Simple Sundays | Tofu Salad with Orange Dressing

Big hug time? I met my son outside at the car as he was dropped off from school. As we turned and walked toward the front door, he answered: When we get inside, mama. Not in public! Not in public? I cried inside. Big hug…

Simple Sundays | Tofu Salad with Orange Dressing

Big hug time?

I met my son outside at the car as he was dropped off from school. As we turned and walked toward the front door, he answered: When we get inside, mama. Not in public!

Not in public? I cried inside. Big hug time has been our tradition ever since he started preschool. I would pick him up and there would be what we dubbed Big Hug Time. That tight squeeze, the oh-I-missed-you-this-morning hug. Since when did my 6 year old get embarrassed about hugging his mom in public?

We crossed the threshold and as soon as the front door was shut, I got my big hug. Whew.

Then we settled down to have lunch.

I sliced oranges to go with his sandwich, which he likes warm, just so. As I nibbled a few slices, I sliced a few more oranges in half – I wanted their sweet and tangy juice in my salad dressing. I was craving something light, fresh and crunchy for my lunch, and I found the graceful radishes and frond-tipped fennel irresistible.

My plate was filled with spinach and arugula, the shaved fennel and radish, and scattered with little orbs of edamame. I pressed and sliced my tofu into bite sized cubes. And finally, my citrus dressing, seasoned with soy, sesame and scallions, was drizzled on my visual feast. I sat down at the table with my Tofu Salad and Orange Dressing to join my little guy and noticed that the fog of the morning had lifted. The sun had finally emerged.

Pretty soon, there won’t be many lunches with my little guy. He’ll be lunching with his buddies in the cafeteria next fall. So I need to enjoy these last mini dates with him.

How was your morning? It was good, he assured me. What was your favorite part of the day? I continued to prod.

Big Hug Time, he answered.

My heart melted.

Tofu Salad with Orange Dressing

4-6 servings.

There's nothing rigid about this salad at all. The orange dressing would pair well with whatever strikes your fancy in a salad. I just love the combination of leafy greens with the crispness of the radish and fennel, and the orange flavor always works well with fennel, somehow. For me, the best part is the tofu. High in protein, it absorbs the flavor of the dressing well, and I have been trying to incorporate tofu more into my salads. It's a nice alternative to eggs, as well.

Ingredients

For the Salad:

1 14-oz block firm tofu
assorted greens (e.g. spinach, arugula, mixed baby greens, butter lettuce, etc.)
1/2 bulb fennel, trimmed and shaved
4-7 radishes, trimmed and shaved
1/2 cup edamame
black and white sesame seeds
orange slices, for garnish

For the Orange Dressing:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice*, and a little zest
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce (low sodium)
2 scallions, finely sliced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
course salt, to taste if necessary

Instructions

Place the block of tofu between several layers of paper towels and place a heavy pan or object on top to squeeze the excess liquid. Pat dry and slice into bite sized cubes, about 1/2 in size.

Assemble your salad with your desired greens, vegetables, edamame and tofu.

Combine the ingredients for your dressing and whisk well. Drizzle over the salads. Garnish with sesame seeds and orange slices. Enjoy!

Comments

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  1. Alana

    This looks like my kind of lunch! Thanks for sharing, will definitely be making this sometime soon.

    Reply
  2. Kankana

    awww that is so sweet of him! This salad has everything i like and the orange dressing .. great choice. Got to buy some tofu soon.

    Reply
  3. Brian

    I’m going to be all over this salad… seriously. The citrus and the tofu… oh this summer on a plate. Thank you!

    Reply
  4. Patty

    My grandson is 6 and I know about the hugging thing! Your salad looks so fresh and wonderful;-)

    Reply
  5. MyFudo

    How touching! They will always be our little babies, no matter how tall or literally big they get. Every moment counts, let us enjoy every big hug time…and fresh salad times, thanks for a heartwarming post!

    Reply
  6. Gina

    Aaawww, they grow up too fast. You have me crying now, I miss big hugs. Teenagers won’t give big hugs unless they need money for something, lol. That salad looks almost too pretty to eat. You should be shooting for a magazine your photos are that good now. Hope you all had a great weekend.
    -Gina-

    Reply
  7. Mdivani

    Beautiful post!! And I know that the last two posts recipes were made with me in mind :) LOL Can’t wait to try them both!!
    XOXO

    Reply
  8. lea davenport

    Made my eyes water. They grow up so fast. I’m really interested in this dressing with the bit of sesame oil and will surely try. Oil and vinegar gets boring! Thank you also for the beautiful writing and always the photographs are inspiring.

    Reply
  9. Lisa { AuthenticSuburbanGourmet }

    What a beautiful post! Your son is just adorable. Your photos are amazing and this salad is perfect for the now sunny days we are having in the winter. Hope you and your family have an amazing Sunday!!!!

    Reply
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