Copycat Sweetgreen Shroomami Salad

After six months of living in New York, I have learned a few things: which days and times to avoid the Grand Street Trader Joes so as not to stand in a line as long as the store itself; how to look put together when you are too hungover to think; which cafes have wifi and which don’t; how to pay what you please to get into museums; and how to spend as little money as you can on the things you love. Budgeting in New York is as far off a dream as marrying a Scandinavian prince or pulling off bangs. All you can do is try to cut costs where you can and try not to think too hard about how much you’re paying in rent. Knowing I could spend my entire net-worth on food, coffee, and wine, I have had to think long and hard about what food, coffee, and wine is worth spending money on. I love the Sweetgreen shroomami salad and could have it for lunch everyday. But at risk of spending all my money on kale, I decided to recreate the salad at home, including the ingredients in my weekly grocery haul and making a bulk batch of the most amazing miso-sesame dressing at the beginning of the week. Putting this salad together is just as easy as ordering on Grubhub and a fraction of the cost. Because we are all just trying our best but I can guarantee that things will be better with this salad in your life.

For the salad (makes 1):

1/2 cup chopped kale
1 Persian cucumber, chopped (about 1/8 cup)
Chopped basil
1/8 cup cooked quinoa
Shelled edamame
Sautéed mushrooms (see below)
Roasted tofu (see below)
Spicy miso-sesame dressing (see below)

For the dressing: (recipe adopted from @nytcooking)

2 medium garlic cloves
1 small shallot, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon miso paste (I use red miso from @misomaster)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
½ cup vegetable or olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp red peeper flakes (more depending on preference)

Directions:
Add all ingredients to a blender and mix on high until smooth. Yields about one cup. Use about 1/8 cup to make your tofu. Drizzle over salad and store extra dressing in an air-tight container for up to 3 weeks.

For the mushrooms:
Heat about 1 tsp sesame oil in a pan. Add 2-5 baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced and cook until soft and aromatic. add 1 tbsp soy sauce and cook until all the liquid has evaporated.

For the tofu:
Strain 1/2 block of tofu (about 200 grams) well and cut into 1/2 inch size pieces. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tofu on a baking dish and toss with about 1/8 cup dressing. Bake for 15 minutes, flip and return to oven for 15-20 minutes until tofu is golden brown. Allow to cool completely before adding to your salad.