November 1, 2008: Tofu waldorf salad

Next up: our lunch offering for the long weekend. We've had success with mock tuna salad in the past but were looking for a change. This tofu waldorf salad from Joni of just the food was just the ticket. The grapes stay fresh and juicy for days, and the tofu, pre-fried with garlic, filled the house with a warm, savoury aroma. Though I intended this mainly as a sandwich filling (insulating the bread from sogginess with some baby spinach leaves), I liked it even more without the bread - just plonked on a plate with a handful of the spinach leaves.

Tofu waldorf salad

500g extra firm tofu, chopped very finely
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup grated carrot
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1 cup grapes, halved
1 cup mayonnaise (I used less)
salt and pepper, to taste

Start by chopping the tofu, as above. Heat the olive oil in a frypan and saute the tofu and garlic until they're golden (this will take about 10 minutes). Set them aside to cool. The frying/cooling stages are a good time to do the rest of the chopping and grating directed above.

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl, and chill before serving.