This salad was inspired by Rachael Ray’s chicken piccata salad, which we make quite frequently.  I wanted to incorporate some salty, fried tofu, and the result was delicious!

Wilted Spinach and Fried Tofu Salad
(serves 2)

1 block of tofu, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 pound of baby spinach, washed
1 T vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 red onion, finely sliced
2 T capers
juice of 1 lemon
1 T butter
kosher salt
black pepper

To fry to the tofu, lay the slices out on top of three paper towels. Place three more paper towels on top of the tofu, and press to remove the excess water.

In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat. Fry the tofu for a few minutes, until the first side is golden brown. Flip and brown the second side. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Season with salt while hot, and slice into bite-sized cubes.

In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the garlic and onions in the pan until golden, then turn off the heat and add the lemon juice and capers. Season with black pepper. Add the spinach and toss for 30 seconds to a minute, until some of the spinach has wilted but a lot of it is still raw.

Serve the tofu over a bed of semi-wilted spinach.  The different textures of the spinach really make the salad.