Chili Crisp Cucumber Salad with Tofu Tataki is your new chill menu for hot weather. For real, the inner temperature of a cucumber can be 20º degrees cooler than the outside air. That’s why “cool as a cucumber” is a real thing.
Cucumbers are about 95% water, making them an excellent way to stay hydrated, especially during hot weather. They are a good source of potassium and low in sodium, as well. In the summer, cucumbers are plentiful and, best of all, make for an excellent cooling side dish.
Sliced, seeded, and salted, they are tossed with an umami-packed dressing rich with sesame, soy, and chili crisp. Salting them removes some of the water and increases their density, making them heartier and slightly more “meaty.”
This quick 5-minute read also shares:
- Best Life Living Tip: Protein Calculator 🫘
- Self-Care Strategy: Sensible Snacking, not Mindless Munching 🫐
- Ideas and Inspiration: Safety First! 🦺
Hey! It’s an honor when you click “read more,” and I thank you. I know you are the type of person who wants to use your time and energy to help you create a better life.
If you are new here, as an introduction, I am a French-trained chef and award-winning cookbook author. I’ve worked with Nathalie Dupree, Martha Stewart, Anne Willan, and Bobby Flay; edited The Joy of Cooking; and styled a Super Bowl commercial for Bud Light.
I also lost 65# and in the process realized it really is about health gain and not weight loss. If a post menopausal Southern chef can change her life, then you can, too.
Read on for more — including this fantastic Chili Crisp Cucumber Salad with Air Fryer Tofu Tataki. I know you’re going to love it.
Best Life Living Tip
Tataki typically refers to beef or fish that is quickly seared over high heat, leaving the center very rare. We’re doing it with a block of extra-firm tofu in the air fryer. Served with the salad and an extra dollop of chili crisp, it’s delicious, low in calories, and high in protein.
We’re all inundated with stern directives to EAT MORE PROTEIN!
Protein makes up bones, cartilage, muscle, blood, skin, enzymes, hormones, and vitamins. It is essential to repair and build cells and tissue, such as muscle, which plays an important role in body processes such as blood clotting, fluid balance, and the immune response.
Protein in our diet can come from meat, dairy products, nuts, some vegetables, and certain grains and beans.
For the average adult, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound. To determine your target daily protein intake, you can multiply your weight in pounds by 0.36, or use this online calculator from the USDA.
In general, high-protein diets help with short-term weight loss by making you feel fuller — this is why Britney on Instagram keeps telling you to eat more cottage cheese.
This week’s best life tip is to talk to your doctor or a nutrition specialist about how much protein you should consume — not an uneducated social media influencer — before you embark on a high-protein weight loss plan.
Remember, quick fixes are rarely long-lasting. Enjoy this high-protein tofu with a salad for the best of both worlds. You can do it!
Self-Care Technique
Mindless snacking can be the end of the best laid healthy eating plans. Mindless eating is when you are simply shoving food in your mouth to drown out feelings of discomfort.
You are not eating to feed yourself; you are eating to soothe yourself.
We can all agree mindless eating is not good — but it’s a very real thing. What to do? Instead of mindless munching, try sensible snacking on something good and good for you.
5 Sensible Snacks to Avoid Mindless Eating
- Berries: Blueberries are my car snack, midday munch, and my solution for when I am staring at the filled shelves of an open refrigerator and can’t figure out what it is I want to eat. I can eat a pint without blinking an eye and that’s a hell of a lot better than potato chips.
- Cherry and Grape Tomatoes – halve and dip them in everything bagel seasoning, celery salt, or seasoning salt for a big burst of flavor.
- Hummus + Veggies: Scoop up premeasured creamy hummus with crunchy sliced cucumbers, carrots, grape tomatoes, or sugar snap peas. The fiber + protein combo helps satisfy munchy cravings.
- Apple Slices + Nut Butter: A crisp apple with 1 tablespoon of nut butter satisfies that sweet-salty craving.
- Air-Popped Popcorn: A big bowl of air-popped popcorn or a pre-made “skinny pop” topped with nutritional yeast offers volume and crunch for very few calories.
Want more info on how to slow down or prevent mindless eating altogether? Check out this piece from Healthline.
Ideas and Inspiration
So, this is pretty serious stuff, but I follow @dannah_eve for safety tips.
Now, I get in the car and lock it immediately, shut my garage door at home before I get out of my locked car, and avoid being on my phone when I am walking to the car in a parking lot. It’s not being scared, it’s smart.
In an unpredictable and often frightening world, she offers viewers a sense of agency and encourages followers to trust their intuition and live aware, not in fear.
Dannah Eve’s Top Five Safety Tips
- Lie to survive — “Are you here alone?” NO!
- Don’t leave your garage opener in your car — especially if you park in your driveway. (GUILTY!)
- If you don’t know someone at your door, do not open the door. Period.
- Don’t post in live time where you are on social or if you are on vacation.
- Take 10 seconds to assess your surroundings when you enter – the vibe, the exit, and who’s there with you.
The world can be a scary place, but it’s much more manageable if you know what to look out for—and how you can look out for friends, family, and others as well.
She shares lots of great tips on her feed. Give her a follow and stay safe!
Good and Good for You™Living Spotlight
Yay you! Yay me! Excited to announce you can also find this newsletter over on Substack. It’s still free.
The platform is fantastic, but I’ll be candid. I cannot afford to individually support all the writers I want to support. $5 for Amy here, $8 for Bob there, $7 for Cathy each month adds up.
I may add a paid subscription layer at a later date — but you can guarantee the content in this newsletter, both here and on Substack, will remain free. I’m simply offering up another way for folks to consume information that’s Good and Good for You™. If that’s where you prefer to get your news and info, please subscribe.
Make it Count
Chili crisp has become the hot new thing. Packed with flavor, it’s a great condiment to add flavor and heat. It comes in at about 90 calories a tablespoon. It’s now pretty easy to find at a regular grocery store as well as specialty shops and online. (Check out this Chili Crisp taste-testing post from Allrecipes for more info.)
Thanks so much for reading. Please follow on IG @virginiawillis for more best life tips, self-care strategies, inspiration, and healthy recipes. Want another great cucumber recipe? Check out this NA Cucumber Daiquiri!
As long as you’re doing what’s Good and Good for You™ more often than not, you’re on the right track. 🙌🏻 You can do it!
Bon Appétit Y’all!
Virginia Willis
Chili Crisp Cucumber Salad with Tofu Tataki
Ingredients
- 3 medium English cucumbers cored and cut into ½ moons
- 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons chile crisp more for serving
- 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil divided
- 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
- 1 16- ounce block extra-firm tofu
Instructions
- Place the sliced cucumbers in a colander in the sink. Toss with salt. Set aside in the sink and let drain while you prepare the other ingredients, at least 15 minutes
- In a medium bowl, combine the garlic, cilantro, chili crisp, seasoned rice vinegar, soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon of the toasted sesame oil.
- Rinse the salted cucumbers under cold running water. Shake and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel to remove the excess water. Add cucumbers to the bowl with dressing. Add peanuts. Stir to combine.
- For the tofu: Heat an air fryer to 380F. Line the basket with a piece of parchment paper. Rub the remaining teaspoon of oil on the outside of the tofu. Place the oiled tofu in the basket and cook until crispy and golden brown on the outside, about 15 minutes. Remove and slice into 1/2-inch pieces.
- Serve with the reserved cucumber salad with additional chili crisp on the side.
Nutrition
