A Feast with Friends

Last night, my usual group of vegetarian friends convened for our monthly potluck, and as always, the food was delicious, the conversation, compelling, and the company, delightful!

Pasta salad, provided by my husband and me (recipe follows!); another friend provided tortillas, homemade hummus, and an assorted of fresh veggies to make wraps.

A delicious soup with lima beans, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and potatoes.

For dessert, we enjoyed a delicious pineapple-kumquat Bundt cake.

As I mentioned above, my husband and I brought one of our favourite pasta salads, which, weirdly enough, we haven’t made since 2010! Believe me, its sweet-and-savoury blend of flavours makes it a dish worth enjoying often.

Orange-Broccoli Udon Noodle Salad

Inspired loosely by this recipe

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

For the tofu

1 16-oz. block extra-firm tofu, pressed, drained, and cut into ½-inch cubes

½ cup orange juice

3 Tbs. soy sauce, tamari, or shoyu

1 Tbs. brown rice vinegar

1 Tbs. maple syrup

½ tsp. Chinese five-spice powder

Black pepper, to taste

For the salad

12 oz. udon noodles

1 large broccoli head, florets separated

4 large carrots, shredded

4 scallions, chopped

½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1 Tbs. toasted sesame oil

½ tsp. hot chili oil

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Pepper, to taste

Walnuts & toasted sesame seeds, to serve

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, spice, and pepper. Add cubed tofu, and toss gently with hands, coating everything thoroughly. Allow mixture to marinate in the fridge 3-4 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Spread tofu cubes onto a greased baking sheet, reserving any leftover marinade. Bake tofu for 20 minutes, flip, then bake for another 10 minutes. Allow to cool once finished.
3. While the tofu is baking, steam broccoli florets and cook udon noodles according to package directions. In a large bowl, toss together noodles, broccoli, carrots, scallions, cilantro, garlic, and cranberries. Once tofu has cooled, toss it in, too.
4. Finally, add the remaining marinade, sesame and chili oil, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Toss again and stir gently to combine, then refrigerate. Serve chilled with walnuts and sesame seeds as desired.