Cooking through my CSA: Cabbage (VeganMoFo)

More CSA food posts!  It just shows that one small, biweekly CSA share can easily provide enough veg for one to two people for two weeks.  The CSA I’m currently cooking from is one I picked up on September 25^th!  I eat veg from it every single day and still have produce left to use.  My next pick up will be this Sunday.  It’s always rather exciting. 

Other dishes I have made with my CSA vegetables that have not been featured on le blog are Spicy Thai Noodles (used bell peppers and cabbage in that one), Tortilla Soup (bell peppers and onion), salads galore (lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers and onion sprouts) and my favorite breakfast of late - toasted sourdough bread, spread with some mashed avocado, topped with sliced tomatoes and onion sprouts (tomato and onion sprouts from CSA). 

I got one HUGE head of cabbage in this box and although I have tossed some shredded cabbage into salads, the Spicy Thai Noodles I mention above and the fajitas I just made, I needed to make something that would really feature the cabbage while getting most of it off my hands, in the most delicious way possible.  With this expanse of cabbage, it only seemed fitting that I make my version of one of my favorite Whole Foods dishes - the Fumi Tofu Salad.  

The prepared foods bar at Whole Foods is a vegan dream and one of the first things I ever tried there was this Fumi Tofu Salad.  When I tasted a sample I just had to have a bowl of it.  This seemingly simple cold salad of tofu, cabbage and nuts has a great flavor profile that had me justifying spending $6 for a small container of it.  The last time I bought the salad from Whole Foods I held onto the ingredients label and vowed to try my hand at it so I wouldn’t have to continue shelling out buco bucks for the stuff.  I think I’ve done a fair job at it too.  Eat your heart out Whole Foods!

It is rather important that you use good quality tofu since it remains raw.  For this, I use tofu from the San Diego Soy Dairy and it’s labeled “firmest”.  The texture is so dense that I don’t need to press it.  If you’re using extra firm tofu, I’d recommend giving it a long, hearty press. 

Ingredients:

Salad

One pound extra, extra firm tofu (buy local if available) cut in small cubes

One small head green cabbage, chopped or shredded

¼ cup slivered almonds

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 bunch green onion, chopped

Marinade

2 ½ tablespoons olive oil

2 ½ tablespoons tamari soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon natural sugar

Equipment:

Large, shallow container with a tight fitting lid (true Tupperware is best for this)

Procedure:

1.  Mix all the marinade ingredients together in your large dish

2.  Place the cubed tofu in the marinade and toss to coat (I put the lid on and shake the heck out of it!)

 

3.  To your container, add the remaining salad ingredients

4.  Toss to coat all ingredients and allow to sit for at least an hour before eating.  This should last about 4 days in the frigidaire.

5.  Voila!  Homemade Fumi Tofu Salad at a fraction of the cost of Whole Paycheck.