sliced cukes and radishes with herb-blanketed tofu

August 6, 2013 • Nancy Wolfson-Moche

My children have so much fun playing games around this dish that they’ve eaten it all up before they’ve finished identifying the herbs, naming the different shapes of the radishes and calculating the number of cucumbers with radishes on top versus those without.

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serves 2

INgredients

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4-5 fresh cucumbers

3-4 fresh radishes

one slice tofu

a sprig each of:  basil, dill, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme

a few edible flowers (here, violas)

optional: a drizzle of umeboshi plum vinegar

optional: a pinch of sea salt

Process

Wash the cukes, radishes and all herbs well.  Wash the tofu and place it in an uncovered glass container (best to store already-opened tofu this way in the fridge).

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Slice the cukes and radishes into paper-thin discs and set them aside, on separate plates.

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Slice the tofu into a ¾”- thick square and place on plate.

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Chop some of the larger-leafed and more pungent herbs (like sage, basil, rosemary and oregano) into tiny pieces. Leave the thyme and edible flowers whole.

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Garnish the tofu with the herbs, strewing them on top.

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Arrange the cukes and radishes around the tofu block.

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Drizzle the ume plum vinegar on top of tofu and veggies.

Icing on the Cake: Testimonials

I loved Ms. Nancy’s cooking class so much.! I have been in this cooking class for two years and I would love to sign up for another one. I tried a lot of new foods like winter squash, cardamom, Brussels sprouts and kale. My favorite salad was the kiwi, carrot, radish salad.
Not only did we cook and eat, we also did labs about food. We used rulers to measure the size of plants. We also explored stone fruits and their ripe season. Now in my house we have window boxes and I am growing cherry tomatoes and basil.
I learned that we can use a lot of different tools to cook, not just our hands and senses. We used safety knives, potato peelers and a carrot sharpener (I wonder if you could sharpen a pencil with it?) !!!
Because of this class I can help papi make dinner and I will try any new food at least once to see if I like it. Thank you, Ms. Nancy for making cooking fun and interesting and helping me be excited about food.

- Love, K (a 7-year-old boy).