Spinach-first salad with tofu

Hello World,

Yesterday, I was really craving a spinach-first salad with tofu, but it was pretty late, so I didn't get around to making it. Today, though, I finally made it - and it turned out great :) So, I figured I’d write down the recipe here for myself (and maybe share it with you too)

I had to run to the store first and it was super windy out there, definitely not the best weather for a quick trip. Grabbed all the ingredients I needed, came back, whipped up the salad, and then spent some time deep-cleaning the kitchen. I also cleaned a few other rooms, however, wouldn't call them "deep cleaned" per se.

Now I'm really tired, but kicking back with a cup of tea and decided to write this down before I forget :) Let's get to it now.

# You Need...

• Baby spinach (as a base) - get like 100 grams.
• 1 cucumber (finely sliced, cubed, or julienned)
• 1 medium-large red onion (finely chopped)
• A cup of red cabbage (finely chopped and peeled)
• A stalk or two of celery (finely chopped or sliced)
• A medium-small carrot (roughly grated)
• 1 tablespoon of vinegar (red/white wine, balsamic, apple cider, rice, white, ... - whatever flavour profile you're looking for - I went with the mildly sweet & tangy apple cider vinegar)
• 3 tablespoons of light soy sauce (1 for cooking 2 for dressing)
• Half a lime (for dressing)
• Like 100 grams of silken firm (or extra firm) tofu
• Chilli flakes (to taste)
• Black pepper (to taste)
• 2 garlic cloves (finely minced)
• A tablespoon of olive oil (optional OR other oil for frying tofu)
• Some fresh ginger, basil, spring onion, etc. (optional & to taste)
• 2 heap tablespoons of (roasted) sesame seeds

Feel free to adjust the ingredients to your taste. You can also add other vegetables, such as tomatoes or any others you prefer - cooking's a free art.

# Notes

1. Avoid all vegetables that come pre-packaged in 69 layers of plastic and be a responsible person. We have enough plastic on oceans as-is.
2. Before you begin, you may want to press the tofu; to do this, wrap the tofu in paper towels and apply pressure for 15 minutes - such as placing a book on top - to remove excess moisture. This step will help the tofu become crispier when cooked, but it is completely optional.
3. To make carrots nicer you may want to cook them a little bit before putting them into the salad. Maybe during the tofu step.

# To do

Step one -- prepare your vegetables:

1. In a bowl, add in all your washed and processed vegetables:
   1. Baby spinach (whole)
   2. Cucumber
   3. Red onion
   4. Red cabbage
   5. Carrot
   6. Celery
   7. Whatever extra you chose to add
2. Toss all the vegetables together.

Step two -- prepare your dressing:

1. In a small bowl, pour in a tablespoon of vinegar, soy sauce (2 tablespoons), pepper, chilli flakes, and the juice of half a lime.
2. Gently mix the dressing together in and let it all sit.

Step three -- prepare your tofu and sesame seeds:

1. On medium-high heat, in a pan, pour in your oil of choice. Let the oil come up to temperature.
2. Add in your tofu cubes as well as minced garlic and, while periodically tossing, let them cook for 5-8 minutes.
3. Last second, splash in a tablespoon of soy sauce and chilli flakes to glaze the tofu.
4. Add your tofu into the salad bowl.
5. Add in your sesame seeds in the still hot pan and let them soak up the last oil and also roast a little bit. This should take 2-3 minutes.
6. Add in your flavoured and roasted sesame seeds into the salad bowl.

Step four -- put it all together:

1. Mix all of your salad ingredients in the bowl.
2. Add in your dressing, toss the salad together for a minute or so.
3. Put it in a fridge for minimum of 10 minutes to let all the ingredients marinade in the dressing.
4. Serve however you want.

# Enjoy

Have a great day, everyone :)

If you found this recipe useful - that's fantastic. I'll probably make it again soon. As for the leftover vegetables, I plan to turn them into a curry tomorrow -- and I might even share that recipe on this same blog again.