New Recipe: Tofu and Arugula Salad With Goat Cheese and Pimientos.

Necessity is the mother of invention, they say (whoever “they” are!), and tonight I had a need: A need to be fed, and a need to redo my salad plans on the fly because the beets I thought I had in the fridge, well, I didn’t have.  (These things happen sometimes!)

I had all the rest of my ingredients, however – arugula, baked tofu, goat cheese – and after a quick scan of the pantry, I added diced pimientos to the mix.  (Every good Southerner keeps a jar or two of pimientos in the cabinet for safety’s sake!)

First, I baked the tofu for 15 minutes to heat it through.  As it cooked, I prepared a bed of arugula on a plate and then added half a jar of drained, diced pimientos to the leaves.  Then I waited patiently for the tofu, and when it was hot, I cut the square into an inch-wide dice and tossed half of the squares onto each plate.

Next it was time to add some goat cheese!  I bought some last week at Whole Foods (a luxury, I know) for just such an occasion and was delighted to crumble a little atop the salad.  After that, I added a little black pepper for garnish, and put a spot of store-bought salad dressing (Thousand Island worked quite nicely) on top.  Then it was time to dig in!

This may have been a last-minute salad, but it was fantastic!  It was so fresh, so summery, and the arugula added a wonderfully peppery bite to each mouthful.  The baked tofu turned out very nicely and anchored the dish, while the pimientos and goat cheese provided both complementary textures and excellent flavors; the push-and-pull of tangy and buttery played very nicely.

We’ll definitely give this dish another try!  It’s incredibly versatile and would be great no matter the season – or the meal!  (I already have big plans for upcoming lunches!)

TOFU AND ARUGULA SALAD

Serves two

What you’ll need:

1 block baked tofu (we used teriyaki flavor)

1 bag arugula

1 jar diced pimientos

1 block goat cheese

2 tsp. black pepper

Salad dressing of your choice

First, remove the baked tofu from the packaging and place it on a baking sheet. Bake the tofu at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until heated through.

While the tofu cooks, wash your arugula and arrange it on dinner plates.  Don’t be skimpy on the arugula – this will make the bed of your meal!

Drain the jar of pimientos and add half the jar to each plate, atop the arugula.  Try to ensure that the pimientos are evenly distributed across the plate.

When the tofu has warmed up, dice it into one-inch squares and add half to each plate, arranging it evenly as you did the pimientos.  Next, crumble up goat cheese to taste and add it to each salad.

Top each plate with pepper to taste, add the salad dressing of your choice, and serve!

Enjoy!

:)