Friday, October 8, 2010

Kale Salad with Baked Tofu and Lemon Mustard Dressing



This past summer I was very happily employed within the produce department at Whole Earth Center in Princeton, NJ. It was hands down the best job I ever had. I loved working with fresh,local and organic produce nonstop (not to mention all of the free peaches I was eating).
So when I moved back to my hometown after being away for 7 years and couldn't find an office job, I decided to go back to doing what I love and was hired by the Whole Foods in Middletown, NJ.
Whole Foods has teamed up with a doctor who created a "lifestyle choice" (read: diet) called Eat Right America. It's basically a vegan diet (shocker!), though people are still afraid to use that word. It rates the Nutrient Density of every vegetable. The best part of this whole thing, is that since it rates so high on the scale. my favorite vegetable kale, is straight up everywhere around the store! The produce department has two huge displays of it, it's like 5 different places on the salad bar. It rules. Anyway I've been bringing it home from work everyday since there's just so damn much and I can't get enough of it. So here's what I did today.

Kale Salad with Baked Tofu and Mustard Lemon Dressing

A bunch of kale stems removed, washed and torn
1 avocado cut into bite sized pieces (some folks like sliced, I like chunked)
1/2 cup chick peas
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup whole unsalted almonds

Baked Tofu
1 pound Extra Firm Tofu, pressed and cubed
2 Tbsp of Tamari
2 Tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Orange Juice
2 Cloves of garlic, minced.

Preheat Oven to 400f. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and add tofu. Toss to coat let marinate for 20 minutes. Bake for 45 minutes at 400f stirring half way through. Let cool and refrigerate. This is enough for a few salads or just eat it cold on its own.

Mustard Lemon Dressing
1/3 cup olive oil.
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp Prepared Brown Mustard
2 Tbsp Vegenaise
5 cloves garlic
2 tsp Tamari
1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
Combine all ingredients in a blender, makes more than you need so save extra in an air tight jar.

I can eat this everyday.