Tofu Egg Salad with Kimchi
Driving across Wisconsin last month, I had occasion to look at the prepared sandwiches in the truck-stop coolers.The standard line-up of meat, tuna, and egg salad sandwiches looked thoroughly unappealing, but seeing those egg salad sandwiches reminded me of childhood road trips. It was the only time my Mom made egg salad sandwiches. She’d only make them to eat in the car, and I remember them fondly, with their crunchy bits of celery and slippery egg chunks. As we played car games and squabbled, the flat cornfields of Illinois spun past. Then we ate egg salad sandwiches.
Convenient Meal Prep
When I grew up and discovered tofu, tofu egg salad was one of the first things I learned to make. We even served it at both of the restaurants I cooked in in the early 80’s. It was familiar, understandable, and easy.
With time on my hands, and Wisconsin spinning past my car windows, I wondered what had happened to good old tofu egg salad. You just don’t see it anymore. Is it out of style, or just passed over for the ubiquitous hummus or avocado sandwich that serves as the vegan option in restaurants?
Let’s Bring Back Tofu Egg Salad
When I talk to people about tofu, I get a few responses. One is that it is unfamiliar and weird, perhaps the texture or the lack of assertive flavors is just too strange for people to adopt. Another is that it takes too much effort to prepare- what with draining, marinating, frying or baking, saucing, it just seems like too many steps. What we want is convenient meal prep, that works for a couple of days.
(try my easy Tofu-Beet Handrolls, or Artichoke Tofu Burger Sliders)
Once the salad is prepped, it just needs bread and a little lettuce for a great meal-it’s convenient meal prep!
So if you think tofu is a chore, try this blast from my past, with a little update. Adding kimchi gives the salad some tangy umami, as well as a little probiotic power for your inner microbiome.
I like a nice firm tofu for this, locally I buy Wildwood, which has a nice, fresh flavor and nubby texture.
If you pack them to eat in the car, you can contemplate your microbiome, or the interest in fermented foods, as the scenery rushes by. It’s an easy way to eat tofu, with a hint of nostalgia for egg salads past.
Tofu-Kimchi "Egg Salad"
Ingredients
- 14 ounces extra firm tofu drained
- 1 large carrot shredded
- 2 ribs celery minced
- 1/2 cup kimchi drained and chopped, save liquid
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 6 tablespoons vegan mayo
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- black sesame seeds for garnish
- bread and lettuce
Instructions
- Crumble the tofu into a large bowl or storage tub. Add carrot, celery, kimchi and lemon zest.
- In a cup, stir the mayo, Dijon, turmeric and salt. Pour over the tofu mixture and stir. Serve about 1/2 cup per sandwich, sprinkled with black sesame and piled with lettuce.
