This easy vegan summer salad stars smoky baked tofu and crispy almond flour croutons in a bacon-y dressing with lots of fresh, crunchy veggies. It’s a refreshing, healthy summer dinner salad!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: dinner, Entree, Main, Salad
  • Cuisine: Vegan

Ingredients

For the Dressing/Marinade

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce (Use tamari for gluten-free.)
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest

For the Tofu

  • 7 ounces of firm or extra firm tofu (pressed for at least 10 minutes and cubed or sliced as you like)

For the Croutons

  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/3 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon Italian herb blend
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • 1 flax egg (That's 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal mixed with 2 1/2 tablespoons of water.)

For the Salad

  • 3 to 4 cups torn lettuce (or other baby greens of choice)
  • 1 cup sliced bell pepper
  • slices of 1 orange (or more)
  • 3 to 4 Tablespoons seeds (I use a mix of pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and hemp seeds.)

Method

Make the dressing.

  1. Add all of the dressing ingredients under the dressing to a bowl, and mix really well until the garlic mixes in. Add the tofu to this mixture, and toss well to coat. Set aside while you prep the croutons.

Make the croutons.

  1. Preheat the oven to 335° F (168° C) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a bowl, add almond flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, herbs and paprika and mix really well, Press and mix to break any almond flour lumps. Then add the oil and the flax egg and and mix really well to make a dough.
  3. Using a 1/2 teaspoon or a smaller measure, measure out the crouton dough and scoop it onto the baking sheet. You want them to have a somewhat organic shape. Keep them at least 1/2 inch away from each other.

Make the tofu.

  1. Fish the tofu out of the marinade using a fork and place on the other baking sheet, keeping the tofu pieces at least 1/2 inch apart from each other. Place both the tofu and crouton baking sheets in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The croutons will be done sooner, so keep an eye on them. As soon as they feel crunchy outside and golden brown, take that baking sheet out of the oven. They might feel slightly soft in the middle, but they will continue to harden as they cool.
  2. Meanwhile, you can continue to bake the tofu for another 5 to 10 minutes, until it crisps up to preference, then remove the tofu from the oven. Or broil for a few mins.

Assemble the salad.

  1. Add some lettuce or baby spring greens of choice to a bowl. Add the bell pepper and orange slices, then add the tofu and the seeds with a good drizzle of the remaining dressing. Then, top the salad with the croutons and serve immediately.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.