Necessity is the mother of invention, they say (whoever “they” are!), and tonight I had a need: A need to be fed, and a need to redo my salad plans on the fly because the beets I thought I had in the fridge, well, I didn’t have.  (These things happen sometimes!)

I had all the rest of my ingredients, however – arugula, baked tofu, goat cheese – and after a quick scan of the pantry, I added diced pimientos to the mix.  (Every good Southerner keeps a jar or two of pimientos in the cabinet for safety’s sake!)

First, I baked the tofu for 15 minutes to heat it through.  As it cooked, I prepared a bed of arugula on a plate and then added half a jar of drained, diced pimientos to the leaves.  Then I waited patiently for the tofu, and when it was hot, I cut the square into an inch-wide dice and tossed half of the squares onto each plate.

Next it was time to add some goat cheese!  I bought some last week at Whole Foods (a luxury, I know) for just such an occasion and was delighted to crumble a little atop the salad.  After that, I added a little black pepper for garnish, and put a spot of store-bought salad dressing (Thousand Island worked quite nicely) on top.  Then it was time to dig in!

This may have been a last-minute salad, but it was fantastic!  It was so fresh, so summery, and the arugula added a wonderfully peppery bite to each mouthful.  The baked tofu turned out very nicely and anchored the dish, while the pimientos and goat cheese provided both complementary textures and excellent flavors; the push-and-pull of tangy and buttery played very nicely.

We’ll definitely give this dish another try!  It’s incredibly versatile and would be great no matter the season – or the meal!  (I already have big plans for upcoming lunches!)

TOFU AND ARUGULA SALAD

Serves two

What you’ll need:

1 block baked tofu (we used teriyaki flavor)

1 bag arugula

1 jar diced pimientos

1 block goat cheese

2 tsp. black pepper

Salad dressing of your choice

First, remove the baked tofu from the packaging and place it on a baking sheet. Bake the tofu at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until heated through.

While the tofu cooks, wash your arugula and arrange it on dinner plates.  Don’t be skimpy on the arugula – this will make the bed of your meal!

Drain the jar of pimientos and add half the jar to each plate, atop the arugula.  Try to ensure that the pimientos are evenly distributed across the plate.

When the tofu has warmed up, dice it into one-inch squares and add half to each plate, arranging it evenly as you did the pimientos.  Next, crumble up goat cheese to taste and add it to each salad.

Top each plate with pepper to taste, add the salad dressing of your choice, and serve!

Enjoy!

:)

I’ve got to admit, taco salad is the entrée I gravitate toward most at Mexican restaurants.  In my mind, I can justify it as being one of the most healthy meals on the menu – even though I know full well that by the time I’m done mowing down the beans, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and tortilla bowl, I’ve not done myself any favors!  Calories or no, I just love a good taco salad.

That’s why I started making them at home awhile back.  The flavors are all there, but some of the calories aren’t.  A win-win!

First, I bake two tostada bowls (which are much smaller than the restaurant style, and not fried) and, when they’re done, place them on our dinner plates.  While they bake, I will typically heat up a bag of vegetarian ground “beef” and a can of beans – tonight I used pinto beans – and prepare some vegetables.  Tonight, I made my own salad dressing – some Vegenaise, olive oil, lemon juice, fresh dill, salt, and pepper – and used the cooking time to whip up a small serving bowl full. 

When everything is heated up, it’s time to put the salad together!  Anything goes in terms of toppings and fillings, but here’s how we layered the meal tonight: First a layer of pinto beans, then a hearty helping of lettuce, then a layer of ground “beef” (seasoned with adobo seasoning), then a handful of cherry tomatoes, then a handful of green olives, and, finally, a dusting of Daiya pepperjack.  Top it off with a few spoonfuls of creamy dill dressing, and you’ve got a perfectly tasty and filling meal!

In good Recessionista fashion, we have two shells left for leftovers, plus some beef and veggies.  I’m looking forward to lunch already!

:)

Greetings, friends, from my very own laptop!  The MacBook survived its time in the hospital and has made a full recovery.  The best part?  I didn’t even lose any of my data, because the hard drive was pronounced A-OK; it was the hard-drive cable that was the trouble.  All the same, I will be backing up my documents tonight, and you should too.  :)  Here endeth tonight’s public service announcement.

On to dinner!

I stumbled across this recipe a few weeks ago and filed it away for a night when spring was finally here.  Tonight is that night!  In standard fashion, I made a substitution, eliminating the feta cheese and adding a block of tofu in its place for more protein and less fat.  (And no dairy!)

So this morning, in anticipation, I crumbled up a block of tofu and marinated it with salt, pepper, onion powder, and oregano, leaving it in a zip-top bag in the fridge all day while LeeLee and I toiled away.  After work, I got home first, and when he called to say he too was on his way, I got moving in the kitchen.  First, I shelled some pistachio nuts to make sure they were ready to go.  Then I diced an onion and sautéed it on the stove while a bag of frozen peas defrosted in the microwave.  As the veggies cooked, I made the dressing.  It called for honey, so I used some from my cousin’s hives down in Florida – you can’t beat that.

Next, I spread out some spinach on two plates – one for me, one for LeeLee, of course – and washed and de-stemmed the mint leaves for use as a garnish.  Then, just before serving, I put everything else together!  I topped the spinach with a healthy dose of tofu, then mixed the onions, peas, and pistachios together and topped the tofu with the veggies.  I split the dressing over each of our plates and then garnished the meal with quite a few mint leaves (we both love them).  Just like that, dinner was ready!

And it was awesome.  We both marveled at how filling the recipe was – sometimes, dinner salads can be a little light on staying power – and how tasty, as well.  We’re both crazy about the dressing, as well!  We’ll definitely use it again in many, many salads – it has the potential to be incredibly versatile.

The combination of warm and cold ingredients was great, as well; the warmth made us feel like we were eating a “real” dinner, while the cold ingredients, such as the tofu and spinach, were a great counterbalance.  In total, the meal couldn’t be beat!  We’ll definitely make it again.

:)