I’ll be honest, Tofu used to weird me out.  I tried it once from a Chinese Food takeout and loathed it.  I should have known that wasn’t a good choice.  I now know that, that tofu was not flavored so it literally tasted like nothing.  Since learning how to properly cook tofu, I LOVE it!  It’s so versatile and can take on any flavor you put on it.

This salad is probably my favorite meal to make for lunch.  It’s just so yummy!  It’s sweet and savory, you’ll be wondering why you didn’t try this sooner!

Ingredients for you to Gather!  There seems like a lot, but it’s worth it.

 

Maple Roasted Tofu:

8 ounces of firm tofu, pressed*

1 teaspoon grade B maple syrup

salt & paper, to taste

*I don’t own a tofu press.  So I press them between paper towels, plates and books.  I’ll try and make a post about pressing tofu if you’re new to this!

 

Roasted Butternut Squash:

1/2 butternut squash, cubed (about 1 cup)

1 tablespoon grade B maple syrup

1 teaspoon tumeric

 

Salad:

2 cups baby spinach (or kale if you prefer)

1/2 of an avocado, sliced and cubed

1-2 tablespoons raw walnuts

1 teaspoon dried cranberries

Squash Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Put the cubed squash on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and top with salt, pepper, turmeric and maple syrup. Roast for 30-60 minutes.  It depends on how soft or crispy you like your squash.  I typically check on it after 20 minutes, flip the squash and adjust time from there.   Once finished, remove from oven to cool for a few minutes.

Tofu Directions:

After prepping the tofu and squeezing all of the water out, you can either slice into cubes or rectangles.

Warm a sate pain to medium heat and add some oil to the pan.

In a bowl, season the tofu with the maple syrup, salt and pepper.

Cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until edges brown and crisp.  Keep an eye as it can cook fast.  Remove from pan, and set aside.

Continue assembling your salad with all of the remaining ingredients.  Then top with some maple syrup!