Spring Garden Silken Tofu Salad

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2 min read
Summary

Use your spring garden veggies and edible flowers to make a colorful and flavorful Silken Tofu Garden Salad. A variety of blooms would taste delightful in this salad, including tart rose petals, peppery nasturtiums, or sweet carnations. Sprinkle them on top after the salad is tossed for a stand-out presentation and captivating dish!

Yields4 ServingsPrep Time4 minsCook Time15 minsTotal Time19 mins

Spring Garden Silken Tofu Salad

Ingredients

Marinade/Dressing
 ¼ cup coconut aminos (or reduced-sodium tamari, see Chef’s Notes)
 2 tbsp organic rice vinegar
 2 tsp sherry vinegar
 2 tsp sesame seed oil (optional)
 2 tsp maple syrup (or date paste, link in Chef’s Notes)
 14 oz silken tofu (gently cut into cubes, see Directions)
Salad
 4 cups organic butter lettuce (chopped)
 ½ cup organic red bell pepper (seeded and diced)
 ½ cup cucumber (diced)
 1 avocado (seed removed, diced)
  cup green onion (sliced, white and green parts)
 2 tsp sesame seeds (white or black)
 ¼ cup edible flowers (see Chef’s Notes )

Directions

1

Make the Marinade/Dressing: Add all ingredients except tofu to a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.

2

Prep the tofu: Carefully drain the liquid from the package of tofu, and gently tip the block onto a clean kitchen towel or large paper towel. (Try to keep the block in one piece, but don’t worry if it falls apart — it will still taste great!) Pat with the towel, removing as much liquid as possible. Transfer the block of tofu to a shallow dish or plate.

3

Slice the tofu into 1-inch pieces and carefully separate them (again, it may fall apart a bit on you and that’s okay!).

4

Marinate the tofu: Pour half of the marinade/dressing over top of the tofu and let sit for at least 20 minutes.

5

Meanwhile, prepare the salad: Add the butter lettuce, peppers, cucumber, avocado, and green onion. Toss.

6

Pour the remaining dressing over top.

7

Add the tofu to the salad. If you’d like more dressing, pour the remaining marinade over top and gently toss once again.

8

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and edible flowers of choice (see Chef’s Notes).

Chef's Notes

Substitutions
You can use organic reduced-sodium tamari in place of coconut aminos. However, you may want to try 3 tablespoons instead of ¼ cup due to tamari’s more intense flavor and higher sodium content.

If you don’t want to use silken tofu, the avocado still offers lots of creaminess as a complement to the crunch in the salad. If you’re looking for a protein substitute for the tofu, opt for shelled edamame or chickpeas.

Use red wine vinegar in place of sherry vinegar.

Instead of butter lettuce, try red or green leaf lettuce, romaine, or a spring mix of leafy greens.

For the pepper, use orange, yellow, or green instead of red.

Make it a full meal
Add this salad on top of cooked whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, or bulgur.

Whole Food Sweetener
Use date paste in place of maple syrup.

Edible Flower Options
Flowers that would compliment this salad include calendula, hibiscus, rose, nasturtium, cornflower, and carnations. We used a combination of them!

Prep Ahead
Prepare the marinade/dressing ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks before making this recipe.

Marinate the tofu ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours before making this recipe.

Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Ingredients

Marinade/Dressing
 ¼ cup coconut aminos (or reduced-sodium tamari, see Chef’s Notes)
 2 tbsp organic rice vinegar
 2 tsp sherry vinegar
 2 tsp sesame seed oil (optional)
 2 tsp maple syrup (or date paste, link in Chef’s Notes)
 14 oz silken tofu (gently cut into cubes, see Directions)
Salad
 4 cups organic butter lettuce (chopped)
 ½ cup organic red bell pepper (seeded and diced)
 ½ cup cucumber (diced)
 1 avocado (seed removed, diced)
  cup green onion (sliced, white and green parts)
 2 tsp sesame seeds (white or black)
 ¼ cup edible flowers (see Chef’s Notes )

Directions

1

Make the Marinade/Dressing: Add all ingredients except tofu to a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.

2

Prep the tofu: Carefully drain the liquid from the package of tofu, and gently tip the block onto a clean kitchen towel or large paper towel. (Try to keep the block in one piece, but don’t worry if it falls apart — it will still taste great!) Pat with the towel, removing as much liquid as possible. Transfer the block of tofu to a shallow dish or plate.

3

Slice the tofu into 1-inch pieces and carefully separate them (again, it may fall apart a bit on you and that’s okay!).

4

Marinate the tofu: Pour half of the marinade/dressing over top of the tofu and let sit for at least 20 minutes.

5

Meanwhile, prepare the salad: Add the butter lettuce, peppers, cucumber, avocado, and green onion. Toss.

6

Pour the remaining dressing over top.

7

Add the tofu to the salad. If you’d like more dressing, pour the remaining marinade over top and gently toss once again.

8

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and edible flowers of choice (see Chef’s Notes).

Spring Garden Silken Tofu Salad