Tofu Waldorf Salad

by Holladay Allen

Native Foods Cafe

I love Waldorf Salad, all kinds.  Vegan that is.  For Thanksgiving, we always have a Wheatberry Waldorf Salad on the menu at Native Foods Café.  And I really love making a tofu version, which I am going to share with you right now.  But first, I would like to inform you that traditionally the Waldorf Salad is made up of celery, apples, walnuts and mayo, and is usually served on a bed of lettuce.  My grandmother would often order Waldorf Salads when we out to lunch at the “club.”  I’m not talking about “da club,” I am talking about the country club.  This makes sense since the Waldorf originated in a similar setting at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City (now the Waldorf-Astoria, you know…. where the king stays in Coming to America).  The maître’d Oscar Tschirky came up with it, along with many other of the Waldorf’s signature dishes. 

My other grandmother would always serve another version (with marshmallow crème instead of mayo) at Thanksgiving.   Apparently, Waldorf is in my blood, so it makes sense that I can sit around on a Sunday afternoon and shamelessly consume copious amounts of this Tofu Waldorf Salad.  A few notes: I use grapes instead of apples, pecans instead of walnuts and I throw some red onion in too… I hope this wouldn’t get me ousted out of the Waldorf Hotel.

Tofu Waldorf Salad

 

5 oz super firm tofu, diced

1 TBSP liquid aminos

1 TBSP nutritional yeast

1 tsp coconut oil

 

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup red seedless grapes, halved

¼ cup red onion, chopped

¾ cup pecans, toasted and chopped

¾ to 1 cup vegenaise

fresh cracked black pepper to taste

 

First, fry up that tofu!

Heat the oil in a pan on medium-high heat.  Cook until nice and lightly crispy.  Like so…

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Then toss with liquid aminos and nutritional yeast.  Set aside and let cool.

While cooling, toast the pecans over medium heat in a pan.... they will smell delicious.

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Let them cool a bit, then chop the pecans.

Mix together all the other ingredients in a bowl, then add cooled tofu.

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Toss all together, and enjoy….. on crackers, on a sandwich, in a wrap…. Or on a spoon!

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