Asian Tofu and Cabbage Salad

Some people think vegans ONLY eat salad.  Well, that's just not true.  I rarely eat a salad, but when I do I like it to be flavorful and colorful and yummy.  I don't do the plain little garden salads of yesterday.  This one gives a real flavor punch and my family really enjoys it.

I originally found an Asian Salad recipe on Allrecipes.com, but it wasn't quite what I liked.  So I had to revamp it and work it a little more to my tastes.  This is what we had for supper last night, with a side of edamame.  It would also go well with miso soup or another veggie soup.

The original recipe had us marinating the tofu and tossing it together with the other veggies.  I found it didn't have quite enough dressing/marinade and left the salad pretty bland.  So I changed up the ingredient list to make it more of a dressing than a marinade, and I change up the process so that all the veggies get good flavor.  I hope you like it!

ASIAN TOFU AND CABBAGE SALAD
Note: I have estimated the amounts for the vegetables.  You can prep your own veggies or you can purchase packages of the ready to use to save time. Also, sweet chili sauce is purchased in the Asian section of most stores.  Some is much hotter than others, so use enough to get the amount of heat you like. Always taste your food before serving!

This recipe makes 4 main dish or 6 side dish servings, but tastes great the next day.  So keep those leftovers!

Salad:
1 brick extra-firm or firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes or triangles
4-6 cups sugar snap peas (2 packages)
1-2 cups shredded carrots (1/2 package)
2-3 cups shredded purple cabbage (1 package)
Romaine, spinach or other salad greens

Dressing:
2-4 T. Sweet Chili Sauce
2 t. fresh minced ginger
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 T. rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
1 t. sesame oil
2 T. agave or honey (optional, to taste)

Toppings:
Chopped peanuts
Chow Mein noodles
Toasted sesame seeds

In a large bowl, toss gently the peas, carrots and cabbage.  Add the tofu.  (Save the salad greens for serving time.)

Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing and drizzle over the veggies and tofu. Toss together gently so all veggies are covered, but be careful not to smash up the tofu.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

To serve, pile marinated veggies and tofu onto some greens and top with peanuts, noodles and/or sesame seeds.