BBQ Tofu Salad |

I hope I’m not too mysterious.

I feel like I blog for 5 days straight, then my posts become few and far between. I’m not neglecting my blog, or at least I’m not trying to neglect my blog. I’ve been busy at the beginning of every week since my classes ended, so it’s been hard for me to get to a computer for more than 5 minutes at a time.

Here’s what I’ve been up to:

Last weekend, I visited my oldest sister’s new house. She and her fiance just moved in a few weeks ago, so they were showing us the projects they’re taking on and what they’ve done so far. The house is gorgeous! More info on this on Friday when I post about the pie I made for my Mom’s birthday! If you just can’t wait, follow me on Instagram to see a few pictures! @HeartyHerbivore

This week, I worked all day Monday, then drove to Indianapolis to meet my good friend MaRisa at the Megabus stop. We stayed with another friend, Megan, then yesterday, traveled to Noblesville, Indiana for Warped Tour. Now, I haven’t been to Warped Tour since my high school days, so it was great to go! Plus, MaRisa knows a guy, which made life easier. Here’s who we saw:

The Used

Taking Back Sunday

Yellowcard

I was so excited I didn’t get pictures of them.

The Constellations

Great guys (and gal!). Taking to church-all day, every day.

Oh…and Gary from Teen Mom

People were lining up for pictures, so we only took a picture of his back. This is real life.

It was loads of fun and great to see some of the bands I loved in high school. They’ll always have a special place in my heart.

Onto food. I made this salad last week and am in love. I’m obsessed with BBQ sauce and have made it before, but decided to try a new recipe using apricots!

BBQ TOFU SALAD
Adapted from Veganomicon

For the BBQ Sauce

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 apricots, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
generous pinch black pepper
1/4 cup molasses
2 Tablespoons agave nectar (or more or less to taste)
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
3 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

For the Broiled Tofu

14 oz. extra firm tofu, pressed
Cooking spray
Half Pint Jar of BBQ Sauce recipe

For the Salad

1 cup kale
2 Tablespoons chopped onion
Various veggies for salad toppings
Goat Cheese (omit if vegan)

Directions

For the BBQ Sauce

In a stock pot over medium-high heat, saute onions in oil for 7 minutes, until browned. Add minced garlic and saute until fragrant. The pan will begin to dry out.

Add the vegetable broth, apricots, and spices. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes. Apricots should be mushy.

Uncover and add molasses, agave, tomato paste, and soy sauce. Add more agave to taste.

Transfer to a food processor with a vent (or let cool until it’s not steaming).

Pour sauce into half pint sized ball jars and let cool.

When sauce is cooled, seal then by bring a pot of water to a boil and boiling closed jars for 1 minute. You’ll only need one jar of the sauce for the tofu.

For the Broiled Tofu

Preheat oven to broil.

Cut tofu width wise into four equal slices, then cut those in half so you have eight squares, then cut those diagonally so you have 16 triangles.

Grease a baking sheet and pour a little of the BBQ Sauce into a small bowl.

Dip tofu pieces into sauce, covering them with the BBQ. Place them in the prepared dish.

Bake for 10 minutes until tofu is lightly browned. Brush a little more sauce onto each tofu slice. Cook for 3 more minutes.

Brush a little more sauce onto each tofu piece, then bake for 3 more minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

Assembly

In a large cereal bowl, top a bed of kale with onions, goat cheese (omit if vegan), and whatever other delicious veggies you can find.

Top that bed of veggies with a few slices of BBQ Tofu, and top that with a little more BBQ Sauce.

THE REVIEW

I may have said this before, but I’m usually not a huge fan of salads. This recipe may have changed my mind! I loved the sweet and tangy BBQ Sauce mixed with the spicy onions on the salad and the creamy goat cheese. The tofu was very flavorful and crispy, which added the perfect texture to this salad.

You can also eat the tofu on a sandwich, or just eat it plain!