Tofu steak salad is one of my favorite things in the morning! There's nothing quite so light that is also incredibly filling. I've been making tofu steak salads all summer and I can't get enough of them. This variation combines Roasted Tomatillo Salsa, Guacamole, and sautéed garden vegetables for a bit of freshness to brighten up the day.
I started out this morning going grocery shopping and was absolutely starving when I got home. Never buy food on an empty stomach! I refrained from buying anything too bad. My weakness is coming home with copious amounts of cheese... But that meant actually cooking when I got home! And, since I had salsa and guacamole already prepared, I just threw together some tofu steak, sautéed some garden vegetables, and called it a day.
This entire recipe only took about 15 minutes and was absolutely delicious! Well worth the agonizing amount of time that it took to drool over all of the junk food and still decide to cook! Which is a gross over exaggeration. My shopping buddy got a hot dog from Costco that was still warm when I was done. And quite jealous! Ended up stealing a bunch of my salad to top off the hot dog.
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Variations of Tofu Steak Salad
Tofu steak salads are a rich and robust food to have in the morning or anytime throughout the day! It's incredibly filling with a hint of citrus and spring vegetables. I've been making it constantly this summer with everything from tomatillos to fresh garden tomatoes, avocados, and freshly picked peppers. Just to top it all off, a little bit of shredded lettuce. Although all of these recipes also go to show how little the lettuce has to be the star of the show! Or drowned in fat-laden, artificial ingredient-filled, barely a food product salad dressing.
This incredibly delicious salad looks as good as it tastes. It combines tofu steak with tomatillo salsa, guacamole, sautéed garden vegetables, and shredded lettuce for a bit of freshness to brighten up the day. I firmly believe that salads don't have to be boring. That they can be just as satisfying as any other meal! So, here's to changing what a conventional boring "salad" looks like with a little bit of creativity and garden fresh fruits and vegetables.
Making the Roasted Tomatillo Salsa takes about a half hour. It requires an air fryer, food processor, and about a pound of tomatillos. Although any salsa of choice works in its stead.
In this recipe, I also added Guacamole. You can buy this in stores, but I much prefer to make it homemade! It's incredibly simple only takes a matter of minutes to prepare.
Cook Peppers
Preheat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
Meanwhile, dice the banana peppers and jalapeño.
When the skillet has preheated, add the banana peppers and jalapeño. Sauté for for 3-5 minutes, or until the peppers have softened and have a light char.
Remove the peppers, but leave the remainder of the oil in the pan to fry the tofu.
Fry Tofu
Drain the tofu and 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, though, this can cause boiling hot oil to spray back at you.
When the majority of the water has absorbed into the paper towels, carefully add the tofu to the skillet, still on medium-high heat.
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.
Assemble Salad
Chop lettuce, halve cherry tomatoes, and dice banana peppers.
Lay down a bed of lettuce and tofu. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Top with salsa and peppers.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
For a more in-depth article on preparing tofu, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Fried Tofu. High heat oil and a precise cooking temperature are important to keep the tofu from drying out or burning.
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