When I was a college student at Cornell University, my favorite restaurant was Cabbage Town Café. It was my first experience at a vegetarian restaurant & it quickly became my favorite place to eat in Ithaca, New York. In fact, I attribute my easy transition to plant-based living because this restaurant taught me that I could easily do without meat. The “Wings of Life” salad was my favorite at Cabbage Town because if you add the brown rice to the salad, it is a meal. Here is my version of the best salad ever!!
This recipe serves 4 People. If you are making it for yourself only; you can adjust accordingly but I typically make this quantity because it stores well in the refrigerator and eat it throughout the week.
Salad
Ingredients
- Mixed greens (I like a mix of red leaf & butter lettuce – or you can use a spring mix)
- 2 Cups of Marinated Tofu (see recipe below)
- 6 cups of steamed broccoli (broken in small florets/bites)
- 1 cup of vegan feta (I LOVE Violife)
- 1 Cup toasted cashews
- Broccoli or alfalfa sprouts
- 1 large carrot grated
- 1 beet grated
- 1 Cucumber thinly sliced
- 1 Avocado thinly sliced
- 1 Cup garbanzo beans
- 2 Cups brown rice (optional but so good)
- Tarragon vinaigrette (see recipe below)
Instructions
Mix all the salad ingredients together, dress with Tarragon dressing and then top with brown rice, tofu and toasted cashews!
Marinated Tofu
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 pound tofu, drained and cut into bite size cubes
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. dried dill or 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh dill
- ¼ tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp. dark sesame oil
- 2 tsp. tamari or gluten free soy sauce
Instructions
In a medium fry pan, heat the oil. Add the tofu cubes and fry for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
Add the garlic, pepper, dill and cayenne. Continue frying and stirring until the cubes are lightly browned and crisp.
Add the dark sesame oil and soy sauce, stir in, and turn off the heat.
This can be used in stir fries too!!
Tarragon Vinaigrette Dressing
Mix the following ingredients together:
- ½ Cup olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp. finely chopped tarragon
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
