Mandarin Salad by Kaydence

I developed this recipe because I was craving Asian food!

Restaurants are not an option since all the food cooked there has soy sauce with wheat in it. If you happen to find a wheat free dressing anywhere most likely the salad has meat in it. So I created a salad and dressing to satiate my craving.

   

{It seems a little cliche to be using tofu, because I'm one of the vegetarians who is always ragging on people who take out meat and animals products from their diet and just replace them all with GMO soy products. Soy in large amounts isn't good for you, and GMO soy in any amount isn't good for you. But, organic tofu in moderation can be a good source of protein.}

You will need:

1 14 oz package of EXTRA FIRM Organic Tofu

1 14 oz package uncooked rice noodles

5-10 oz of slivered almonds (depending on your preference)

2 10 oz jars of Mandarin Oranges (yes, you can use cans, but I try to avoid them because of the BPA)

1 pound of greens (whatever you like, but I use dark greens for more nutrition)

Olive or Canola oil for sautéing

For the dressing:

1/2 cup toasted sesame oil (you can use olive oil, but this will give it a deeper Asian taste)

2 Tbs. Tamari (wheat free soy sauce, check your labels, always! Soy sauce always has wheat in it unless it's labeled as gluten free)

1/4 cup agave syrup (honey would work too)

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 cloves of garlic slightly chopped

1-2 tbls FRESH ginger slightly chopped (just eyeball two pieces that are about the size of your thumb)

Firstly, get out your tofu and cut it into half inch cubes. You have to use extra firm or it won't stay in cubes. Set it on some paper towel to let the moisture out a little. Put a shallow skillet on the pan. Add a little oil to the bottom (olive or organic canola will work) and then add in the tofu cubes in one level. Turn the heat on to medium and let the cubes start browning (you don't want to heat the pan first or the moisture from the wet tofu will cause the oil to splatter if you drop it in the hot oil). When they get brown (about five minutes) turn them over gently and them them brown on the other side for another five. Once they are brown on both sides they won't crumble and you can gently stir them and flip them to make sure they get covered. Turn the heat to medium low and let sit for a couple more minutes. When you are done, drain on a plate with paper towel. 

Get out your rice noodles, you will only need about 1/4-1/3 of the package. Break into little 2 inch-ish pieces. Add a little more oil to the same pan - until the bottom is covered but the oil isn't deep- maybe a scant 1/4 cup. On medium heat, add enough rice noodles to cover the bottom of the pan, don't over-layer. They will puff up beautifully. Put them on paper towel to drain. Do the next batch and so on until you have puffed all of your noodles. While those things are draining and cooling down, make your dressing.

Put all the ingredients listed above for dressing into the blender and give it a whirl until everything is thoroughly mixed and there are no chunks of garlic or ginger.

When I make this salad I dump all my greens into a bowl, add the almonds, mandarin oranges, tofu and rice noodles and then pour all the dressing on and toss because my family will eat the whole bowl. But if you want to save some leftovers, have everyone top their salads with the dressing separately so that the crispy noodles don't get soggy. 

An easy refreshing salad! 

From Kaydence's Kitchen

click on any picture to enlarge