Add a little Asian flair to your salad options

Steve has an aunt from Viet Nam. On the rare occasions that we have had to cook together, she has taught me a bit about the Vietnamese culture through the food of that country.

I have lots of recipes...many of them are for meat dishes, but there are a lot of recipes that are purely vegetarian.

Carolyn (she took on an American name when she came to this country) tells me that Asians don't really eat salad in the way that we know it. They have cooked vegetable side dishes to accompany their meals. Sometimes the veggies are served over rice noodles or they can be eaten solo.

This salad is like a cooked coleslaw with a lot of bite. It can be a side dish or a meal unto itself. I like it best with the noodles, but it can stand alone with no trouble at all. Try it both ways and see which you like better.

Vietnamese Cooked Salad 

1 pound of extra firm tofu
1 teaspoon of oil
1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
1/8 cup of soy sauce
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 head of green cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
Large handful of herbs (whatever you have on hand) coarsely chopped
Rice noodles (optional)
1/2 cup of peanuts, crushed

• Cut the tofu into bite-sized pieces and press it into a colander between some clean kitchen towels to get rid of the excess water.
• Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the tofu until it's golden brown. Drain off the excess oil.
• In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, the soy sauce, the garlic, and the chili pepper. Add the cabbage, the carrots, the herbs, and the tofu to the bowl and toss it all together until it is well mixed.
• Let the mixture sit for at least 15 minutes or refrigerate it for up to a day before serving.
• Top the salad with the crushed peanuts.
• Serve it on the rice noodles for some variety.

Vegan, gluten-free