Tossed Tofu and Brussels Sprouts Salad

26. February 2008 Vegetables + Salads 0

After a family friend had a small heart attack this past week, my mother didn’t necessarily start running on the treadmill. The family friend is, thankfully, okay, but now he has to change his diet. That at least made sense to my mom who bought a few packages of tofu to change hers. Well, at least, begin to change. She asked me for a recipe that’s easy and quick to do.

I want my parents to know that altering their traditional diet to a healthier one requires not much more work than what they’re used to. If they start their meal with a light salad like this, then maybe they would be apt to eating less during the main course. At the least, there’s a variety on their table when I eat with them.

I always have Brussels sprouts on hand so I used a tub of them here. I sliced them in ribbons so that they would cook in less time and they could match the shape of the sliced tofu. This would be excellent with fried pancetta chunks, but I left that off just to teach my mom a lesson. At the end, the leaves were bright and the almonds added some crunchy texture for no more than 20 minutes of prep.

Ingredients:
1 package of extra firm tofu, drained, cut into small and thin chunks
1 small tub of Brussels sprouts, tips cut off, then sliced so they are like ribbons
2 cloves of garlic, minced
half a bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped
a handful of sliced almonds
salt, peanut oil

1. In a large skillet, heat some peanut oil and sautÃ© garlic until golden brown. Add Brussels sprouts and season with salt. Toss in the almonds. Cook for about 5 minutes, setting them aside in the skillet after 3.
2. Add a little bit more oil and fry the tofu. Gently turn them over to cook the other side. It’s okay that some of the tofu get crushed. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle in cilantro and toss everything together. Transfer to a salad bowl.