DonnaMaria recently created her own tofu salad and her creation inspired me to do the same. Here’s her recipe and photo:

My inspiration for eating tofu!

Looks yummy, doesn’t it? I set out to make my own tofu salad and prayed my family would like it as well, so that we could incorporate some vegetarian meals into our diet. Here’s what I did (amounts are approximate – I was so hungry and partially skeptical that I’d like it, I didn’t write everything down):

2 Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil – heated on medium high and added
1/2 pkg of Naysoya Organic Lite Firm Tofu – drained and cubed
Seasoned with 1 Tbl minced garlic, pepper and spicy grill seasoning for chicken/fish

I cooked this for approximately 10 minutes, stirring often. I tasted it about halfway through and it seemed too soft to me, so I kept cooking to brown the outside and make it a bit crisper. Texture is a huge deal for me with food, and one of the main reasons I’d never eaten tofu before was because I was afraid it’d just be mush.

Meanwhile, I mixed:
Baby Spinach
Iceburg Lettuce
Red cabbage
2 celery stalks – cut into 1/4″ chunks
1 carrot, chopped
1 green onion (both green & white parts), chopped
handful of dried cranberries

After the tofu was cooked, I simply mixed it into the salad and served it with some freshly baked bread.

Results: I really liked it! The texture was still a bit soft for my taste, maybe next time I’ll get the extra firm, but it was definitely edible. The tofu absorbed the seasoning flavors and the cranberries gave it enough of a sweet flavor that no salad dressing was needed. All in all a wonderfully flavored, filling and low fat meal! My husband’s response: “What did you cook this chicken in? It’s good!” I’m glad his first meal with tofu was a good experience for this die-hard meat and potatoes guy. My daughter (2 years old) ate it all up as well so it was a thumbs up all the way around.

We’ll definitely be eating more tofu in the future – in fact, I just read a recipe for a maple glazed tofu that I’m thinking about for tonight! What are your favorite tofu recipes? I’d love to try them out, so please share!