

A bed of fluffy micro arugula lays the groundwork for this “Spring is on my Plate” Salad. My play on the fact that yes, spring is in the air..



Spring Served. Spring reminds me of light, colorful salads, so that’s what I wanted. Green, orange, yellow. Light, zesty, fluffy. Tender savory shiitake mushrooms mingle with a twirl of carrots and tofu on a bed of brown rice. A gentle accent of pepper, lemon and soy. Craft this beautiful salad in your own kitchen, it is quite an easy recipe…

Vegan Food Blogger Diet. I have come to realize that I do not eat or grocery shop like a normal person. It’s all a whirlwind of shopping lists, blog posts, photo shoots, projects, inspirations, leisure cooking, deadline cooking, editing, writing, remembering, correcting, tweaking and eating. Thank goodness I thrive on creative chaos.

Sometimes i feel like Whole Foods is my second home. Like an art student at an art store. My pantry is always well stocked. Not just because I love to cook, but because my kitchen truly is my workspace.

Simple Salad. Or not so simple. Today’s quickie recipe post is a simple salad out of a few leftover ingredients I had on hand from a photo shoot. And this was my workweek afternoon lunch. I try not to take for granted the fact that I get to eat my work.

..This salad would not have been my lunch back when I was a stressed out grad student working a 9-5 job. 16 hour workdays left little time for fancy lunch making. My vegan lunch usually consisted of something I’d warm up in the office microwave. Sound familiar? Or sometimes I brought a giant tupperware container filled with homemade (quickly made) pita triangles. Spinach jammed into hummus slathered crevices. A mountain of baby carrots on the side.

Ah yes. Those darn baby carrots got me through many a long afternoon. crunch crunch crunch..

I’ve come a long way. But guess what, you too can have this salad! Maybe not for a workweek lunch, but a weeknight dinner side or even a weekend lunch picnic. This would be lovely served in the sunshine with a tall glass of iced tea or mint lemonade..

Green Tofu Carrot Asian Spring Salad

vegan, serves 1

1/2 – 3/4 cup cooked brown rice

2 cups micro arugula (or any light greens, regular arugula will work too, or sprouts)

2 lemon slices

saute:

2-3 shiitake mushrooms

1/4 cup thinly sliced carrots

1/3 cup thinly sliced firm tofu

1 tsp minced ginger

1 tsp liquid aminos (Braggs) – or use tamari

fine black pepper

optional: cayenne or red pepper flakes for spiciness

optional: sprinkle of nutritional yeast

Directions:

1. Lay arugula on plate. Add brown rice over top. Spritz with lemon juice.

2. Saute the mushrooms, carrots and tofu in a pan in 1-2 tsp of oil. I used olive oil. Add spices and soy sauce/tamari/liquid aminos. Turn off heat when tender.

3. Arrange carrots and tofu in flower shape. Add mushrooms to middle. Add lemon over top.

4. Serve! Eat leftover veggies on the side, pile on to or save for later.

Giveaway!! So excited to offer one of my readers a copy of Chloe Coscarelli’s new book. Chloe was featured in my Veggie Girl Power Series a few years back and I adore her. Such a vibrant, talented lady. Her book is magical. Food photos, fantastic! I especially love all the photos with Chloe holding her platters of food – her smile is contagious. Even in print! You can learn more about Chloe on her website. Enter the giveaway, details below..

more pics…