Sesame Zucchini Noodle Salad

 

 

I don't usually buy premade salad dressings as it doesn't matter how good the dressing taste, I always get tired of the flavor before a quarter of the bottle is used up. Since the days are getting warmer and perfect for salads, I've been trying different homemade salad dressings. So the other day I looked for a sesame based salad dressing, and came across this sesame soba salad on chef Marc Matsumoto's blog. I love soba, but I didn't have any on hand, so I recreated his recipe using zoodles (zucchini noodles), and was very pleased with the results. The zoodles soak up the flavor of the sesame dressing and pairs excellently with cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and soy sauce marinated tofu. Here's my rendition:

Sesame Zucchini Salad:

*Note: Tofu needs to be marinated overnight

 

Sesame sauce

makes about 1/2 Cup worth of dressing

1/4 Cup tahini (sesame paste)

2 Tablespoons water

1Tablespoon soy sauce

1T rice vinegar

1/8 tsp white pepper

2 T sesame oil

1 tsp honey

salt - to taste

 

Tofu Marinade:

10-12oz block of firm tofu

1/4C low sodium soy sauce

1T sugar

 

Salad:

1 dime sized bunch of chopped cilantro

1 medium zucchini - shredded into noodle shapes with a spiralizer

10-12 cherry tomatoes - halved

Black sesame seeds - for garnish

Nori (roasted seaweed) cut into strips - to taste

 

Directions:

1. Cut firm tofu into 1/4" thick rectangles. Place the tofu in a Ziploc bag and add 1/4 Cup soy sauce and 1T sugar. Zip the bag while squeezing as much air out as possible and allow the tofu to marinate overnight.

2. Heat up a pan, add ~1T grapeseed oil, and add all the tofu along with the marinade, making sure the tofu pieces don't overlap. Cook tofu until marinade is about half gone, then flip all the tofu and cook until all the marinade is gone (be careful not to burn the tofu).

3. Ssesame sauce: Whisk 1/4 Cup tahini, 2T water, 1T soy sauce, 1T rice vinegar, 1/8 tsp white pepper, 2T sesame oil, and 1 tsp honey all together. Add salt to taste (I didn't add any salt as I thought the saltiness from the soy sauce was sufficient. Feel free to add more honey if you light your sauce on a sweeter note.

4. Mix cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and tofu in with zucchini noodles, pour sauce over, mix, and garnish with sesame seeds and nori strips. Enjoy! (I used 2T of sesame sauce for 1 large zucchini)

 

Add chopped cucumbers, avocado, blanched broccoli, brussel sprouts, a fried egg or even your favorite grilled meat for variety.

 

Nutrition Facts:

Sesame Dressing (does not include added salt)
1 serving  = 2T
Calories: 126
Total Fat: 10.7g
Sodium: 152.6mg
Carb: 5g | Fiber: 1.5g | Sugars: 2.2g
Protein: 3.2g

Marinated Tofu:
1 serving = 3oz (84g)
Calories: 89
Total Fat: 4g | Sat. Fat : 0.5g
Sodium: 543.3mg
Carb: 6g | Fiber 1.1g | Sugars 2.7g
Protein: 7.8g