Waldorf 'slaw

September 17, 2012

The vege box cabbage supply just won't quit; thankfully we haven't exhausted our uses for it yet! A couple of years ago Carla blogged a Waldorf salad she ate in Berlin and I filed it away. She didn't have a recipe but I recall that the idea of candied ginger and cashews in an apple-and-cabbage salad appealed to me enormously. I had a go at my own version this week, adapting Viva Vegan's cashew crema recipe as a dressing and throwing in some fried tofu cubes for protein.

I'm not sure I've hit on my ideal version here, but it's pretty close - crunchy and tangy, not too creamy.

Waldorf 'slaw
(inspired by this Waldorf salad & Viva Vegan's cashew crema)

fried tofu
375g firm tofu
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon agave nectar

cashew cream
2/3 cup raw cashews
2 tablespoons water
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon agave nectar
pinch of salt

rest of salad
2 apples
250g cabbage, shredded
2 sticks of celery, chopped
1/4 cup candied ginger, chopped finely
1/2 cup walnuts

Chop the tofu into 1cm cubes. Heat the sesame oil in a frypan and add the tofu. Stir-fry the cubes for a couple of minutes until they just begin to brown, then add the vinegar and agave nectar. Allow it all to sizzle for another minute, then turn off the heat and allow the cubes to cool.

Thoroughly blend the cashews in a spice grinder, blender or food processor. Add the water, half of the lemon juice, the agave nectar and salt and blend it all until smooth.

Leave the skin on the apples, but remove their cores and chop the flesh into chunks. Place the apple chunks into a salad bowl and pour over the remaining lemon juice, stirring it through to prevent browning. Mix in the shredded cabbage and chopped celery, then stir through the cashew cream until it evenly coats the salad. Fold in the tofu, ginger and walnuts. Your salad's ready to serve!