We went to the farmers market in our new city on Saturday and I bought a big bunch of watercress, which I have to admit, I have never used before. Sure, I’ve eaten it plenty of times before, but I have never brought it home and I had no idea what I was going to do with it.
Adam suggested I make a peanut crusted tofu and turn it into some sort of salad and that is exactly what I did. I ended up making a super simple lemon pepper vinaigrette to go with it and I couldn’t be happier with the results. Not many people realize that watercress is actually a superfood, which I was pleasantly surprised to learn after a quick google search. It is a rich source of antioxidants and phytonutrients that promote health and protect against disease, as well as many other nutritional benefits that you can read about here.
Along with the peanut crusted tofu and pasta, this salad is actually a complete meal and provides all of your dietary needs in one complete, delicious package. It was perfect eating it in the warm sun on our new patio.
Peanut crusted tofu atop a pasta salad w/ watercress, cucumber and tomatoes, tossed in a light lemon-pepper vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- 1/2 block tofu, drained & pressed
- 1 cup peanuts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 3 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon pepper
- 1 tsp mustard
- 2 cups cooked pasta
- 1 large handful watercress
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cucumber, sliced
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375°.
- Slice tofu into 1/4 inch x 1/2 inch slices.
- Grind peanuts in a coffee grinder or a food processor until it forms a coarse meal and place in a shallow dish.
- In another shallow dish, combine olive oil, soy sauce and maple syrup.
- Dredge tofu through the olive oil mixture and then dredge through the peanuts, covering both sides.
- Bake on a baking dish for 30 minutes until golden brown.
- While tofu is baking, combine ingredients for dressing in a small bowl.
- When the tofu is done baking, remove from oven and allow to cool on the counter while you assemble your salad.
- Mix together the pasta, watercress, tomatoes & cucumbers and toss together with dressing.
- Dish salad onto a plate and top with the peanut crusted tofu.
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