Eating Clean - The Simple Salad with Baked Tofu

One of the most practical slices of dietary advice I've ever heard was from the Chef teaching the vegetarian culinary arts course I took last year.

She said that to occasionally indulge is human, and even healthy (mentally) in the long term, as long as its followed by eating extra clean for two to three days following said indulgence.

As I've been known to indulge a time or two, I decided to try to put this rule into practice and see what happened.... I think it works! Usually, if I scarf down a high sugar, high fat dessert or too much creamy-sauce pasta or have an extra glass of red wine, I have a reminder of it the next morning on that annoying electronic gizmo that I reluctantly step on in the bathroom, the scales.

So, on day one, two, and three after said indulgence I now pass by the scales, skip the processed food, and opt instead for healthy fruit and veggie snacks and properly portioned healthy homemade soups or salads for lunches and dinners. My next date with the scale usually shows no evidence of any dietary transgressions! Based on this very unscientific study, I've adopted this practice into my usual eating patterns.

Last night I attended a friend's birthday party and partook of several yummy b-day desserts that were on offer without guilt because I knew today would be eat-clean day number one.

Dinner -
The Simple Salad

Ingredients:
4 cups mixed salad greens
2 green onions, chopped
1" english cucumber, thinly sliced

Dressing
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 T lemon juice
2 T extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Assemble salad greens, cucumber and green onion in a large salad bowl.

For dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, and salt and pepper until combined. Slowly add olive oil, whisking until emulsified. Drizzle desired amount over salad.

You can use any veggies you have on hand, such as thinly sliced red or yellow peppers, zucchini, red onion, or diced tomato. I just happened to have cucumber and green onion so that's what I used today.

The salad can be served with or without topping. Today I had leftover baked tofu so I topped the salad with it. Here's the recipe, from one of my favorite vegan cookbooks, The Artful Vegan, Fresh Flavors From The Millennium Restaurant (I've abbreviated the method slightly but the recipe is unchanged):

Baked Tofu

Ingredients:
1 pound firm tofu
1/4 cup tamari
1 tsp pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Slice the tofu in half lengthwise and then in thirds across the widths, making slices about 1/2 to 2/3 inch thick.

Combine the tamari, maple syrup and sesame oil in a medium bowl, dip the tofu in the marinade and place on a baking sheet. I sprinkled sesame seeds over the tofu to make it look pretty and add a crunch, but that's not part of the original recipe....go ahead, make it your own!

Bake for 20 minutes, turning the tofu over to brush with any remaining marinade and bake for another 20 minutes or until tofu is caramel brown. Remove from oven, cool and serve.

Vegan Caesar Salad

The caesar salad is my all-time favorite salad. No matter what salad phase I'm in at any given time, I still always crave a good caesar. It must be all the garlic and the salty-creaminess of the dressing combined with the garlicky-crunchiness of the croûtons. So, of course, I HAD to try to come up with a vegan caesar dressing so I can continue to indulge my cravings without having to turn to mayo and cheese!! So, here it is... my take on a vegan caesar. Maybe this will satisfy YOUR caesar cravings, too! :-)

Caesar Salad
vegan

Salad
1 romaine heart, chopped

Assemble chopped romaine in a salad serving bowl

Croutons
2 slices of your favorite crusty bread, chopped into cubes
1-2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Grate garlic into olive oil, stir and drizzle over cubed bread. Toss until well coated and spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes until desired crispiness. Alternatively, you can also pan fry the cubes in 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil until browned on the outside but still nice and chewy on the inside. Add to romaine lettuce in bowl or reserve until salad is dressed and then sprinkle on top to keep them from getting too soggy.

Dressing
1/3 container of silken tofu (150 grams)
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 lemon, juiced (about 1/4 cup)
1 T capers
1tsp tamari sauce
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1 garlic clove, pressed or grated
Salt and pepper to taste

Place all dressing ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour desired amount over salad, toss well and enjoy!!

Mango Lime Salad

Ever made an Asian-themed dinner but couldn't find a suitable Asian-inspired salad to go with it? If so, your search stops here!! This refreshing salad goes well with any Asian stir fry or Thai entree, try it!

Mango Lime Salad
vegan

1 large mango (not too ripe)
1 green onion, cut into 3" lengths
6" section english cucumber, seeded and cut in half across the width
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

Slice the mango, green onion and cucumber into thin match-sticks/julienned pieces length-wise. Combine ingredients in a medium serving bowl. Serves four.

Dressing
juice of 1 lime
1 chili pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 T white wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Combine dressing ingredients and whisk until well mixed. Drizzle over salad just before serving. You likely won't need to use all the dressing on the salad unless you double the salad ingredient quantities. The dressing keeps well in the fridge for 3-5 days.