I created this post as part of a sponsored series with Socialstars and SPLENDA® Brand; all opinions are my own. #SweetSwaps #SplendaSweeties
With the cold thawing off and Spring here it’s a great time to start breaking out those lighter and healthier meals. For me that means lots of refreshing salads for lunch and dinner. I always have a couple of different varieties of leafy greens in my fridge. The other components of my salads often vary so much from one day to the next, be it meats, tofu, colorful veggies, fruits, or nuts and seeds. We crave fresh and new things in life so I try to make salads an exciting experience for my taste buds.
Tofu is the centerpiece of this salad which always pairs nicely with spinach. The star of the salad though is really the avocado salad dressing. The taste is vibrant, it’s slightly creamy yet has so much flavor from the garlic, cilantro and lemon. The pumpkin seeds and roasted butternut squash add color and texture to the dish and up the game in nutrients even more. The end result is a dish that’s very unique and likely something that you and those you are serving the dish to have never had before.
Salad dressings have been given a bad name over the years. Store-bought dressings are often loaded with fat and other ingredients that don’t do your health any favors. They have come around over the last decade with a lot wider variety of healthy dressing options. I still however opt to make my own dressing 99% of the time. It’s quick, you have full control over what goes in, and it’s also fun to play mad scientist a bit and experiment with different tastes.
SPLENDA® Sweetener Products help here too as my sugar substitute to save on calories. When swapping sugar for SPLENDA® Sweetener Products in your own recipes, please refer to the SPLENDA® Brand measurement conversion charts. Follow SWEET SWAPS™ for recipes & tips to help you save calories all year! Click here to get Sweet SPLENDA® savings. Think Sugar, Say SPLENDA®, Use SPLENDA®
- 1 ripe avocado
- 3/4 cup packed fresh spinach cilantro or parsley
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1 clove garlic quartered
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener Granulated OR any sweetener of your choice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Place avocado, spinach, cilantro or parsley, yogurt, scallions, garlic, lime juice, Splenda and salt in a blender; blend until smooth.
- 1 package firm sprouted tofu
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- Place the tofu block on a paper towel and place another layer of paper towel on top of the tofu.
- Press the top of tofu with a small plate then apply pressure slightly to push out the water.
- Using a fork, cut tofu in small pieces then add sea salt, turmeric powder, onion powder, garlic powder. Combine and mix well.
- Heat oil in a skillet pan then add tofu, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes until the tofu is lightly browned and resembles scrambled eggs. Set aside.
- Scrambled Tofu
- Avocado Salad Dressing
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Roasted Butternut Squash
- Lettuce
- Place some fresh lettuce, roasted butternut squash, pumpkin seeds, scrambled tofu and serve with avocado salad dressing.
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That sounds like an awesome dressing. I love avocado, so I bet this is all kinds of awesome.
This looks SO GOOD. I love this because it’s packed with all kinds of healthy ingredients. I love the tofu added for protein and the avocado for healthy fats. Yum.
That looks great!! I have never tried anything with avocado (as a dressing) I will have to try this one!
I love your recipes, they are so healthy and delicious! I never thought of adding avocado in a dressing.
This looks quite interesting and healthy. I’m not so sure this would be a recipe for me, but I know a few who would enjoy it.
It has been ages since I’ve had a salad as tasty as this one looks and sounds. I will definitely have to try this sometime! – HilLesha
This looks great and so healthy! I love “out of the box” recipes like this that are totally different than the same old thing I whip up for dinner. Thanks!
Turmeric has a lot of healing benefits. I usually add them in soup or grate a small piece and add to rice while it is cooking. Turmeric tea helps a lot with aches and pains. I will try your recipe of scrambled tofu with turmeric. Sounds delicious enough to try!
This looks so healthy and delicious! I love avocado. I’ve got to try that dressing.
The salad looks really good! The pairing of butternut squash is a win for me! Thanks for sharing this great recipe combo!
This looks really interesting – I’ll have to give it a try!
I have been wanting to make some new salad dressing to try. This sounds perfect.
I have PCOS so there’s some controversy over whether tofu is okay to eat or not, so I would probably leave that out, but the rest looks great! I sort of do the same thing for my salad dressing! I smash up an avocado, and put in sea salt, chopped cilantro, and lime juice. It makes my salads SO flavorful, and all I have in the salad is lettuce and tomato!
This looks very good. I love how healthy it is too. I’ve been trying to do more of a healthier lifestyle, especially with foods. I will have to give this a try.
Those are some really awesome pictures! I’ve never tried this before, but would love to try it! Thanks for sharing.