Lunch Salad

I've never been very fond of salads.  Part of it is just me being rebellious because so many people think that all vegetarians eat is salad!  The main problem though was that they don't fill me up.  Last summer I came up with this combination that works great for lunch all by itself.  Sometimes I use different nuts and fruits but this is my favorite combination.  Another benefit is that you can make the dressing and tofu one day and be able to throw together your lunch for the rest of the week.

Lunch Salad

2 packed cups of spinach
2 tablespoons thousand island dressing (see below)
1 handful chopped pecans
1 handful chopped dried apricots
1 cup baked tofu (see below)

Toss the spinach and dressing until all leaves are evenly coated.  Add other items and eat.

Thousand Island Dressing

1 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon pickle relish
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Mix all ingredients until well combined.  Chill at least one hour.  Will last up to one week in fridge.

Baked Tofu
(This is Isa Chandra Moskowitz's recipe.  Sometimes I change the seasoning.)
3/4 cup vegetable broth
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 block tofu

Chop the tofu into bite sized cubes.  Combine the other ingredients in a shallow pan.  Add tofu and marinate in the refrigerator at least one hour. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly spray a cookie sheet with oil.  Spoon the tofu cubes


out of the marinade and place them in a single layer on the pan.  Bake for 30 minutes, turning and basting once.


As an update to yesterday, my unemployment issues were solved without too much hassle and I have a good job lead.  I also had a fantastic run this morning.  I have to remember that every bad day is followed by a good one.

This is me after beating my best 5K time by 57 seconds!  I also lowered my first mile time by 6 seconds.  Running is hard but it was a good morning!