taco salad with muy spicy chipotle dressing.

i have this thing for the soy amigo salad at native foods. it's basically a vegan taco salad and while i love the salad, i figured out that i am really just in love with the dressing. so much so that i purchased the chef/owner's cookbook, seeing that the salad recipe was in there. unfortunately, the restaurant now serves the salad with chipotle dressing, which is not in the cookbook. argh.

being a little obsessive, i had to figure out the dressing. so a little research and experimentation in the kitchen (while i was really supposed to be writing) and voila, er, olé'! chipotle dressing! (bonus: this version is nearly fat-free. the other version, using veggie mayo, tasted too mayo-y and also had 9 grams of fat per tablespoon! extra bonus: my omnivorous better half said that he wouldn't be able to tell it was non-dairy.)

recipes after the jump.

muy spicy chipotle dressing
1 package silken-style firm tofu (in aseptic packaging, such as mori-nu)
3 individual chipotles in adobo (beware: these are very spicy! use fewer if less heat is desired.)
juice of one fresh lime
2 small garlic cloves
1 tsp. salt
freshly-ground black pepper

add all ingredients into a food processor or blender. process until very smooth, scraping down the sides frequently. serve at room temperature.
makes 1 cup, enough for four salads.

soy amigo salad
adapted from "the native foods restaurant cookbook" by tanya petrovna
 4 cups mixed salad greens
1 cup green cabbage, finely shredded
1/2 cup, plus 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 cups soy taco meat, at room temperature (recipe follows)
tortilla chips, crushed
2 avocados, sliced thinly
pinch salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste
chipotle dressing, room temperature

combine salad greens and cabbage. season with salt and freshly ground pepper. arrange greens on four plates. top with taco meat, tortilla chips and avocados. garnish with wedges of lime and   1 tablespoon cilantro and avocado slices. serve with chipotle dressing.
serves four.

soy taco meat
adapted from "the native foods restaurant cookbook" by tanya petrovna

1 cup textured vegetable flakes
3/4 cup water
1/8 cup shoyu sauce
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

place all ingredients in saucepan and bring to a boil. remove from heat and let sit 10 minutes. serve at room temperature.

i also topped ours with a spicy barley salad instead of rice.

spicy barley salad
1 cup barley, cooked
2 green onions, sliced on the bias
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 white onion, chopped finely
1 red jalapeño pepper, diced
1 tomato (preferably heirloom!), chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste

gently mix all ingredients. add dressing (recipe follows) and mix to combine. serve alongside taco meat on the soy amigo salad.

over-anything dressing
(so named because it can truly go over anything)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (i like bragg's or check your local farmers' market to see if your apple farmer has made one)
1/4 tsp. cumin
dash dry mustard
2 tbsp. olive oil
pinch salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste

combine all ingredients except olive oil. whisk in olive oil slowly just to combine.