Description
This tahini pesto tofu salad uses an untraditional pesto sauce rich in basil and tahini. The perfect pairing for a lite summery tofu salad.
Ingredients
Scale
Tahini Pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil (loosely packed)
- Juice of one lemon
- 3 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 5 cloves garlic (crushed and peeled)
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4–1/2 cup cold water
- Salt and pepper to taste
Tahini Pesto Tofu Salad
- 1 block extra firm or super firm tofu (press and drain extra firm tofu to remove excess water)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes (halved )
- 1/4 small red onion (finely diced)
- 1/4 cup pesto sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
Tahini Pesto Sauce
- In a food processor, add all ingredients except water in and process until basil is chunky.
- Add in 1/4 cup water and blend on high to smooth out the sauce. If too thick, add remaining water and process until mostly smooth.
- Store sauce in a jar in a fridge for up to 4-5 days.
Preparing Baked Tofu (Optional)**
- Preheat oven to 400F. If using extra firm tofu, make sure to drain and press some of the water out before handling.
- Cut your block of tofu as desired. Season as desired, I just went with a little salt.
- Place tofu on a lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for at least 20 minutes. Remove tofu from oven and allow to completely cool.
Assembling Salad
- In a mixing bowl add in tofu, sliced cherry tomatoes, and red onions.
- Toss to mix and then squeeze lemon juice over top.
- Add lemon zest and then give mixture a nice toss to combine.
- Add recommended amount of pesto sauce and mix together carefully with a spatula.
- Adjust amount of sauce, adding more if desired until salad is coated to your liking.
- Serve salad as is or chill in fridge until ready to serve.
Notes
- You can leave your tofu plain and unbaked to save time. The sauce should add enough flavor to make the tofu tasty.
- If you don’t like the taste of tahini, you can replace with 1/2 to 1 full avocado avocado.