Colorful Tofu Salad with Basil and Cashews
One of our favorite picnic foods is this tofu salad, which my husband first made for me while we were dating. (I was so impressed with his cooking!) He had a couple of vegetarian cookbooks that I hadn't seen before, and this was in one of them, The Best 125 Meatless Main Dishes. The other day as I was planning to make this salad, I took a good look at the book and noticed for the first time that it was co-written by Mindy Toomay, whose blog I read regularly. Small (vegetarian) world!
I've adapted the salad to reduce the fat, but I've increased the seasonings and added fresh basil so that you won't miss the olive oil. It's a colorful salad, full of the flavors of summer.

Colorful Tofu Salad with Basil and Cashews
1 teaspoon ground flaxseed
3 tablespoons warm water
1 pound firm, reduced-fat tofu, rinsed and lightly pressed to remove moisture
1 large carrot, diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 rib celery, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon white balsamic or white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons stone-ground mustard
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon salt--or to taste
generous grinding of pepper
1/4-1/2 cup raw cashews (cashews may be toasted for a few minutes if you like)
In a small mixing bowl or measuring cup, mix the ground flax with the warm water and set aside to thicken.
Crumble the tofu into a large bowl. Add all the chopped vegetables and basil.
When the flax seed mixture has thickened slightly, add the remaining ingredients, except cashews, to it and blend thoroughly. Pour the mixture over the tofu and vegetables, and stir to combine.
Refrigerate the salad until well chilled--the longer, the better. Just before serving, stir in the cashews.
This is excellent served over lettuce, as the original recipe suggests, as a sandwich filling (great in a wrap with lettuce and tomato), or as pictured above, stuffed into a lovely, ripe tomato.
Thank to Mindy and her co-author Susann Geiskopf-Hadler for a great recipe!
Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free Eat to Live
Labels: eat to live, gluten-free, soy














9 Comments:
Yuuuummmmmmmmmmmy.
great use of the tomato as a bowl! You are so creative.
That looks wonderful.. I wish I could teleport all the delicious food I see on the vegan blogs to my kitchen..
Susan
The picture of this dish is lovely! I am very impressed--both with the yummy sounding recipe AND with your beautiful photo!
Thanks for another cool recipe, Susan. This one is calling out my name.
how lovely. your photos are amazing, too.
I'm probably going to make this over the weekend. Looks wonderful.
I really am curious about white balsamic vinegar. I've never seen it in the store before, but I've been seeing it pop up a lot lately on menus and recipes. I'll watch for it at the co-op.
Thanks, Susan, for the plug. I am so glad you are enjoying the tofu salad I invented lo those many years ago (and adapting it to your own preferences). Reminds me that I'm not toiling away in a vacuum!
BTW, I know via my nephew all about that swim meet business. It's grueling!
Blessings ...
http://mindycooks.blogspot.com
This looks so good, and very pretty served on the tomato! I will try this recipe soon, there are lots of tomatoes around my garden right now!
Ana
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