I've had my eye on this salad for a while, but I keep not quite getting around to making it. But I finally had all the ingredients and a bit of momentum, so I managed to get it put together.

I've been trying to do the Weight Watchers thing and count my calories and tally up Points and just generally be a little more mindful of what and how much I'm eating. So, with that in mind, I made a few adjustments and substitutions while making this to try to reduce its Points cost. And while it did help a bit, having now sat down and done the math, it didn't make that much of a difference in the end. The original version would've been around 4 Points per serving and my "lighter" version came out to around 3 Points per serving. So better, but not that much better. I think next time I'd just make it with the full amount of oil and cheese. (Although I'll probably keep the tofu instead of the bacon because I quite like it!)

Napa Cabbage Salad

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2020

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. bacon grease
• 1/2 package smoked tofu, sliced
• 1/2-3/4 c. crumbled blue cheese
• 2-4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 680g napa cabbage, cut into 3-4cm pieces
• 225g cherry (or grape) tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise then sliced crosswise
• 1 small red onion, quartered and sliced thin
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Melt the bacon grease over medium heat and fry the tofu in it until crispy on both sides.
2. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, combine the cheese, oil, lemon juice, pepper, and salt and whisk until mostly smooth.
4. Once tofu is cool, chop it into bite-sized pieces.
5. Add cabbage, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, basil, and tofu to dressing and toss to combine.