Looking for an easy, no cook lunch or dinner? It takes just 10 minutes to whip up this healthy cold tofu with herby diced tomato + cucumber inspired by shirazi salad.
Light yet filling, this 10 minute cold tofu dinner packs plenty of crunch!
I hesitate to call it “girl dinner” but when I’m just feeding myself, I love me a super easy no cook dinner…my only criteria? I need some protein and I need some veg. Oh, and make it TASTY.
Which is where soft (or silken!) tofu comes in: if you’ve haven’t already been hooked by the “viral” Tiktok recipe (which is actually a beloved Chinese classic) lemme introduce you to the wonders of just opening up a container of soft or silken tofu, putting some stuff on it and curling up on the couch with a show.
And I’m gonna take it in a TOTALLY different direction than the rest of the internet AKA by way of the Mediterranean. Because when paired with fresh herbs, citrus and a bit of olive oil, soft tofu totally takes on the creamy (and surprisingly milky!) flavour of a fresh cheese like fior di latte.
Yes, actually.
Okay, so protein, check. Tasty, check. What’s left? VEG! Dice up a bit of tomato, cucumber and shallot for crunch and texture inspired by Persian shirazi salad. The dietitian in me is happy, the tastebuds are also very happy and I’m full and satisfied but it feels light, you know? All in like 10 minutes flat.
This and blueberry basil popsicle on a hot night and I’m set!
Dive into flavourful, plant-powered recipes for every occasion with my latest plant-based cookbook Plant Magic!
A couple hot tips for this balanced cold tofu dinner
Dried mint is more traditional, but if you can’t find it, fresh mint works!
You want to use soft tofu here, either silken or standard for the best texture..the tofu I use has 16g of protein per package, but yours might have more or less.
I HIGHLY recommend that you take the few minutes to dice everything up really small, it makes the texture and experience so much nicer.
Don’t have olive oil? Any flavourful oil will work, like cold pressed canola.
New around here? Because I’m a dietitian, I want to make recipes that more folks can eat, even with allergies…like this recipe which is gluten free, dairy free, vegan, vegetarian and nut free. Plus I’ve got a low FODMAP variation in the recipe card below!
More recipes to help you fall in love with soft and silken tofu:
Blender Silken Tofu Peanut Butter Pudding
Vegan Mac and Cheese with Silken Tofu Sauce
Silken Tofu Pasta Sauce with Roasted Red Pepper
Velvety Vegan Chocolate Mousse
Fresh + Filling Cold Tofu with Tomato Cucumber Salad
Looking for an easy, no cook lunch or dinner? It takes just 10 minutes to whip up this healthy cold tofu with herby diced tomato + cucumber inspired by shirazi salad.
Servings 1 serving
Ingredients
10 ounces soft tofu regular or silken1 small roma tomato see notes below for low FODMAP variation!4 inch piece cucumber¼ cup parsley leaves minced1 tablespoon minced shallot1 tablespoon fresh mint minced, or ½ teaspoon dried mint1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice I like lime best!1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or your fave oil¼ teaspoon salt plus more to tastefreshly cracked black pepper
Imperial – Metric
Instructions
Carefully remove tofu from tray and place it on a piece of paper towel to drain.
Meanwhile, remove the juicy seeds from the tomato and then dice both the tomato and cucumber and place in a small bowl.
Add the minced parsley, shallot and mint to the bowl. Pour over the oil and juice and add 1/4 tsp of salt plus some pepper. Mix to coat the veg in the dressing.
Place the tofu on a plate and slice. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the salad and dressing and enjoy!
Notes
Need a low FODMAP variation? Use non-silken medium tofu and keep it to about 3/4 cup. Ditch the shallot and use just 5 cherry tomatoes instead of a whole roma. If you’ve got it, low FODMAP garlic flavoured oil would be great. Everything else is the same!
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
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