I love to eat salads at restaurants. They are always so much more indulgent than the salads I tend to make at home. After trying blue cheese wedge salad at many restaurants, I couldn’t resist remaking the recipe at home.
This salad recipe is made with iceburg lettuce. This is the only time I use iceburg in my kitchen. Other lettuces don’t hold up to my standards for a wedge.
The crispness and texture are perfect, and I can indulge in my blue cheese obsession. The only true down side to iceburg lettuce is that it is not nutritious like other leafy greens.
My version of veggie bacon is all natural and made from whole foods, and it’s the best I’ve ever had! For any omnivores out there, true bacon pieces will be fine on this salad. For the rest of us, you have to try the veggie bacon crumbles in this recipe. You will be glad that you did!
I make the veggie bacon in large batches and freeze them until needed. Simple thaw in the fridge or in a skillet over medium heat. I don’t recommend other types of veggie bacon because they often times have a lot of unnecessary additives. The best part of making food at home is that you can control what goes into it!
Tips for the Blue Cheese Wedge Salad with Veggie Bacon recipe:
- Don’t forget to freeze the tofu! I recommend tossing it in the freezer instead of the fridge right away when you unpack from the store. Check out my recipe for DIY smoked tofu as well!
- You can use a bottled salad dressing, or try my Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing.
- You can diced the tomatoes and sprinkle them over the wedge with the veggie bacon crumbles, if desired.
- 6 oz smoked tofu, frozen, thawed and crumbled
- 2 TBS canola oil, or other neutral flavored oil
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 recipe for Alison's Allspice Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing
- 1 head of iceberg lettuce, cut in half
- 2 tomatos, cut into wedges or diced
- ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles
- Heat 2 TBS canola oil in a heavy bottomed skillet (I prefer cast iron) over medium low heat. Crumble the tofu into the hot oil. Let sit approximately 4 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and stir tofu crumbles to break them up. Saute another 2 minutes until crispy and well browned.
- Mix together maple syrup and cider vinegar. Pour over the tofu. Mix and sauté about 1 more minute. Turn off the stove and let the tofu rest while you prepare the dressing.
- Make the salad dressing. Alternatively, you can use it from a bottle.
- Take each quarter of lettuce and bend it outward lengthwise with your hands to open up all the crevasses.
- On each of 4 serving plates, spoon about 2 TBS blue cheese dressing down the center. Place an iceberg piece on top of each. Smear remaining dressing over the wedges evenly. Sprinkle each with a ¼ of the tofu crumble. Place 2 wedge tomatoes on the sides and sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles.
