Most of the country has been bundled up and feeling the wrath of the polar vortex. The Midwest freeze set in on Monday, when subzero temperatures broke records in Chicago, at 16 degrees below zero and Madison, Wisconsin, where I am at a whopping 17 degrees BELOW zero, with wind chills of 40 below zero. . . making Monday the coldest day here since 1996.
I went out to check the mail, all bundled up and covered from top to bottom with only my eyes peeking out. It was cold my friends. A cold I have never felt before. School was cancelled (Tuesday too) so we’ve been home bound for a few days now.
The answer?
Asian food.
Any kind of Asian food is like comfort food for me. So far I haven’t found many Asian food restaurants here in Madison . . that’s not to say they aren’t here. There’s just not that many. . but one pretty good Korean food restaurant. Hooray. So, until we find some more, I’ll have to keep cooking here at home.
I’ve been eating brussels sprouts like there’s no tomorrow and since I had some to use up from this recipe, I came up with this Brussels Sprout Kimchi Slaw.
If you like kimchi, you’ll love this slaw. But I couldn’t stop here. Because I had tofu. So I proceeded to pan fry some tofu in some sesame oil, top it with some soy sauce and then added this slaw on top.
If you’re a sauce/dressing freak like me, and like dipping and tasting or drizzling. . you have to try Kelly’s Lemon dressing. It’s fabulous. Love the tang and zip in this dressing. I had some leftover and drizzled a little over my Asian Tofu salad here and loved it. This salad is fairly quick and easy and tastes delicious.
Hope you give this recipe a try. . I’ll have one more Asian food recipe for you on Friday. . Asian Patty Sliders!
Stay warm everyone!
Soy Sesame Tofu Salad with Brussels Sprout Kimchi Slaw
Ingredients
For the tofu:
- One 14 ounce package firm tofu drained, rinsed and patted dry with paper towels and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
- 1-2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce when plating
- sesame seeds
For the slaw:
- 2-3 cups Brussels sprouts chopped or finely shredded
- 1 cup kimchi chopped
- 1 cup julienned carrots cut into inch long matchsticks
- 1/2 cup green onions diced + more for garnish
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1-2 teaspoons honey depending on how sweet you want it
- 1 teaspoon brown rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- sesame seeds
For the salad:
- spring mix salad
Instructions
For the slaw:
- Combine the brussels sprouts, kimchi, carrots and green onions into a large mixing bowl and mix until well combined. In a separate small mixing bowl, mis together the sesame oil, soy sauce, honey and brown rice vinegar. Taste and adjust any ingredients as necessary.
- Slowly drizzle the soy sauce mixture over the brussels sprouts and toss until well coated. Add in the almonds, toss again and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
For the tofu:
- Using a large non-stick pan, over medium-high heat, add the sesame oil and after a minute or two, carefully place the tofu slices into the pan. Sear each side for about 2-3 minutes, or until golden and lightly browned.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
To plate the salad:
- Place a handful or two of salad or mixed greens on each plate. Top with two slices of tofu, add a splash of soy sauce and lastly, top the tofu with the brussels sprout kimchi slaw. Garnish with more diced green onions and sesame seeds if desired.
This looks spectacular, Alice! And so glad you are enjoying the lemon dressing recipe 🙂
Thank you for the comment, Kelly! yes, love the salad and the dressing. . will definitely be making it again! Cheers!
Adding brussels sprouts to slaw is such a neat idea Alice! I saw it once being shaved over a traditonal coleslaw. I’ve yet to try kimchi though. Will soon! I remember the only time I was in Iowa in january.. wow, so cold you couldn’t walk to the car outside without your full gear on!
hey Paula! oh my goodness. . I never even knew it could get this cold. It’s crazy. . and the next time you visit the Asian market (you have one there right? or at least an asian section in the grocery store?) or anytime you come across it, try it! You might not like it at first, but I say give it a try at least 2-3 times and if you don’t like it after that, you probably won’t like it. . wish I could cook for you! 🙂
This is one good looking and tasty salad!!
Thank you!! Hope you give it a try!
Oh Alice this looks so delicious!! Sesame oil is my absolute favorite oil… I don’t use oil hardly anymore, but that one. The smell and taste of it is intoxicating. I bet the flavor if that and the soy sauce is divine!
I wish we lived closer to each other – I’d hop over to your house and grab a bite of this – it’s so up my alley!
This looks amazing!! Thanks for Sharing 🙂
Thank goodness our cold is not that extreme! Hope you warm up quick out there. Great looking salad!
This salad looks so tasty! The weather has been just crazy for months now. But this salad and a warm fire would be very enjoyable!!!