For this Herbed Tofu Tomato Salad, pair salty, herbed tofu-cheese with ripe tomatoes, peppery baby arugula and a squeeze of fresh lemon together and you have a great side salad!
After cooking non-stop for that last photography project, I have to say that my enthusiasm for making food hasn’t been the same. As far as fun recipe ideas go, my brain has been exploding with them. But, when it comes to putting some actual food in my fridge, I have been less than successful at it. 😉 Luckily, the tomato plants in my backyard have been poppin’ off and gave me a great head-start on this dish.
I was partly inspired by a plate that I had at Mohawk Bend’s Authors Worth Celebrating dinner, starring Randy Clemens. There was a spiced Caprese salad where the Mozz was actually tofu marinated in a salty brine. It tasted great, so I thought that I’d give it a go at home and see what I could come up with. Secondary inspiration came from some herbed feta cheese that I used to eat in my pre-vegan days. While the texture is a bit different, I feel like this is a good sub and my mom (who really likes cheese) even liked it!
The combination of flavors from all of these fresh ingredients is incredible, yet effortless. Am I saying that you shouldn’t try to eat this in one sitting? Absolutely not! Go for the gold! And don’t forget to let me know how you felt about it.
Before I give you the recipe for this Herbed Tofu Tomato Salad, I’d like to know how everyone’s doing! How’s your Summer, thus far? Have you done anything exciting, or are you eating anything drool-worthy? Let’s hear it! 🙂
Substitutions + Tips:
- Extra-firm tofu – firm tofu will also work here, just make sure to press a lot of the moisture out. Another thing, tofu package weights seem to be all over the place at this point, so 12 or 16-ounce packages will also work, you may need to adjust the quantity of salt to compensate.
- Olive oil – if you’re avoiding oil/fats you can omit this. It will change the flavor slightly, but still be good.
- Coconut vinegar – I love coconut vinegar because it’s not as tart as some other vinegars and therefore excellent in a vegan cheese recipe. BUT, if you can’t find this, you can use apple cider vinegar instead.
- Arugula – if you’re not a fan of arugula you can use spinach, mixed greens, or massaged kale in the salad base instead.
One Year Ago: Mixed Berry Coffee Cake // Two Years Ago: Brown Rice Veggie Roll
Herbed Tofu Tomato Salad
Pair the salty, herbed tofu-cheese with ripe tomatoes, peppery baby arugula and a squeeze of fresh lemon together and you have yourself a simple, seasonal salad that makes a great side dish.
Ingredients
- 14-ounce (397 g) block of extra firm tofu, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
- 2 1/2 tablespoons (37 ml) coconut vinegar*
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, optional
- 3-4 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 cups chopped tomatoes (heirloom, beefsteak, etc)
- 3 cups (72 g) baby arugula, packed
- 2 tablespoons (2 g) chiffonade-cut fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- Pinch of coarse sea salt, optional
Instructions
- Take your block of tofu and wrap it tightly in a clean dish towel/cloth. Place it on a plate and stack some heavy (but stable) objects on it to press the moisture out. Leave it pressed for 20-30 minutes. Alternatively, you can use a tofu press for 15 minutes.
- In resealable container or bag whisk together the water, coconut vinegar, olive oil, sea salt, basil, and oregano.
- Take the pressed tofu and cut it into 1/2″ cubes, then place it in the marinade. Marinate it for 2-8 hours depending on how salty you’d like it to be. Stir it around or flip container over every couple of hours.
- Once the tofu is done marinating, drain it of the excess liquid and toss it together in a large bowl with the tomato, arugula, and basil.
- Drizzle the lemon juice over the top of the salad, along with some cracked pepper. Chill for 30 minutes and serve!
Notes
- Extra-firm tofu - firm tofu will also work here, just make sure to press a lot of the moisture out. Another thing, tofu package weights seem to be all over the place at this point, so 12 or 16-ounce packages will also work, you may need to adjust the quantity of salt to compensate.
- Olive oil - if you're avoiding oil/fats you can omit this. It will change the flavor slightly, but still be good.
- Coconut vinegar - I love coconut vinegar because it's not as tart as some other vinegars and therefore excellent in a vegan cheese recipe. BUT, if you can't find this, you can use apple cider vinegar instead.
- Arugula - if you're not a fan of arugula you can use spinach, mixed greens, or massaged kale in the salad base instead.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
More Summer-y salads you may love:
- Watermelon Blackberry Feta Salad
- Summery Salad with Blackberry Vinaigrette
- Summer Corn Salad with Basil Pesto Aioli
- Oil-free Vegan Macaroni Salad
Have a great week, everyone! 🙂
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