Independence Day Holiday Weekend = Food Coma

Hello summer!  Nothing screams 4th of July holiday like making a ton of high-calorie food and carting it all over the city visiting friends, drinking adult beverages, and watching small children play with matches.

Mr. Wonderful and I started off the July 4th Holiday weekend relatively healthy with Yin and Yang Salad with Peanut Dressing from The Real Food Daily Cookbook as and it sorta went downhill from there.

I know it looks like a lot of ingredients, but it’s really just some ingredients used many times…tricky.  Replication of flavors from ginger, garlic and sesame make this dish seem complex and rich, you don’t need to tell anyone you basically had to shop in two aisles, the “ethnic” and produce aisles.

• 4 cups shredded napa cabbage
• 1 sleeve soba noodles, cooked al dente, drained and cooled
• 2 carrots, peeled and julienned
• 1 (2 1/2-inch) piece daikon radish, peeled and julienned (I used red radish)
• 10 green onions (white and green parts), julienned
• 1 cup Peanut-Sesame Dressing (recipe follows)
• 4 cups 1/2-inch cubes chilled ginger tofu (recipe follows)
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Toss the cabbage, carrots, radish, and green onions in a large bowl with enough dressing to coat. Mound the salad into 4 wide, shallow bowls or onto plates. Arrange the tofu around the salad. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve.

Serves 4.

Dressing:

• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup brown rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves

Ann’s header notes: If you’d like a spicier dressing, just add more crushed red pepper flakes. This thickens up once it’s refrigerated, so you can either add a little water to thin it or leave it thick to use as a sauce on grains and other cooked dishes.

Blend the peanut butter, vinegar, maple syrup, water, tamari, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and crushed red pepper in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Add the cilantro and blend just until it’s finely chopped The dressing will keep for 2 days, covered and refrigerated.

Makes abaut 1 1/4 cups.

Gingered Tofu

• 2 (12-ounce) containers water-packed extra-flrm tofu
• 2/3 cup tamari
• 1/4 cup brown rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• I tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• I tablespoon canola oil

Drain the tofu and save the containers. Cut into 1-inch wide strips, and pat dry with paper towels. Cover a large baking sheet with more dry paper towels. Place the tofu in a single layer over the towels on the baking sheet and let drain for 2 hours, changing the paper towels after 1 hour.

Whisk the tamari, vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger in a bowl to blend. Pour half of the marinade into the reserved tofu containers. Return the tofu slices to the containers, and pour the remaining marinade over. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat the oven to 400’F. Oil a heavy, rimmcd baking sheet with the canola oil. Drain the tofu and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes on each side until golden brown and heated through. Serve warm or cold, or at room temperature. The tofu will keep for 1 day, covered and refrigerated.

Serves 4 to 6.

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