Inspired by a tofu salad I had a Trader Joe’s recently, I tried my hand at my own homemade version with a few tweaks to the flavor. I tried to make it somewhat Vietnamese Spring Roll-esq, so to speak. The result was a smashing success. I served it to a group of friends and they had nothing but raves. I have cravings for it on occasion. The flavors compliment each other so well.

Asian Tofu Salad

• Extra firm tofu, sliced into 1/2″ pieces
• Black sesame seeds
• Kosher or sea salt
• 3 heads butter lettuce, washed and shredded (or 2-3 bags of lettuce mix)
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 3/4 cup shredded red cabbage
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions, discarding the whites
• 1/2 cup cilantro, hand torn
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 package rice noodles (thin rice vermicelli, aka bihon noodles)
• Lowfat Sesame Ginger salad dressing (Newman’s Own Lowfat Sesame Ginger)

1. Bring water to a boil in a medium size sauce pan. Add rice noodles to the water and boil for 5 minutes. Rinse with cold water and set aside.
2. Dry tofu slices with a kitchen towel or paper towels and press out as much moisture as possible. Sprinkle both sides with kosher salt and black sesame seeds.
3. Layer lettuce, carrots, cabbage, green onions, cilantro and bell pepper in a large salad bowl. Top with noodles and tofu.
4. Serve with salad dressing on the side or toss right before serving.