.



For SUPER EASY instructions on how to make delicious, crispy tofu for any meal, head over to the One Ingredient Chef.



I like a crispy topping heavy salad, if you don’t, pick and choose some of the crispy toppings depending on your preference and pantry. Make it your own! This is a fabulous salad for a summer dinner with Jasmine iced tea.

Crispy Tofu with Japanese-inspired Arugula Salad

(Tofu recipe adapted from One Ingredient Chef)
makes 1 large, dinner sized salad
 
 

Ingredients:
3 ¾ inch slices of extra-firm tofu, about 1/3 of a block (I got mine at Trader Joe’s)
1 tbsp. olive oil or vegetable oil
Warm salted water
3 oz. arugula or salad mix

Tofu glaze:
1 tbsp. agave nectar
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, finely chopped
½ tsp. garlic powder
Squirt of sriracha
Black pepper

Toppings:
½ fresh avocado, sliced
1/8 cup Dried cranberries
¼ cup Fresh blueberries
pick and choose
Wasabi peas and almonds
Coconut chips
Toasted Sesame seeds
Chia seeds
Kalamata olives

Dressing:
1 tbsp. agave nectar
1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. sriracha hot sauce
1 tbsp. fresh ginger root, chopped
1-2 tsp. fresh garlic, chopped
optional: 1 tbsp. orange juice

Directions:

Follow these instructions for crispy tofu, using the tofu slices, warm water, and oil for frying.

Once pan is cooled add all the ingredients for the tofu glaze to the same pan that you fried the tofu in over medium-low heat. Once the glaze begins to caramelize, add tofu and gently toss. Turn off heat.

To assemble your salad, first add arugula to a large plate. Pour half of the dressing over the greens.

Add toppings to your salad and pour the rest of the dressing over top. Add crispy tofu slices on top of the salad and pour remaining glaze of the salad if desired.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Love,

The College Cuisiner

Happy Earth Day!

And since it’s Friday:



Some live music from Adele.

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