Soft Tofu Salad with Ponzu Dressing

Recently, we have been obsessed with making this Soft Tofu Salad with Ponzu Dressing – and merely because we are not fans of creamy salad dressings, like Ranch or Caesar. We always try to incorporate more salads and fresh vegetables with our meals, so when we started making this salad, we knew it would be the best go-to side salad for us (and hopefully you, too!). This salad was inspired by Kabuki Japanese Restaurant, where we ate their Tofu Salad which they describe on their menu as Fresh Tofu with Gourmet Spring Mix Covered with Dry Bonito Flakes in Sesame Dressing ($6.95). It was light, refreshing, and not loaded with a fatty dressing! It doesn’t require a lot of ingredients, which makes it even easier to make. We made our own style at home with a ponzu dressing instead of a sesame dressing. Ponzu is a citrus seasoned soy sauce, so it provides a nice balance of tartness and saltiness to the salad. It’s important to buy soft tofu (as opposed to firm) for this dish because the texture is smooth and silky which goes well with this salad. This is an all-around healthy salad that is figure-friendly and perfect to add to your weekly menu – afterall, it’s almost beach season!

These are the basic ingredients you'll need: soft tofu, spring mix salad, cherry or plum tomatoes, bonito flakes, nori strips, ponzu sauce, vegetable oil, and sesame seeds. But don't feel like you have to have everything on this list. The main components of this tasty salad is having the soft tofu with greens along with the ponzu dressing.

This simple dressing is a 1:1 ratio. Pour in 1 part of ponzu sauce into a bowl and slowly drizzle 1 part vegetable oil and whisk until emulsified and slightly thickened.

Isn't that easy or what? You get a colorful and healthy salad that doesn't need meat to be good. Remember, just because you are eating salads doesn't mean it's necessarily good for you - especially when you pour a creamy dressing on top! Try this Japanese-inspired salad that is light and fulfilling!