Happy Thursday, or Friday for me! And after this week, I need a weekend of fun and a change of scenery. Today at work was nonstop handling a huge workload and trying to tie up loose ends to take tomorrow off. I didn’t even get time to flip through my race pictures from Sunday’s mud run, not a great way to start relaxing time off! After such a day of chaos, spending time in the kitchen creating is therapy for me and tonight my cravings were all over the place. I was thinking hummus, maybe baked tofu (a la Averie) and a huge salad – but hummus is too heavy with tofu. So I compromised creating a hummus-like dressing on the lighter side to coat my salad.
Cumin Tahini Dressing
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 2 tbsp. tahini
- 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric
- 1/2 cup water
Place all ingredients in a high-speed blending and blend to a smooth puree. Smoother salad in it and enjoy! Covers a 4-6 serving salad.
I used to be a dressing dipper with neat little bowls of dressing on the side of my salad for light dabbing. Not anymore! Especially since most raw dressings are vegetable-based and so much better tasting, there’s no guilt in creating a gooey mess of a salad. And this one was very hummus like with the tangy tahini flavors and mellow creaminess from the zucchini and carrots.
For the tofu, I threw together a quick sauce of rice vinegar, soy sauce, a splash of agave nectar and toasted sesame oil to dredge the tofu slices in.
I then baked the slices on a greased baking sheet at 400 degrees for 25 minutes to add a crispy plank path of tofu next to my salad.
I really liked the texture and flavor of baked tofu, the outer layer almost had the flavor and texture of being deep fried. And the insides like firm chicken strips perhaps. I can see where this would be a great recipe for kids, they made a fun finger food. And during dinner, we were treated to this amazing sunset.
I’m glad to put this insanely busy day behind and move into a super fun long weekend!
JL goes Vegan says
Nice dressing! I love tahini!
Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg says
Yum! I love how that dressing really coats each leaf of lettuce!