Portobello Carpaccio, Tofu and Strawberry Spinach Salad

Even though we have had the BBQ on in full force since it arrived, it is (mostly) limited to the weekends. However, I love bulk cooking on the weekends, so we’re trying to keep things simple mid-week.

Here I multipurposed leftover portobello carpaccio (just as good with a longer marinade) into a glorious summer salad with strawberries, fresh (not grilled) tofu, all over a bed of baby spinach, doused with a balsamic dressing.

Jessica asked about mosto cotto in my previous posts. It is a sweet balsamic reduction and a simple 1-ingredient dressing. A balsamic vinaigrette could easily be substituted, so I decided to make my own and use it all week. I made a glorious full cup to share with Rob.

Except the world was against me, and I tipped 75% of my dressing. Onto my shorts, onto my slippers and behind my stove. I am not sure if bird poop or balsamic vinegar makes a worse stain, but I quickly disrobed and cleaned my shorts and next my slippers. My black shorts fared better than my slippers which may now look a bit more brown than white. Oops….

Anyways, the salad was fabulous. I hadn’t planned to share it but the mushrooms added a wonderful earthy contrast next to the sweet strawberries and savoury balsamic vinaigrette. Delicious. Enjoy!

I am sharing this with Meat Free Mondays.

Portobello Carpaccio, Tofu and Strawberry Spinach Salad

1 portobello carpaccio
1/4 package fresh tofu, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 cup stemmed, chopped strawberries
4 cups baby spinach
balsamic vinaigrette, to taste (see below)

1. Mix all the ingredients together.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp mustard (I like a spicy grainy mustard)
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1/4 tsp salt

1. Mix all ingredients together.