Meatless Monday: Kale Salad with Miso-Roasted Tofu
As my backyard kale started to proliferate a few months ago, I posted a couple of kale salad recipes (here’s one and here’s the other). Even later in the season, I find that my fresh-picked, homegrown kale is much more tender than what I find at the store. Kale salads are a great way to use tender leaves, and this particular salad, that I made just a few days ago, adds substantial protein to the mix.
This salad is very simple. Except for the tofu and cheese, the ingredients are things I always have on hand—lemon, miso and garlic. And of course, the kale is just outside my back door. This salad is a hearty meal in itself. It is gluten-free, and can be vegan if you omit the cheese.
I found this recipe at: marinmamacooks.com.
Kale Salad with Miso-Roasted Tofu
Tofu:
One package extra firm tofu
2 T lemon juice
2 T miso (I used yellow miso, but white would also be good here.)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Preheat your oven to 425°. Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl. The marinade will be thick. It won’t look like enough to coat the tofu, but it is. No need to augment.
Cut the tofu into eight slices and then cut those slices down the middle to make 16 pieces. Coat the tofu pieces with the marinade by tossing them gently in the bowl with a soft rubber spatula. Coat a baking sheet with oil and arrange the tofu in a single layer on the sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes, turning several times, until browned on both sides.
Salad:
One bunch kale—lacinato or Red Russian are good varieties to use. I used a combination of both.
1/3 cup olive oil
3 T lemon juice
4 t miso
1 clove garlic, minced
Grated Parmesan, optional (Because I don’t eat cow-based dairy products, I substituted a tangy goat gouda, which worked very well.)
Mix together the oil, lemon juice, miso and garlic in a small bowl. Stem the kale, and cut it into 1/2-inch strips. Wash and dry the leaves. I like to wash and dry kale after slicing it because it dries more thoroughly in a salad spinner when it’s in smaller pieces.
Add the dressing to the kale in small amounts. I found that this dressing recipe made a bit more than I needed, so add it gradually. If your kale is already pretty tender, there’s no need to massage the dressing into the kale. Otherwise, massage a bit to tenderize the leaves.
Toss in the tofu and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Enjoy!