GREEN SHOOTS - Carrot Tofu Taste Sensation!(Salad)

Hi everybody,

I'm Beverley and I would like to welcome you back to DIGestingINvesting.

Over the last several months I have been working with Jeff to get 'DIG IN' up and running and admittedly, I have always believed that this was a fabulous idea. Why? Because to a '40 something' career professional single mom, quick and easy recipes with ingredients that I will always find in my cupboard makes perfect sense. Combine this with brief, easy to understand explanations of financial stuff that I probably should be familiar with and DIGestingINvesting truly is a winning combination.

Before I met Jeff I had very little interest in being in the kitchen and even less interest in my financial stuff and retirement plans. Cooking was a chore, recipes had too many ingredients and I found all of this investment stuff boring and confusing.

Shortly after we met, Jeff cooked me a steak dinner one evening which remains one of the most memorable meals that I have ever enjoyed. Up until that moment I thought the only thing I would ever want on my steak was ... steak sauce. Jeff changed all of that when he plated an orange-cranberry sauce under the steak, placed a slice of Gorgonzola cheese on top of the steak and finished with caramelized onions and mushrooms on top of the cheese. And he made it look so easy ... and fun. Wow!

Furthermore, with a background in the financial industry Jeff helped me to understand a lot of the industry jargon - like 'Green Shoots' - and explained to me the difference between an equity and a stock (there is no difference).

So, Jeff has been busy putting together the last several posts and I suggested that he take a 'blog off' and let me put this post together, introduce myself and introduce you to one of my favourite salads.

But what about these 'Green Shoots'? Up until recently the only green shoots that I understood were those that were growing in my veggie tray in the fridge. Then a few months ago the headlines on the news networks and business pages were all referring to ... 'Green Shoots'? I asked Jeff why don't they just say that there are signs of economic hope? Jeff went on to explain that when an economist or a politician uses the term 'Green Shoots' it immediately conjures up an image of tulips popping up through the ground, -after another long, cold winter -and everyone understands that those 'shoots' will eventually yield a wonderful end result, but it will take time.

Thinking that this explanation was a little too simple, I checked out Wikipedia for a definition and this what was stated;

"Green Shoots is a term used colloquially to indicate signs of economic recovery during an economic downturn."

Hmmmm, problem solved. Right? Not quite!

What does 'Green Shoots' have to do with this salad recipe? Well absolutely nothing! But now that I have satisfied your appetite for knowledge, let me share with you an incredible salad recipe from Jeff's 'Book of Jeff', that I absolutely love! (the salad that is)

Shortly after meeting Jeff I was introduced to the wonderful world of tofu. Up until that time I had believed that tofu was a tasteless gooey substance that you only found in soup at a Chinese restaurant, or the vegetable section of at your grocery store. And I sure had no idea how good it could taste or how good it is for us. But that was to change.

I have since discovered that tofu is high in protein and minerals, low in sodium and fat (no fat?), is deemed a Superfood and can take on whatever taste you want it to. Furthermore, there has been much written about the health benefits of tofu in a woman's diet and the positive effects that this soy product has on menopause. So what do you have to lose?

For an incredibly tasty and healthy meal try this with the Cinnamon Salmon from the earlier post. Also goes great with any stir fry or complement that sushi that you picked up on the way home.

CARROT TOFU TASTE SENSATION! (SALAD)

Here is what you will need:

1 package of medium texture tofu (drain well)

1 medium sized carrot (I prefer grated but shredded works too)

1/2 cup of finely chopped green onion

1/2 cup of low sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp of sesame seed oil

2 tbsp of minced (or finely chopped) ginger

2 tbsp of toasted sesame seeds

Tofu is like a sponge and will absorb the flavours that you introduce it to. So be sure to drain your tofu well.

Cut the block of tofu into four even pieces.

Using your kitchen grater, grate the carrot and set aside.

Using scissors, finely cut the green onions.

Pour the soy sauce evenly into four bowls, then place a section of tofu into each bowl.

Spread 1/2 tbsp of the minced ginger over each piece of tofu

Spread 1/2 tbsp of the sesame oil over each piece of tofu.

Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes to cool and allow absorption of flavours.

Spread the grated carrot evenly over each piece, do the same with the green onion.

Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over the top. (Sometimes I double up on these. Wow, they taste good!)

Easy. Quick. Healthy. Tasty. I strongly recommend you to try this.

So there you have it. A fairly simple explanation of 'Green Shoots' (not the one's in my fridge) along with a refreshing salad idea that will be a hit with everyone. Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did and encourage you to comment on this post and don't forget to subscribe as a 'DIG IN Follower' in that little area at the bottom right of this post.

By the way, if you haven't already done so you should refer to Jeff's rub recipe from his last post, whip up a batch and try it on back ribs. I know he suggested that you try it on his chicken dish but is it ever good on ribs. Just a thought.

Thanks for stopping by.

Beverley