Orange Cube Tofu Salad Recipe

By Kathypatalsky

It finally feels like winter is winding down. Lingering just so. Spring looms. Every sunny afternoon is giving me a glimpse of the blue sky days to come. And I can not wait. But as a mild winter winds down, I am embracing everything I love about this season. Hot mugs, cozy stew, soups, hearty casseroles and plenty of fresh, fantastic winter citrus. This Orange Cube Tofu Salad is my idea of winter meets spring. Crisp green leaves of romaine, tender pilaf of brown rice, creamy vegan ranch dressing, zesty red onion and a super cool extra large cube of citrus tofu. Half a satsuma on top. And kids will love to see this tower of tofu at their dinner table! A block-builder’s dream..

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Crispy Golden Coconut Tofu Cubes

Crispy Tofu with Green Veggie Stir-fry

Peanut Butter Tofu Rice Bowl

Orange Cube Tofu Salad

vegan, serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 head of romaine, 5-7 leaves per plate
• 1 Tbsp dressing per plate (see below)
• 1/3 cup chopped red onion (evenly split between plates)
• 2 cups cooked brown rice (1 cup pilaf per plate)
• *note, I used brown rice with just a scoop of nutritional yeast blended in for some flavor. You can keep plain or season as you wish.
• large citrus tofu cubes (see below)
• halved citrus (satsumas, mandarins, tangerines..)

Citrus Tofu

• 1 block of firm tofu, sliced into large cubes
• marinade:
• 2 Tbsp tamari
• 1/2 cup fresh citrus juice
• 1 1/2 Tbsp maple or agave syrup
• pepper to taste

Vegan Ranch Dressing

• 2 Tbsp Vegenaise (vegan mayo)
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp citrus juice (lemon or orange)
• spices: a few dashes of herb seasoning and pepper

(Store-bought dressing: try vegan ranch or other creamy dressing. I love Follow My Heart’s Creamy Garlic or Vegan Ranch! You can find at Whole Foods.)

Directions:

Tofu:

Marinate tofu in liquid for at least 5 minutes. Add a splash of veggie oil to saute pan (I use safflower oil.) High heat. Wait until oil is hot, then add tofu. Cook on each side of cube for about 1 minute. Allow a nice sear to form. About half-way through cooking, reduce heat and add the leftover liquid from the marinade. Continue to cook until the liquid has absorbed or cooked off. Turn off heat, allow tofu to sit for at least 5 minutes before plating.

Plating salad:

1. Section off romaine and place on serving plates.

2. Whisk dressing and drizzle over top salad leaves.

3. Add red onion.

4. Portion cooked brown rice into two containers – 1 cup each – whatever shape container you’d like. You want the rice to still be warm when you do this – reheat if necessary. Press rice down into dish. Let sit for a few minutes, then carefully plop rice out onto salad. It should form a mold of the shape of the container.

5. Place a tofu cube on top of the rice. And a citrus slice on top of that. Serve!