Anything Goes Salad (My Version)

Oh no. You've caught me again. I've once again come up with a recipe that isn't really a recipe (see Rainbow Salad). Oh well. This is just what I do when I'm too lazy to actually go through all that measuring and baking and eating. Oh wait, never mind about the eating. This is my Anything Goes Salad, where seriously, anything goes! Toss together anything you want. Even if it's beyond weird. Don't worry about it. This recipe makes 2 servings.

Basically this recipe is Costco's Iceberg Lettuce Mix married to Rainbow Salad. I know, ingenious right? Yes, that's because I snuck went into Costco yesterday, and bought a giant bag of Iceberg Lettuce mix! And then I had to call my mom to come pay because I don't have a Costco card. As for the lettuce, apart from those icky purple things (which is one of the three ingredients of the mix), I like it, but it's too plain. So I decided to spruce it up with random fruit from my refrigerator topped off with several dollops of vanilla yogurt! Truth be told, I hate vanilla yogurt. So you might be wondering why I used it in a salad? Well, that's because I hate vanilla yogurt! It's never going to get eaten if I just leave it in the refrigerator, so might as well use it in something and hope I still like it. If that logic doesn't make sense to you, don't sweat it. It doesn't make sense to me either.

Anything Goes Salad

• 1 cup watermelon chunks
  
• 1 yellow nectarine, cut into chunks
  
• 1 cup grapes
  
• 3 cups Costco's Iceberg Lettuce Mix
  
• 1 container (Light) Yoplait Very Vanilla Yogurt
  

  
  

1. Cut everything into chunks (except the lettuce mix and yogurt, of course).
   
2. Toss fruit with lettuce mix.
   
3. Pour, douse, throw, or simply plop the yogurt onto various parts of the salad.
   
4. Present it to your sister who will "ooh" and "aah" at your genius.
   
5. Take it back if your sister doesn't marvel at your genius.
   

Calories (1 serving): 160

Rainbow Salad

Oh please don't look at me like that. I know what you're probably thinking: "why is Tofu posting up a recipe for something I could easily come up with myself?" Yes, I know. It's just that… I have never thought of this recipe until just this afternoon. I'm so ashamed. It just hit me when I opened the refrigerator and discovered the wide variety of fruit I have. I don't even know how they got there (the fruit fairy?). Nevertheless, an idea just popped~! into my mind, because there were so many colors and so many different fruits. What could you do with all these fruits? Fruit salad, of course!

There are so many varieties of fruit salad. Tossed with yogurt, drizzled with honey, sprinkled with roasted almonds… But, I always believed the simpler the better. Therefore, my favorite type of fruit salad consists of just plain… fruit!

My tolerance of food varies widely based on my mood, but my love for fruit never changes (similar to my love for tofu). Plus, I wanted a light and healthy lunch, since I'm going to Olive Garden tonight for a farewell dinner with my fellow girl scouts. I know that everyone else in the world has probably already re-invented a fruit salad recipe in a million different ways, but just for the record, I'd like to add my name to the list. Feel free to take out/add in anything and everything you want. Makes 2 servings.

Rainbow Salad

• 4 large leaves of crisphead lettuce
  
• 1 cup strawberries
  
• 2 mandarin oranges or tangerines
  
• 1 lemon
  
• 1 cup blueberries or blackberries
  
• 1 cup cherries
  

1. Wash the leaves of lettuce, then submerge in ice cold water (or submerge in water and put in refrigerator). Leave for at least 10 minutes to allow the lettuce to become crisp.
   
2. Rinse the strawberries, tangerines, lemon, blueberries, and cherries in a large bowl.
3. Cut the leaves off the strawberries, and quarter them. Place in a bowl.
4. Peel tangerines and separate them into sections.
   
5. Cut out four slices from the lemon.
   
6. Place blueberries and cherries in a separate bowl.
   
7. Toss everything together except the lemon, which will be used as a garnish (or you can arrange it according to your aesthetic tastes).
   
8. Serve with pride!

Calories (1 serving): 135

Liang Ban Tofu (Cold Tofu)

I like soymilk. I also like soybeans. I think it's a fact that I like anything with soy in it. And although tofu doesn't have the word "soy" in it, I like it anyways. In fact, tofu is made by coagulating soymilk and then pressing this curd into block-like shapes. Eww, right? NO! Tofu is the best. It doesn't matter if it's curdled soymilk! Tofu is delicious, creamy, light, and suitable for any dish. I think they should make tofu ice cream. Okay, that might be going a bit far. But they make wasabi ice cream, don't they? Why not tofu ice cream?

There are so many kinds of tofu, and an infinite number of ways to prepare them. The kind I use is fresh tofu. There is also fresh soft/silken tofu or fresh dried tofu. Use tofu in soups, stir-fry them with shrimp, with beef, with pork, or fry them. Or you could just eat it straight out of the carton. Plain cold tofu is actually very delicious (like unflavored custard!). Although that may not appeal to you very much, you could very easily drizzle some honey or syrup over it and eat it like pudding. You can basically tofu ANYTHING.

This recipes is for my all-time favorite comfort food: simple, light, and super quick cold tofu! No cooking needed! This recipe is perfect for that hot summer day when your brain is so fried you just can't bear the idea of turning on the stove to cook (like today).

Liang Ban Tofu (Cold Tofu)

• 1 package fresh firm tofu
  
• 1 tsp water
• 2 tbs soy paste
• 4 tbs oyster sauce
• 2 tbs scallions (green onions), chopped

1. Take tofu out of package, rinse with water, and drain. Pat dry with a paper towel.
   
2. Place the rectangle of tofu onto your opened palm, and cut it lightly with a small knife into small square or rectangles of desired size.
3. Place the tofu onto a plate. You can keep it in its box shape or just toss it onto the plate (I keep it in its box shape because I think it looks neater that way). Put plate with tofu into the refrigerator.
   
4. Meanwhile, mix the water, soy paste, and oyster sauce in a small bowl. Feel free to use a different combination of sauce according to your tastes.
   
5. At this point, if the tofu is cold enough to suit your tastes, take the plate out of the refrigerator and drain any fluid that might have accumulated at the bottom of the plate. Pour the water-soy-paste-oyster-sauce sauce onto the tofu and spread with the back of a spoon or a mini spatula.
6. Sprinkle the chopped scallions over the tofu and sauce. Go ahead and make designs. Make a smiley face or a heart. Really. Go crazy with those scallions.
7. When you're done creating an aesthetically pleasing piece of art, eat it!

Finished tofu with a bowl of cherry tomatoes in the back (home-grown!)

Calories (entire recipe): 140