Crunchy Asian Salad with Baked Tofu

Asian Salad – full of texture, bold flavor, and healthy plant protein, this Chinese Tofu Salad makes a great lunch or dinner. 

This is no wimpy salad. This is an entrée sized dish packed with protein, healthy veggies, juicy fruits, and tons of texture! It’s nutritious and craveable! And it’s from the new cookbook, Wait, That’s Vegan?! . Keep reading for a full review of the book and the recipe for this tasty dish!

📒About Wait, That’s Vegan?! cookbook

Lisa Dawn Angerame is the author of Wait, That’s Vegan?! She has been vegan since 2008 and is the face behind the blog, Lisa’s Project: Vegan, where she shares easy plant based recipes with lots of fresh ingredients and pantry staples. 

Her new cookbook, with plant-based meatless, burgers, steaks, and other dishes you thought you’d never eat again, proves that you don’t have to give up your favorite meals, you just have to reimagine them. In this book, you can expect to find real whole food ingredients, no fake meats or cheeses. Lisa says, “Vegan food is just food that happens to be vegan.”

📖Sneak peek inside the book 

There are 5 recipe chapters inside of this cookbook. Each recipe includes a beautiful, bright, and drool-worthy photo. Here is a sampling of what you’ll find:

Breakfast and Brunch ~ Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancakes; Broccoli-Leek Frittata; Chickpea Shakshouka wtih Avocados and Fresh Herbs

Salads and Sandwiches ~ Corned Tempeh Reubens on Rye; Salad Nicoise; and the Chinese Tofu Salad featured below.

Main Dishes ~ The Beet Burger; Four Alarm Three Bean Chili; Lobster Mushroom Mac ‘n’ Cheese; Deep-Dish Spinach Phyllo Pie

Desserts ~ Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting; Crackly Brownies; Seasonal Fruit Galettes; Chocolate Pudding Parfaits

Basics ~ Unsalted Spreadable Butter; Grainy Mustard; Almond Parmesan

🥕Nutrition Highlights

 Cabbage is part of the cruciferous vegetable family which are known for being low calorie and high in fiber and vitamins like C, E, K, and folate. [source]

Napa cabbage, which is found in this Asian salad recipe, has a mild, delicate flavor and a great crisp texture and has the most amount of folate of any variety of cabbage. You’ll also find red cabbage here which has it’s own antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Rounding out the other vegetables are carrots, cucumbers, and scallions – all high in nutrients!

As if that wasn’t enough, it has mandarin oranges bringing lots of vitamin C, almonds boasting high amounts of vitamin E, magnesium, fiber, and protein, and tofu loaded with protein, iron, calcium, and healthy fats.

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “Eat the rainbow” and this is a great place to start! Cabbage salad is healthy and good for you!

More vegan entrée salad recipes:

• Farro Salad w/ peaches and arugula
• Kale Quinoa Salad
• Lentil Salad w/ Roasted Cauliflower
• Vegan Taco Salad

🥬Recipe Substitutions

One of the great things about salads is that you can generally throw in whatever produce you have in your fridge.

Don’t like cabbage? Try romaine or kale instead.

Can’t do soy? Use roasted chickpeas with the same seasonings.

Allergic to nuts? Add some sesame seeds for crunch instead of the almonds.

Other veggies to add: thinly sliced radishes, diced bell peppers, snow peas, or cilantro will all be great additions to this dish or substitutions for the veggies included in the recipe.

🔪Instructions

There are quite a few steps to this recipe, but several of them can be done simultaneously so it all comes together quickly and easily.

1. Press the tofu
2. While the tofu is pressing, chop the cabbage, carrots, green onions, and cucumbers
3. Toss the cubed tofu with seasonings and bake.
4. While the tofu is baking, make the vinaigrette
5. Throw the almonds in the oven at the halfway point for the tofu so they both finish at the same time.
6. Toss all the ingredients together and drizzle with as much of the vinaigrette as you like.

🌟Pro Tip

The quickest and easiest way to shred the cabbage and carrots is to use the shredding blade of a food processor. Of course, if you have good knife skills, a big chef’s knife works just as well. 

I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.

Snap a photo and share on Instagram! Be sure to mention @veggie_inspired and tag #veggieinspired so I’m sure to see it!

And don’t forget to pick up a copy of Wait, That’s Vegan?! for yourself.

Enjoy!

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Yield: 2 servings

🥗Asian Salad with Baked Tofu

Print

Lisa says, "I didn't come across Chinese chicken salad until I went to college in Los Angeles. I am glad I did because it has great texture - crunch from the two kinds of cabbage, lots of carrots, scallions and cucumbers - and great flavor. With well-seasoned tofu subbing for the chicken, and Mandarin oranges and toasted almonds adding texture and flavor, it's a salad that will fast become part of your regular rotation."

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

Tofu

• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) sunflower oil
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) tamari
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• Pinch of salt and a dash of pepper
• 7.5 ounces (213 g) extra firm tofu, pressed for 10 minutes and cut into strips

Toasted Almonds

• ½ cup (72 g) blanched almonds

Sesame Vinaigrette

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) Mandarin orange juice, from a can of Mandarin oranges
• ¼ cup (60 ml) sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) tamari
• 1 teaspoon mirin
• 1 teaspoon dark maple syrup

Salad

• 2 cups (140 g) shredded Napa cabbage
• 1 cup (70 g) shredded purple cabbage
• 1 cup (110 g) shredded carrot
• 4 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
• 2 Kirby cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 1 (10-ounce [283 g]) can Mandarin oranges

Instructions

1. To make the tofu, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C, or gas mark 4). Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Add the oil, tamari, garlic powder and ginger to a medium mixing bowl. Whisk together and season with a little salt and pepper. Add the tofu to the bowl and toss to coat the tofu well. Arrange the tofu in a single layer on the sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes.
3. At the halfway mark for the tofu, toast the almonds. Line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper. Arrange the almonds in a single layer. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the almonds have turned a few shades darker. Cool and coarsely chop.
4. In the meantime, to make the vinaigrette, add the garlic and ginger to a glass jar with a lid or to a dressing bottle. Cover with the vinegar and Mandarin orange juice, and let sit for 15 minutes to macerate. Add the oil, tamari, mirin and maple syrup. Cover the container and shake well to combine. The dressing will separate, so shake well before using.
5. To assemble the salad, add the cabbages, carrot, scallions and cucumbers to a big salad bowl. Pour the dressing over the top and toss to combine. Top with mandarin oranges, baked tofu and toasted almonds. Serve immediately.
   

Notes

Reprinted with permission from Lisa Dawn Angerame and Page Street Publishing.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 679Total Fat: 49gSaturated Fat: 6gUnsaturated Fat: 28gSodium: 1026mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 8gSugar: 10gProtein: 22g