Light Pairing · Spring Pairing · Vegan

Toasted Sesame Baked Tofu Salad with a Prickly Pear Tepache

C Nightjoy

I may be posting this a little late, but it’s still Monday.

Spring has entered the chat, which means that Summer is just around the corner. This means warmer weather and lighter foods. So I’ve decided to feature one of my favorite baked tofu marinades with a tasty salad. It’s healthy, easy to make, and a bit of a comfort food for me.

However, let’s first discuss…

The Drink:

A few weeks ago, I featured a Hibiscus Citrus flavored drink called De La Calle! Tepache. I very much liked it and wanted to try a few more of the flavors. This week, I picked up the Cactus Prickly Pear Tepache from De La Calle! For those of you unfamiliar with the Prickly Pear, it is indeed a type of cactus. It grows a fruit that is really yummy and the basis for a lot of great candies in the Southwestern portion of the United States and Mexico. I really liked the sweet and sour gummy flavors I had in Arizona.

The De La Calle! Cactus Prickly Pear Tepache is honeyed colored with a floral scent. It’s not as powerful a flavor as the Hibiscus Citrus flavor, but the lighter flavor was perfect for the warmer day. The carbonation tickle while drinking it.

The Food:

What you’ll need:

For the Tofu

  • Firm Tofu block
  • 1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup of olive oil (or other vegetable oil)
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 2 Tbs maple syrup
  • Black pepper (to taste)

For the salad

  • Romaine lettuce
  • Carrots
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Cucumber

Optional Salad Dressing – Trader Joe’s Toasted Sesame Dressing

Remove your tofu from it’s packaging. Press it in cloth or paper towels to remove the moister. Once the excess moisture is removed, cut into 1 inch cubes.

In a bowl, combine the low sodium soy sauce, olive oil, sesame oil, ginger, minced garlic clove, maple syrup, and black pepper (as much as you like). Whisk together well.

Place your tofu in a container with each piece on a flat surface. Pour over the marinade and place in the fridge for at least an hour (you can marinade overnight if you’d like). If the tofu isn’t completely covered, occasionally flip the tofu in the marinade so that each side of the cubes gets coated.

When you are ready to start cooking, preheat your oven to 350F.

Place a layer of aluminum foil on a baking sheet. Lay out the tofu so that each piece is evenly spaced and none are touching. You can toss the remaining marinade. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip and allow to cook for another 10 minutes. Tofu should be in the oven for 20 minutes total.

Grab your carrots, cherry tomatoes, and cucumber. Chop each into small bite size pieces and toss into a bowl with chopped romaine lettuce. Top with the baked tofu and drizzle over your optional salad dressing.

Enjoy!

The Pairing:

I love the mix of warm, soft tofu with the crisp, crunchy vegetables. The sesame flavors with the tofu are the stars of the dish and are enhanced with a sesame salad dressing (the Trader Joe’s one I used was really good). I also think that the sesame flavors bring out more of the prickly pear flavors in the Tepache. Both are light and enjoyable.

Level of Recommendation: Perfect for a warm spring meal.

Leave a comment