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Janelle Carss

Tofu 'Bacon' & Zucchini Salad

If you've never thought to pair strips of salty, smokey tofu bacon with fresh zucchini strips in a bright lemony dressing, this is your sign to try Tofu Bacon & Zucchini Salad! It's fresh, flavourful and pretty fun to eat!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Salad
Cuisine: Canadian
Calories: 373
Ingredients Method Video Notes

Ingredients
  

Tofu Bacon
  • 1 12-oz block extra firm tofu, cut into very thin strips
  • 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika (sub ½ tsp liquid smoke)
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
Salad
  • 3 medium to large zucchinis, peeled into strips
  • 2 tbsp fresh basil, sliced into strips
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • ⅓ cup roasted salted pumpkin seeds
  • vegan parmesan shreds, optional garnish
Dressing
  • 1 large lemon, juiced + zest of ½ of it*
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Method
 

  1. Prepare the tofu bacon: Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, maple syrup, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and paprika. Set aside. Place the pressed block of tofu on its side (narrow side facing up) and using a vegetable peeler (or a sharp knife), carefully peel thin slices of tofu to resemble deli meat or bacon slices. It’s okay if some of them are misshapen, uneven or if they break
  2. Assemble the slices of tofu in a single layer on the baking tray, trying to avoid overlapping them as much as possible. Using a pasty brush, gently brush the soy sauce mixture over the slices, then gently flip them over with a spatula and repeat.
  3. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until they look crispy on the edges and have dried out significantly.
  4. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the salad: Make the dressing first by combining the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper in a bowl and set aside. Using the same peeler, peel thin slices of the zucchinis lengthwise. You can either leave the zucchinis whole or cut them in half widthwise before you peel them, or a bit of both. Thinly slice the basil and green onions (white and green parts included).
  5. Once the tofu bacon has crisped up, remove from the oven and let cool slightly in the pan.
  6. Grab your widest serving plate or a very shallow salad bowl and alternatingly arrange the zucchini and tofu bacon slices on it in. Once you have one layer, add some of the chopped basil and green onion, and repeat until all the tofu bacon and zucchini have been placed. Evenly drizzle over the dressing and optionally garnish with vegan parmesan cheese. Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Macros: 
  • 3 Servings: 497 cal, 34g protein, 20g carbs, 34g fat
  • 4 Servings: 373 cal, 26g protein, 15g carbs, 25g fat