Summer is the season for salads! I could live off of salad in this heat, but I find it imperative to keep the combinations fresh so I don’t loose my enthusiasm. I’ve added the tartness of dried cranberries and crunch of the roasted pistachios to a mild base of tofu and quinoa proteins. When mixed together with my tahini and mustard dressing, crispy romaine, and creamy avocado, this quinoa salad is sure to break the salad routine and satisfy your creative cravings :)
Ingredients
- 1 Cup cubed extra firm Tofu
- 1/2 Cup cooked Quinoa
- 1/2 Avocado
- 2 Tablespoons dried Cranberries
- 2 Tablespoons roasted and salted Pistachios
- 2 leaves Romaine Lettuce
- 2 cloves Garlic
- Braggs Amino Acid
- 1 teaspoon Tahini
- 1 teaspoon whole seed Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Agave Syrup
- 1 teaspoon water
- 2 teaspoons Balsamic Vinegar
- Salt and Cracked Black Pepper
Instructions
Fry up the tofu cubes in some olive oil over high heat to cook out the water. Once the tofu starts to brown, reduce heat to medium and add the garlic (already minced) and a few dashes of Braggs. After flipping the tofu a couple of times and the Braggs has absorbed, remove from heat.
In a bowl, combine the tahini, mustard, olive oil, agave, water, and balsamic. Stir quickly with a fork or a baby whisk (my favorite kitchen tool!). Add the tofu and cooked quinoa into the dressing and gently mix. Let that marinate for a bit.
Rinse and dry the romaine lettuce leaves and chop up into bite-sized pieces. Halve the avocado and cut into small cubes. This is optional, but I like to roughly chop the dried cranberries as well so that there's a better chance of getting a sweet little morsel in every bite :)
Toss in the romaine, avocado, cranberries and roasted pistachios and gently mix to make sure all of the salad elements are getting an even coat of the dressing. A couple dashes of salt and cracked clack pepper and it's ready! :)
Serve room temperature or cold.