Collard Greens Salad with Baked Tofu

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collard-salad-tofu
Collard greens make a very hearty, satisfying, nutritious salad. Don’t forget to chew!
 
1 bunch of collard greens (about 14 large leaves)
4 sun dried tomatoes (packed in olive oil)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 pound block extra firm tofu
1/4 cup Tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon agave necter
1/4-1/3 cup Little Seed Caesar dressing
 
Preheat oven to 375oF. Prepare a sheet pan with a sheet of baking paper.
 
For the Salad:
Clean the collards leaves. Remove the stems and retain for juicing.
Stack the leaves on a cutting board and tightly roll them like a very large cigar.
Cut the rolled leaves Chiffonade style “Chiffonade” means little ribbons in French, referring to the little ribbons you create while cutting. Chiffonade is a chopping technique in which herbs or leafy green vegetables (such as spinach and basil) are cut into long, thin strips. This is accomplished by stacking leaves, rolling them tightly, then slicing the leaves perpendicular to the roll, about an inch wide. Turn the strips horizontally and cut them on the bias to bite sized pieces.
Toss the greens with Little Seed Caesar dressing. Let set for about 20 minutes. The longer the salad sets with the dressing, the softer it will get.
 
Place the sun dried tomatoes on a cutting board evenly spaced (with room to grow) and cover them with a piece of kitchen parchment paper and then a tea towel and flatten them by lightly pounding them with a kitchen mallet. Remove the towel and parchment and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Slice the tomatoes in ribbons about 1/2 inch wide and use as a garnish on the salad.
 
For the Tofu:
Prepare the tofu by draining it and wrapping it in a clean white tea towel and gently pressing out all of the water.
Cut the tofu into 12 2 inch cubes; bout the size of ice cubes.
In a shallow baking dish mix the Tamari, agave and water.
Dip each piece of tofu in marinade and place on the baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for a half hour, turn the pieces, brush with marinade, and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until golden brown.
tofu-cubes
 
Serve the tofu pieces on the salad.
Serves 2 as a main dish or makes four to six appetizer-sized portions.
 
 

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