Barbecue Tofu and Corn Salad

I'm not a huge fan of salads in general, and I rarely make them because it takes some effort to have every ingredient in the house and lettuce bores me. I've been buying more cartons of organic greens, however, and salads are a good way to use them up! I've moved beyond baby spinach to arugula, baby kale, and the lovely blends (Zen Blend is particularly good) that EarthBound Farms offers. This Barbecue Tofu and Corn Salad is a nice hearty dinner and it's quite versatile, which is always handy!

The first thing to do is fry tofu in BBQ sauce. We had mango curry BBQ sauce, which was a little sweet but had a nice kick. I also sometimes fry the tofu brushed with honey instead of sauce, which is quite delicious and makes the tofu a little crunchy. Then, in a large bowl, throw in the rest of the ingredients! This is the part I like about salads. I added mixed greens and arugula, 1/2 pint of halved cherry tomatoes, one can of mixed beans, 1 cup (thawed) corn, about 1/4 of a red onion, sliced, and some sliced red pepper.

The recipe calls for a more complicated citrus dressing, which is pureed. I don't bother with this. I mixed olive oil, lemon juice, a little sriracha, and one grated garlic clove. And lots of cilantro mixed in! The salad was quite good, very filling, but had one problem - it was so oniony! I only put a little red onion in but we ended up picking out most of it because it was overpowering. Maybe my slices were too big, or I should pickle it first in lemon juice, or I've heard soaking in ice water also helps tame them. Once the onion problem was under control the salad was quite good, but readers will know I love anything with cilantro in it. Even salad.