Yesterday I got my first day off of training in several weeks. While it wasn’t quite a full day off, I seemed to be go-go-go all day long and spent my evening off grocery shopping and getting ready for the week… BUT it was nice to not put on workout gear for once.
Today was an easy easy recovery day. I just had to do a short low intensity ride and a super chill run. My legs are a little tired, but no where near as bad as I expected. Good thing.
With a little extra time on my hands my friends and I got together for a little picnic in the neighborhood park. It was a perfect evening and we had a great time. I’m always famous in my group of friends for bringing the “healthy” dish. Always eager to show people that eating healthy doesn’t have to taste bland or unfavorable, I found a new recipe I wanted to try. It came from Heidi at 101cookbooks. Her note on this recipe: The success of this salad hinges on the broccoli. Buy good-quality bright green broccoli with tight florets. Now that you have good broccoli, do your best not to overcook it - you don’t want it turning to mush.
Crunchy Broccoli Tofu Salad with a Creamy Almond Dressing
Salad Ingredients
• 1/4 c pan-fried crunchy shallots*
• 1/2 c toasted walnuts*
• Extra Firm Tofu, cut into bite size cubes
• 4 -5 cups tiny broccoli florets and chopped stalks
• 1/4 c Red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 Medium crisp apple, quartered then sliced as thin as possible (wait til just before serving to slice the apple)
Dressing Ingredients
• 1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped
• scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1TBS almond butter
• 1 1/2 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp of Agave
• 1 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 TBS hot water, more if needed
Instructions
* Stir together the shallots, a splash of olive oil and big pinch of salt In a large skillet over medium heat. Stir every few minutes, you want the shallots to slowly brown over about 12-15 minutes. Let them get dark, dark brown (but not burn), and if needed turn down the heat. Remove from skillet and onto a paper towel to cool in a single layer where they will crisp up a bit. (save the pan)
* In a small skillet over low heat, toast the walnuts with a pinch of salt and 1 tsp of sugar. Stir or toss every few seconds, careful not to let burn. Keep reducing heat if need be. When they become fragrant and browned, they’re done. Place on a paper towel or wax paper to cool.
Using the seasoned shallot skillet, bring it to medium-high heat. Add the tofu cubes. Wait until the sides brown before flipping. Keep flipping until all sides have browned and tofu is crispy and springy. It takes a few minutes, be patient. Turn off heat, they’ll continue to cook.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Boil the broccoli just long enough to take the raw edge of - 20 or 30 seconds. Drain and immerse broccoli in cold water (or let cold water run over it). Set aside.
Make the dressing by sprinkling the salt over the clove of garlic. Smash the clove and chop, smash and chop - turning it into a paste. In a small bowl whisk the salty garlic paste with the almond butter, lemon juice, honey and olive oil. Add the hot water and whisk until light and creamy. Taste, make any adjustments and set aside.
In a large bowl gently toss the broccoli, tofu, apples, red onion, most of the shallots and nuts with a generous drizzle of the almond dressing. Turn out onto a platter and finish with the rest of the shallots. Serve family style.
Serves 4.
The sweet and savory notes compliment each other so delicately. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and I was able to eat according to my dietary needs without any issue. this one’s a keeper!
