I'm calling this a "Quinoa Salad." Although I'm really not a big salad person. I really just find lettuce boring and flavorless. Plus I'm really not interested in the whole cult behind salad dressing, which is really just corn byproduct, salt, and mayonnaise. So, you're virtually never going to find me eating lettuce on a plate. I'm a big fan of spinach cooked into eggs and baked into lasagnas. Maybe even some romaine on top of a burger. But there's nothing fun about eating a bunch of leaves on a plate. Even drizzled in olive oil and lemon juice, I'd much rather have something to bite into.
If you're doing it for the nutritional value, the salads at McDonalds have more calories than the burgers (CNBC's McDonald's salad has more calories than Big Mac). You'd be much better off eating food that does actually contain food. Although I'm really not a fan of "Buddha bowls" or "superfoods." Racist undertones aside, there's no technical definition of a superfood. It's more an advertising campaign geared at greenwashing fruits and vegetables. Which, quite frankly, don't actually need a rebrand for being health foods. They are what most people would already automatically consider good for you.
So, while I do call a lot of the foods that I make "Salads," they don't tend to contain any actual lettuce. Or really, greens at all, unless you count avocados and the occasional green onion. I am using the "bowl" side of salads by tossing anything and everything that I like on a salad into a bowl. Although you could easily mix and match your own favorite ingredients or what you have on hand. Just cook up quinoa or any other rice, grains, or legumes of choice with fruits, vegetables, nuts, tofu, meats, and/or cheeses. They also work will with a drizzle of oil and vinegar or salad dressing of choice. You could even add in some lettuce, if you wanted to.
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Variations of Quinoa Salad
I don't make nearly as many quinoa salads as I should. Quinoa tends to have almost a bitter flavor. Although that means that it pairs well with citrus and umami. I ordinarily make this kind of salad with vermicelli, tamari (or soy sauce), and rice vinegar. It's absolutely delicious with quinoa, tamari, and freshly squeezed lime juice. You can easily mix and match your own favorite ingredients or add whatever you have on hand to quinoa.
Add all of the ingredients into a rice cooker and press the cook button on the rice cooker. It should take about 45 minutes to cook.
When the quinoa is fully cooked, let sit for 10 minutes. Then, fluff with a wooden spoon.Do not use a fork or other metal utensil. It will scratch off the nonstick surface on the rice cooker. This will leach Teflon into your food and cause future dishes to stick to the bottom.
Fry Tofu
While the quinoa is cooking, drain the water out of the tofu and cut into cubes.
Wrap in paper towels to absorb the moisture.It's important to absorb as much water out of the tofu as you can. Oil is less dense than water, so the molecules repel one another. With cold ingredients, this causes separation. When you're frying at high temperatures, though, this can cause boiling hot oil to spray back at you.
Meanwhile, preheat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
When the skillet has preheated and the majority of the water has absorbed into the paper towels, carefully add the tofu to the skillet. Fry until golden brown. This should take about 2-4 minutes. Rotate until all sides are evenly fried.
Remove from heat and wrap again in paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
Cook Potatoes
Add potatoes to the same heated skillet.
Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until tender and lightly browned.Make sure to stir rather frequently. If it browns too quickly, add more oil and lower the temperature. If it doesn't brown quickly enough, increase the heat.
Assemble Salad
When the quinoa is fully cooked, add tofu, potatoes, rice vinegar, and tamari.Different brand of vinegar and tamari will have vastly different tastes. I recommend starting with a couple of tablespoons and then building up. These flavors will also seep in over time and become stronger the longer that it sits. So make sure not to add too much! Particularly if you aren't serving right away.
Fluff with a wooden spoon and serve.Do not use a fork or other metal utensil to fluff! It will scratch off the nonstick surface on the rice cooker. This will leach teflon into your food and cause future dishes to stick to the bottom.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
While quinoa is not rice, it does cook the same and oftentimes better than rice in a rice cooker. It typically takes 30-45 minutes. Alternatively you can simmer on the stove. Add all of the ingredients to a pot, bring uncovered to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes and quinoa are tender. Turn off heat, add lid, and let sit another 5-10 minutes.
Any quinoa, or even other grain or legume, like lentils or rice, would substitute in this recipe without changing the ratio.
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