Thai Tofu Zoodle Salad
It’s a Choose Your Own Adventure dinner and everyone knows: the only way to get the outcome that you want in those books is to skip ahead and read the ending first, and then backtrack into the choices that get you there. RIGHT? 😜
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So ⬆️ HERE’S ⬆️ the picture of TWO potential endings for this dish: Whatcha gonna do? Do you go GREENS? Or choose GRAINS? You really can’t go wrong with these Creamy Almond Butter Tofu Bowls. Even if you go off script and sub in chicken and mix greens AND grains.
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Ok, now go read the recipe so you can back into which bowl YOU’D rather end up with.
STEP BY STEP PICTURES:
Yield: 4
Thai Tofu Zoodle Bowls
Prep time: 10 MCook time: 10 MTotal time: 20 M
Ingredients:
Dressing
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon pureed ginger (I like People’s Organic or Gourmet Garden)
- ¼ cup creamy almond butter (literally any nut butter including tahini & sunbutter)
- ¼ cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce, but then it will be saltier)
- 2 tablespoons coconut milk (optional, just makes it creamier)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- Juice of a lime
- a pinch of kosher salt
- a pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Tofu:
- 14oz extra firm tofu, pressed of all it’s water and cut into 1” cubes (wrap in towels and put your heaviest appliance on top of it for 30 minutes)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- kosher salt
- 1 - 2 tablespoons any neutral oil (olive, avocado, safflower)
- OR:
- 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, pulled or shredded (steak or shrimp will work, too)
Greens OR Grains:
- 1 pound spiralized zucchini (you can use a peeler and make fettuccine if you don’t have)
- two handfuls of baby arugula (or spinach)
- 1 cup shredded or matchstick carrots (again, use a peeler for this)
- 1 bell pepper, any color, julienned (that means thin strips)
- OR:
- 2 cups cooked short grain brown rice
Garnish:
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions:
Dressing:
- Place everything in the food processor and puree until fully emulsified.
Tofu:
- Toss tofu in a medium bowl with cornstarch and kosher salt.
- Heat a large NON-STICK pan over medium-high and add the tofu. Cook, tossing occasionally, until browned on all sides. Remove from heat. Let cool slightly before tossing with about ½ cup of the dressing.
- If using a different cooked protein, toss that in the almond butter sauce, as well.
To assemble GREENS:
- Toss zucchini, arugula, carrot shreds and peppers in a large bowl. Pour almond dressing a little at a time, tossing well to coat the zoodles well. Top with tofu (or any protein) and garnish with sesame seeds.
To assemble GRAINS:
- For the rice bowl, top with tofu (or any protein) and any of the vegetables you want. Garnish with sesame seeds.
- PS: YOU COULD BE CRAZY AND DO A MIX OF GREENS AND GRAINS!
Equipment:
mini food processor
large NONSTICK saute pan
large bowl