Santa Fe Salad with Cajun Tofu Cheese

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Summer is in the air and with that I am craving lighter foods and more leafy greens, salads and vegetables. The Santa Fe Salad with Cajun Tofu Cheese was created by a total fluke. I was planning on making tofu feta but didn’t leave myself enough time before dinner and still wanted to include the tofu I had.

SO what do I do? I made my ow version of tofu cheese and I have to tell you, it tastes way better than tofu feta! You are just going to have to try it and see for yourself:)

In the end this salad is quite a meal! I was inspired by the Santa Fe salad at Earls and then went ahead and made it healthier and more filling by adding lots of nutrient dense foods and yummy extra ingredients! I’m telling ya, this is no side salad, this is a a full meal deal salad and you’re gonna love it!

WHAT YOU NEED

FOR THE SALAD

  • A can of black beans
  • 1 can of corn
  • 6 cups of chopped romaine lettuce or a mixture of leafy greens 
  • 4 green onions finely diced
  • 2 avocados
  • black corn tortilla chips
  • 1/2  block of extra firm tofu
  • cajun spice or a generous mix of cumin, chilli, smoked paprika and garlic salt will do!
  • 4 dates, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, chopped

FOR THE DRESSING

  • 1 tbsp of honey
  • 3 tbsp of tahini
  • 1 tbsp of hemp oil or olive oil
  • 1-2 limes juiced (at least 2 tbsp)
  • Garlic (1-2 cloves)
  • cilantro

WHAT TO DO

  1. Start with  chopping the romaine, red peppers, dates, and green onions. Put in your large salad bowl.
  2. Open your cans of black beans and corn. Make sure to rinse thoroughly and add to salad bowl. Pro tip: buy the Eden brand of black beans for better digestibility:)
  3. Next let’s make the tofu cheese. To do so, grate the block of tofu just like you would cheese. 
  4. Add some coconut oil to a hot pan and fry the grated tofu in a pan with the cajun spices. I like to go crazy and add a  lot of garlic salt, cumin, chilli and red pepper flakes cause I like my tofu spicy! Fry until the tofu gets a bit squeaky and crispy (approx 10 mins)
  5. Let’s move onto the dressing. Take all the ingredients and blend in your high speed blender (it’s that easy).
  6. Now it’s time to assemble your salads. In your large bowl with the greens and beans, add the tofu cheese, black corn tortilla chips and diced avocado. Then drizzle on your dressing, give it a good toss and serve immediately.
  7. ENJOY!

This is a vegan version of the salad, you may decide you want to add chicken to the mix to up the protein. And as far as veggies, go ahead and add or sub your favourites! This salad is hard to mess up, the dressing is bomb, the flavours come together like a symphony and the different textures are like a party indoor mouth.

For the month of May, the ladies of my online coaching program and I will be eating a salad a day to help us transition into Spring and shed the layers of Winter. Join us over in Fit Club by signing up!

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Please tag me if you make the salad! I’d love to see your creations.

xoxo Rebecca