asian

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Asian Summer Roll Salad with Grilled Tofu

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Asian summer salad with grilled tofu

We eat a lot of salads. Actually, most days I eat a salad for either lunch or dinner.

We live in Florida where it is normally hot, so cold salads are my go to. I also love Thai and summer rolls, and really wanted to make a salad that included all of the goodness of a summer roll, but didn’t require me rolling up a batch.

If I am being perfectly honesty, I am terrible at rolling them. If they handed out awards for ugly summer rolls, I know I could win! So I created this Asian summer roll salad with grilled tofu, and added in all the things I would put in a summer roll. Soaking rice stick noodles and adding them to this salad gives it a more summer roll feel and makes it extra delicious.

I meant to add fresh mint and forgot, but will definitely add it next time and maybe even some cilantro. This salad is perfect for hot summer days. It was also great as leftover, even after being tossed in the dressing.

So if you love summer rolls, but not all the work, give this salad a try. It’s quick, easy, delicious, and no rice paper rolling skills required.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped

  • 2 cups copped/shredded cabbage

  • 1/2 English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced

  • 1 cup shredded carrots

  • 1/2 cup edamame

  • 2 green onions , chopped

  • 3 oz rice stick noodles

  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

  • 1 avocado, thinly sliced

  • optional add ins: fresh mint leaves, cilantro

THE TOFU:

  • 1 block extra firm tofu

  • 3 tablespoons coconut aminos

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

  • 1 teaspoons garlic powder

PEANUT DRESSING:

  • 3 tablespoons peanut butter

  • 1/4 cup coconut aminos

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 2 tablespoons water

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Drain tofu and wrap in a clean kitchen towel or a few paper towels. Place a few books on top or a heavy pan, and let sit for 10 minutes to press out any excess liquid.

  2. Slice the tofu into strips. In a shallow pan mix remaining tofu ingredients. Let the strips marinate in the mixture for about 10 minutes. Heat a large grill pan over medium heat. You can use a regular skillet if you don’t have a grill pan. Give it a spray with some cooking oil, and add the tofu along with all of the marinade. Let the tofu cook, turning the pieces several times until the liquid is absorbed, and the tofu is slightly crispy around the edges.

  3. Place the rice noodles in a dish and cover in hot tap water. Let the noodles sit for about 5 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse in cold water. Set aside.

  4. In a small bowl whisk the ingredients for the dressing. I like to use a fork to get the peanut butter all mixed in. It takes a minute to get it broken down and mixed well with the other ingredients.

  5. Toss all of the the salad ingredients in a large bowl along with the rice noodles and cooked tofu. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss again.

Serves around 6.

If you like this recipe, try these:

Raw Sesame Zucchini Noodle Salad

Southwest Salad with Crispy Potatoes

Kale Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

Asian summer salad with grilled tofu

asian summer roll salad with grilled tofu

Sesame Tofu Tacos with Asian Slaw

Sesame Tofu Tacos

We eat a lot of tacos in our house.

Tacos are easy, inexpensive, and typically make everyone happy. If I am in a pinch for time, or have no clue what else to make for dinner, I will normally throw together some tacos with whatever ingredients we have on hand.

Most recently I was in the mood for something light, crunchy, and asian inspired. So I decide to marinate some tofu, make a light crunchy slaw, a creamy ginger dressing , and fry up some leftover wonton wrappers I had on hand.

Everyone in the house loved these tacos, and I have a feeling will be my go to taco this summer. I always have tofu and slaw mix in my fridge, and my pantry always has the ingredients for this quick marinade!

I have most recently started buying a tube of minced ginger to keep in the fridge for quick flavor and less hassle. It seems we just keep getting busier in this house, so I am currently all about anything that can save me some time and effort.

So if you are in the mood to switch up your taco game, try these sesame tofu tacos with asian slaw. Taco Tuesday ( or any other day of the week) just got a little more exciting!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 block extra firm tofu

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce, or coconut aminos

  • juice from 1 lime

  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil

  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic

  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar

  • 1 pack flour tortillas

  • a handful of cilantro

  • 10 vegan wonton wrappers

  • oil for frying

Asian Slaw:

  • 3 cups slaw mix, or shredded cabbage

  • juice from 1 lime

  • 1 -2 teaspoon sesame oil

  • 1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Ginger Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup vegan mayo

  • 2 teaspoons minced ginger

  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic

  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

  • 2 teaspoons agave or sugar

  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Remove tofu from package and wrap in a clean kitchen towel, or a few paper towels. Place a few books on top and let the tofu sit for 10-15 minutes to press out the excess liquid.

  2. Cut tofu in 1/4 inch thin long strips. Whisk together the soy sauce, lime juice, sesame oil, garlic, and brown sugar in a shallow dish. Let tofu strips marinate in the mixture for about 15 minutes.

  3. While the tofu is marinating mix together the ingredients for the slaw and set aside.

  4. Mix the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.

  5. Stack the wonton wrappers on top of each other and cut them into 1/4 inch strips. Separate the strips.

  6. Heat a medium skillet or small sauce pan with an inch or two of oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the wonton strips in batches, careful not to over crowd the pan. Fry the strips for just a few minutes or until golden brown. Place cooked strips on a paper towel lined plate.

  7. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tofu, along with the marinade to the pan. Let the tofu cook on each side for a few minutes before flipping. Cook the tofu until all of the liquid has been absorbed and the tofu is browning and crisping around the edges.

  8. To build the tacos, add some tofu to a tortilla, top with slaw, a drizzle of dressing, some crispy wontons, and some fresh cilantro.

If you like this recipe, try these:

Vegan Alabama White Sauce Tempeh Tacos

Vegan Beer Battered Fish Tacos

Grilled Watermelon and Tofu Tacos

Sesame Tofu Tacos

sesame tofu tacos with asian slaw, crispy wontons and creamy vegan ginger dressing