Arugula & Pea Salad with Crispy Tofu Ribbons and Lemon-Cashew Dressing
This is the salad you're told you had to order at a good cafe and that its $18 price was totally worth it. The trick is the tofu: run a vegetable peeler down a block of extra-firm tofu and you get thin, ragged ribbons that crisp at the edges and stay tender in the middle, a lot like pulled rotisserie chicken. A little sesame oil, mushroom seasoning, and lemon pepper, 10 minutes in the air fryer, and it's done. Warm peas go over peppery arugula so the greens barely wilt, and the dressing is a creamy lemon-Dijon built on cashews and a couple of dates instead of yogurt or mayo. It's filling, it's got real protein, and it works year-round because frozen peas are as good as fresh most of the time. Keep the parts separate and it's lunch for the week. Store-bought plant-based parm is fine; the homemade shaky version in the notes is better.
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