1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
● 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
● 11⁄2 tablespoons white miso
● 1 tablespoon mirin*
● 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
● 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or olive oil
● 1(1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely julienned or grated
● Bunch of curly kale; ribs removed
● 1(14-ounce) package extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 3⁄4-inch cubes
● Black Pepper
● Soy sauce, to taste (suggested 1-2 tbsp)
● Optional - Honey or maple syrup, for serving
● Optional – Any kind of nuts (peanuts, cashews work especially well!)
Directions:
Cook the quinoa. In a small saucepan, combine the quinoa with 13⁄4 cup water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and cook over medium-low until the water is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Fluff it with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, miso, mirin, sesame oil, 2 tablespoons grape seed oil and (optionally) 1⁄2 teaspoon sriracha. Stir in the ginger.
3. Add the kale, massage it with the dressing and set aside to marinate. Spoon the cooked quinoa onto the kale and toss to coat.
4. We like to bake our tofu (but you can also fry over nonstick skillet in grape seed oil.) Pre-heat oven to 400. While oven is pre-heating, slice your tofu into small squares and drain any excess moisture with a kitchen towel. Place tofu in a bowl. Drizzle grape seed or sesame oil (1-2 tablespoons, or to taste), black pepper, and soy sauce (to taste) over tofu – mix in a bowl. Optionally, you can add peanuts or cashews to the mixture.
5. Bake tofu mixture for about 25 minutes, or until tofu is relatively roasted/crispy.
6. Take tofu out of oven and toss with kale-quinoa mixture. Optional: Drizzle lightly with maple syrup or honey and serve immediately.
From Carlina Duan - Poet-in-Residence - September 2022 - adapted from Connie Trang
Yield: 2-4 servings
Bonus: Carlina’s adaptations:
- My family has found that roasted vegetables (sweet potato and squash, especially!) go especially nicely with this salad, and we also love adding diced crispy vegetables, like peppers.
- *Mirin is a Japanese rice wine, but if you can’t find it, a good substitute would be to dissolve some sugar (~ 1⁄2 tsp sugar for every tablespoon of vinegar used) in rice vinegar, or use dry sherry or sake.