Not Steak Salad Gut-Centered, Functional Medicine Based Approach to Health

I am so excited to welcome Sarah De La Cruz back to the site to share one of her coolest recipes, Not Steak Salad! Sarah runs an amazingly fabulous food blog, Fried Dandelions, that is loaded with good info, inspiration and fabulous recipes. Find her on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for tons of cool plant based meal ideas. And now to her guest post…

“Often times when people hear that I’m vegan their first reaction is to tell me they could never give up meat, and that they don’t like tofu. Here’s the thing though—I don’t like plain tofu either, and I don’t think anyone likes the taste of plain boiled chicken. It’s the seasonings that make our proteins really shine! My mom used to make the best steak salad for us each summer, full of veggies and marinated strips of steak. I always loved it, and had been missing it’s flavor after I became vegan. Notice, I didn’t miss the steak, just the flavor! So I recently veganized it. Try out my Not Steak Salad for all of the delicious flavor without any of the guilt! My non veg parents love the new version and so will you…”

Dressing

¼ c soy sauce (I like to use gluten free, low sodium Bragg’s Aminos)

¼ c water

2 T rice wine vinegar

1 T fresh ginger, peeled (or 1 t ground)

1 T maple syrup

2 cloves garlic

2 t sesame oil

1 package Hodo Soy Tofu skins

These may be a hard-to-find item. If you have an Asian market nearby, you could check for another brand of organic tofu skins. If you don’t find them, substitute your favorite firm organic tofu and follow alternate directions below.

4 c Spring lettuce mix (adjust according to how many people you will be serving)

2 c grated veggies—carrots, broccoli stems, zucchini, whatever you like—I like to use a julienne peeler to grate mine into long thin strips

3 green onions, sliced on diagonal

1 bell pepper, sliced thinly (I used yellow to use all of the colors of the rainbow)

2 roma tomatoes, sliced into thin wedges

1 T sesame seeds for garnish

Place all ingredients into your blender and blend until garlic and ginger are fully incorporated. Alternately, finely mince garlic and ginger and whisk by hand.

Using Tofu Skins

Place dressing into a small container with a lid. Unfold your tofu skins—they come in sheets that are quite large. Cut into thirds, and then fold and cut into strips that are about an inch wide and 4-6 inches long. Place all strips into the dressing. Mix well, and then cover and refrigerate for 2 hours (or overnight) to allow them to soak up the flavor. Turn the container around every so often to make sure the tofu skins are coated.

Using Tofu

Place 2/3 of the dressing into a container large enough to hold your tofu. Reserve 1/3 of the dressing into a separate container and place into the fridge. Remove tofu from package. Wrap in 2 paper towels and press between 2 dinner plates, topped with a heavy object (like a canister) for about 20 minutes. Once some of the liquid has been squeezed out, cut the tofu into ½ inch cubes. Place into a container with 2/3 of the dressing and cover. Place into the refrigerator for 2 hours (or overnight) to allow it to soak up the flavor. Optional: once the tofu is marinated, you can grill it (leave in larger pieces before marinating), pan sear it, or use it fresh as is.

Once your tofu is marinated, wash and prep your veggies. Place them into a large salad bowl and mix with your tofu skins and all remaining marinade (or tofu cubes and reserved marinade). (Another plus of vegan food—no worries about using the leftover marinade!) Toss well, garnish with sesame seeds, and serve.