Herbed Tofu Salad Sandwich

Happy 4th of July, for everyone in the US! I hope you’ve had a day filled with sunny warm weather, relaxation and fun…

One of my great foodie loves is sandwiches. Not always very exciting, but with the right ingredients they can be some of the most wonderful dishes. I don’t make elaborate sandwiches myself very often though, because it seems like so much work for a few minutes of enjoyment … especially with big ones – I usually eat them very fast before they fall all over the place 🙂 .

But this one was worth it – while the tofu was baking, it was easy to assemble the other ingredients and have it ready fairly quickly. It’s a great combination of creamy dressing, lots of herbs, chewy tofu and fresh toppings. I used cibatta bread (cut into flat squares) since it is light and airy. so the focus was on the fillings, rather than on lots of bread, even though I do love good bread.

Herbed Tofu Salad Sandwich

• 1 lb. extra firm tofu, cut into irregular-shaped pieces
• about 1/4 cup of tamari
• 1/2 cup of your favorite creamy dressing
• fresh or dried herbs (I used oregano, dill and basil)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 red onion, minced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• bread or sandwich rolls
• greens, tomato, pickles, etc

To prepare the tofu, cut it into irregularly shaped pieces, place in a medium bowl, and toss with the tamari. Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until it looks dry and lightly brown. I also broiled it for about 5 more minutes. Let cool.

While the tofu is baking, in a medium-sized bowl, place 1/2 cup of your creamy dressing. I used Vegenaise for this – while I don’t use it very often, I do like the flavor for these types of salads. You could also make a light cashew cream as the base.

Stir in the herbs, salt & pepper, onion and celery. When the tofu has cooled, stir it in. It’s important to not do this when it’s still too warm, or it will get too mushy. Letting it cool will keep the texture of the tofu in the salad.

I sliced the ciabatta in half, and toasted them in the oven for a few minutes. I spread both halves with a little extra Vegenaise, then topped them with sliced heirloom tomato, baby arugula, and sliced dill pickle, and of course, the tofu salad.

What a great sandwich!