On my drive home from work tonight, there was a gorgeous pink sunset. Loved it! I wanted to take a picture, but my phone was out of reach. I mean . . . that would be unsafe . . .
Anyway, it dawned on me why it was so unusual to see a sunset on the drive home – because for the last month or more, the sun has already been gone when I leave work! The days are already getting noticeably longer. Yaaaaay, soooo happy 🙂
Now to food! Growing up, my family used to make this dip for french bread (I’m sure a lot of you have had it before too): balsamic vinegar + olive oil + minced garlic + crushed red pepper. We devoured it. A lot.
I still make it for myself sometimes, but as an adult I’m much more self-conscious of the raw-garlic-breath it produces. So I thought of ways to have the same delicious flavors but not so strong that I am forced to stay in the rest of the day. And maybe the next day.
How bout using it as a marinade? Yes. Happy.
marinated & seared tofu:
3 T balsamic vinegar
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t crushed red pepper
4 oz. extra firm tofu*
2 t oil
*Trader Joe’s Organic Super Firm Sprouted tofu is perrrrfect for marinating and searing. It really is super firm. Much more texture than a lot of tofus. If you use a different variety, just make sure to press it really well for 30 minutes before marinating.
To make: mix first four ingredients together. Cut tofu into bite-sized pieces and lay in marinade. Let sit for about 30 minutes. You may need to flip the tofu over halfway through if your marinade doesn’t cover the tofu completely.
Then heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add tofu (careful not to get too much garlic in the pan because it will probably burn and turn bitter.) Sear tofu for a couple minutes on each side, then remove. Leave the pan on for the mushrooms below.
sauteed mushrooms:
1/2 C mushrooms of choice
1/2 leftover marinade
After you remove the tofu from the pan, add the mushrooms. Allow them to cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the mushrooms cook, strain the raw garlic out of your marinade. Pour half the marinade into the mushrooms in the last 30 seconds of cooking.
salad:
tofu^
mushrooms^
2 C greens of choice (I used organic baby kale)
1-2 radishes
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 of leftover marinade
optional toppings: green or red onions, nuts, croutons, sunflower seeds, avocado, etc . . .
I picked up some of these beautiful watermelon radishes for my salad! Just look how pretty! I’ll bet radishes never looked so good to you.
Pile everything onto your salad – tofu, veggies, greens, mushrooms. Yum. Then pour the rest of the marinade onto your salad for the dressing. Don’t you love marinating vegan protein? You can reuse marinades with no contamination worries! Love that!
I actually ate the leftovers of this salad today for lunch – even leftover, it was great. Salads are never good leftover, right? That’s how good this salad is.
Nutrition facts (for everything): Calories: 381; Calories from Fat: 226.8; Total Fat: 25.2g; Saturated Fat: 4.0g; Sodium: 101mg; Total Carbohydrates: 14.2g; Dietary Fiber: 5.7g; Sugars: 3.5g; Protein: 15.8g
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