Happy Friday! We all made it to the weekend, congrats! This recipe this week is seriously GOOD.

I have been trying to find meals that are nutritious, and more vegetable based yet are still satisfying and not leaving me hungry thirty minutes later. Salads with lots of fresh veggies paired with foods like rice, hummus, tofu and beans are perfect because they are light but still filling.

By the way, have you ever tried putting a spoonful of hummus on top of your salad? It is a game changer. The hummus acts as a creamy dressing substitute all the while making your salad much more filling.

Our protein of choice for this salad and also our chicken substitute is tofu bites coated in a cornmeal crust and then lightly fried. I know not everyone is the biggest tofu fan, but these really are delicious little nuggets of crunch and spice!

Best of all, this salad can be thrown together in 30 minutes. It is perfect as a dinner or to pack for a lunch. I hope you enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

For the fried tofu:

  • ½ brick of firm tofu
  • ½ cup cornmeal
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ almond milk
  • 1 tbsp tamari
  • 1 tsp lime juice
  • ¼ cup vegetable or coconut oil

For the peanut dressing:

  • Juice of one lime
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp natural peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp water

For the Salad:

  • About 4 cups of mixed greens, I used spinach, arugula and a spring mix.
  • 2 clementines/mandarin oranges peeled and segmented
  • ¼ cup chopped almonds
  • ½ cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1 large carrot, shredded (or chopped)
  • Fresh cilantro

The Process:

For the tofu:

  1. Begin by patting dry the brick of tofu with paper towels. Then, chop into bite sized squares and set aside.
  2. In a shallow dish add your cornmeal, paprika, salt, pepper and garlic powder and mix.
  3. In a small bowl add your almond milk, tamari and lime juice and whisk together.
  4. Heat a large frying pan with your oil on medium high.
  5. Take your cubed tofu and place it in the almond milk mixture first, tossing them to coat so that every cube gets drenched in the mixture.
  6. Then, using a slotted spoon (or your hands) transfer tofu to the cornmeal mixture, tossing very well so as to coat each cube with a thick layer of the cornmeal crust.
  7. Now, sprinkle a tiny bit of water into your oil and if it sizzles, it is hot enough to use.
  8. Once the oil is hot, add your tofu and let it fry for about 5 minutes then flip them and fry for another 3-4 until they are golden brown
  9. Place the fried tofu on a paper towel lined plate to cool.

 

For the peanut dressing:

  1. Simply add all dressing ingredients to a food processor and blend until everything is very smooth. At this point you can adjust flavors adding more tamari if you want it more salty, more maple for more sweetness, or more paprika if you want more smokiness.

For the Salad:

  1. Add mixed greens to a plate. To the greens add the shredded carrot, mushrooms and mandarin oranges.

  2. Add the fried tofu, chopped almonds and top with fresh cilantro leaves!

Finally, pour the creamy peanut dressing all over and enjoy!!