Paul McCartney’s Super Vegetable Salad

This is a fantastic salad that can accompany whatever you fancy — here it’s served with tofu, but you could just as easily serve it with veggie burger or vegetarian sausages, as well as chips and new or mashed potatoes. You can also vary the steamed vegetables according to what’s in season.

This recipe comes to us from Sir Paul McCartney and our friends at Meat Free Monday. It’s featured in The Meat Free Monday Cookbook. Foreword by Paul, Stella and Mary McCartney. Published by Kyle Books. Photography by Tara Fisher.

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Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 28 cherry tomatoes
• 1 head of broccoli
• 12 green beans, cut into 2cm lengths
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into 2cm pieces
• 1 head of lettuce — I like Romaine
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• 100g polenta
• a handful of chopped herbs of your choice
• 250g tofu, cut into slices
• olive oil for frying

• FOR THE DRESSING
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup (if you like a bit of sweetness)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and roast the cherry tomatoes for 10 minutes.

Cover the bottom of a pan with cold water and place a steamer above it. Put the broccoli, green beans and carrots in the steamer, turn the heat on quite high and steam for about 15 minutes, occasionally prodding the carrots with a fork to see if they are done. Some people like them slightly crunchy, others prefer them a little softer.

While the vegetables are steaming, make a salad with the leaves and spring onions.

Combine the polenta and herbs in a bowl. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan. Dip the tofu in the polenta mixture, then fry until golden.

Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing, but only pour over at the last minute.

Assemble your meal by first putting the salad on the plate, then the warm vegetables and finally the tofu. Pour over the dressing then add a little seasoning sauce such as Braggs or a sauce of your choice.