Balsamic Vinegar Tofu And Asparagus Pasta Salad Food

CLASSIC PASTA SALAD WITH MOZZARELLA, AVOCADO AND BASIL

Steps:

• To prepare the dressing, in a large bowl, whisk together shallot, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in oil. Taste and add more salt and-or lemon juice if needed.
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until it is just al dente, usually a minute less than the package instructions. Drain well. While still warm, add the pasta to the bowl with the dressing and toss well. Let pasta cool, soaking up the dressing.
• In a medium bowl, gently toss together avocado, lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
• Just before serving, add tomato, cucumber, mozzarella and Parmesan to the bowl with the pasta and toss well. Gently fold in avocado and basil.
• Drizzle with olive oil, cracked black pepper and salt to taste before serving.

PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS AND BALSAMIC REDUCTION

Steps:

• bring water to boil cook pasta.
• mean while.
• place balsamic in a pan cook at med heat untill it reduces to a syrup.
• chopp asparagus in about 1 inch pices place in frying pan with red onion and a bit of the oil and a bit of water cover alow to stream untill asparagus changes dark green and onion is cooked.
• drain pasta.
• top with asparagus and red onion then drizzel balsamic over and top with lots of parm.
• add salt peper to taste.

BALSAMIC PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk first 6 ingredients together to prepare the dressing mix, set aside.
• Cook the pasta of your choice.
• While pasta is cooking, chop broccoli and blanch for 2 minutes.
• Combine cooked pasta, blanched broccoli, chopped red pepper and sliced green onion.
• Pour dressing mix on top of pasta mixture; toss to coat.
• Chill until ready to serve.
• **Note: Preparation can be accomplished while pasta is cooking, making this a very quick dish**.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
• Place asparagus in a shallow 9x13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with oil, salt, and pepper; toss to coat.
• Bake in preheated oven until lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Drizzle with vinegar just before serving.

BALSAMIC ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring 1 in. of water to a boil. Add asparagus; cover and boil for 3-4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and immediately place asparagus in ice water. Drain and pat dry. Transfer to a large bowl; add the onion, red pepper and cranberries., In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper; shake well. Pour over asparagus mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, stir in almonds and bacon.

CRISPY TOFU WITH BALSAMIC TOMATOES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Arrange tofu slices on a clean kitchen towel or on paper towels. Cover with another kitchen towel (or paper towels) and place a flat cutting board or baking pan on top. If your cutting board or pan is lightweight, stack a few cans or a skillet on top to weigh it down. Let tofu drain for at least 15 minutes, and up to 45 minutes.
• Transfer tofu to a cutting board and cut slabs into 1-inch cubes. Pat them dry with paper towels and season both sides of the tofu with 3/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon oil, cornstarch, garlic powder (if using) and 1/2 teaspoon of the oregano. Add tofu to cornstarch mixture and gently toss until tofu is evenly coated. Dump tofu onto one side of the prepared sheet pan.
• In a large bowl, toss together tomatoes, onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar, remaining 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Drizzle in the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil, tossing to combine.
• Arrange vegetables on other side of the prepared sheet pan. Bake until tofu is crisp and golden brown, and tomatoes are condensed, 25 to 35 minutes. Halfway through baking, flip tofu and toss vegetables while keeping the tofu and veggies separate.
• To serve, sprinkle cilantro on top and drizzle with balsamic and oil, if you'd like.

ASPARAGUS SALAD WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Steps:

• Cook asparagus in large pot of boiling, salted water until crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes.
• Drain and rinse with cold water.
• Place in a decorative bowl and put in the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled.
• Boil vinegar in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
• This will sweeten and concentrate the vinegar; pour into a large bowl.
• Whisk in oil, mustard, marjoram and garlic.
• Season dressing to taste with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.
• When ready to serve, add the red peppers and toss with dressing.
• Sprinkle with nuts and serve.

ASPARAGUS SALAD WITH SWEET BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Steps:

• Boil vinegar in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Pour vinegar into large bowl. Whisk in oil, mustard, marjoram and garlic. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cook asparagus in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water and drain again. Add asparagus and bell pepper to dressing; toss to blend well. Sprinkle with pecans and serve.

FRESH BALSAMIC ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• Trim the asparagus (keeping the darker green and less fibrous parts) and cut into 1-inch pieces.
• Thinly slice the mushrooms.
• Simmer the asparagus in 1/2 cup of water with a pinch of salt until it is tender (about 10-13 minutes).
• While the asparagus is simmering, whisk the lemon juice, vinegar, Dijon mustard, and garlic together.
• Gradually add the olive oil and then the black pepper.
• Once you have drained the asparagus and let it cool, gently toss it with half of the dressing to coat it well.
• Toss the remaining dressing with the basil and the mushrooms, and sprinkle the mixture over the asparagus.
• Season to taste with salt, garnish with freshly grated Parmesan or Mizithra cheese, and serve.

ASPARAGUS WITH TOFU AND BALSAMIC BUTTER

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
• Add butter, vinegar and water; cook another minute then add asparagus and pepper. Cook 4 more minutes, until tender.
• Place the asparagus in bowls.
• Put tofu slices in the pan with the sauce, add thyme, and cook until heated through.
• Place on the asparagus, and serve with the remaining sauce.

ROASTED BALSAMIC GARLIC ASPARAGUS APPETIZER

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
• Trim the asparagus: rinse the asparagus, cut about an inch off the ends, then use a vegetable peeler to take the outer layer off another inch of the remaining fibrous ends (easiest is to lay the spear on a flat surface then use peeler to gently take off the layer - careful, or you'll remove too much).
• Place the trimmed asparagus in a single layer on a non-stick baking sheet, then spray with an olive oil mister or drizzle evenly with olive oil (or spray with pan spray).
• Season with the sea salt and the freshly ground pepper.
• Place in oven and roast for 8 minutes (don't overcook).
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over very low heat melt the butter and extra virgin olive oil.
• Add the sliced garlic and simmer (again, over very low heat) for 5 minutes - careful not to burn.
• Remove from heat and add the soy sauce and balsamic.
• When asparagus is done, remove from the oven and place in a container which has an airtight cover.
• Place the garlic from the balsamic mixture on the asparagus; whisk the balsamic mixture well (I use a pigtail whisk) and pour it over the roasted asparagus.
• Cover tightly, shake, and place in refrigerator to chill (please note that the asparagus is still hot in the container, and that covering them and adding the sauce at this point will continue to steam them a bit for a few minutes).
• Chill for at least 4 hours before serving, the place attractively on serving platter.
• Goes well as part of an anti pasto course!
• Note: although I used these as an appetizer/snack, they could also work quite well as a side dish.