Recipe: Spinach and Tofu Salad with Japanese Sesame Miso Dressing

(Click the above to view 5 pictures. Best viewed with Internet Explorer 7.) My cheekbones have gone missing. I have been looking for them in the mirror--during day time under natural sun light; indoor under soft tungsten light; in the office with bright fluorescent light--but they are nowhere to be found. They have indeed gone missing. What I see in the mirror--and most evidently from my travel pictures--are fats, or fat cells, as my gym instructor on Norwegian Cruise Line would refer to. These fat cells have overtaken my face and swallowed up my cheekbones. They have claimed their green card and permanent residency on my ever bulging and protruding stomach and waistline. That's not all; they have also crawled into the contour of my face, staked their claims on my thighs, my arms, my butt, even my toes! They are pervasively and invasively everywhere... Those are the sad consequences of what would have been a perfect cruise vacation. When I mentioned I packed on pounds in my previous post about binge eating during my trip, I wasn't half joking. I have indeed put on weight. I have become "bulat" in Malaysian language, meaning r-O-O-O-O-O-u-n-d. As a remedy, I have to start starving myself eating healthy to shed those unwanted cells; I resort to vegetables, fat cells' worst enemy. Eating healthy doesn't mean that one has to swallow tasteless and unappetizing food. (Check out VeganYumYum who whips up droolsome vegan foods; she is also the real QUEEN of food porn in my sincere opinion.) I started off my healthy eating diet today with a bowl of this pleasing, fresh, and delicious spinach and tofu salad with sesame miso dressing--a wonderful salad served at my favorite Japanese joint. I felt great after eating this spinach and tofu salad. Listen fat cells, I am fighting back, and now get off my cheekbones please!!! :::::::::::::::::::::: Looking for more Japanese recipes? Check out the following on Rasa Malaysia 1. Miso Soup with Clams (Asari Miso Soup) 2. Bacon-wrapped Cherry Tomatoes 3. Panko-crusted Soft Shell Crab with Ginger Ponzu Sauce :::::::::::::::::::::: Recipe: Spinach and Tofu Salad with Sesame Miso Dressing Ingredients: 1 pack organic baby spinach (I got mine at Costco) 1 pinch sesame seeds (for garnishing) 1/2 block tofu (cut into small cubes) Low Fat Japanese Sesame Miso Dressing: 1 tablespoon white miso 1 tablespoon ponzu sauce 1/2 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (ground with mortar and pestle) 1/4 cup water Method: Mix the sesame miso dressing ingredients until well blended. (You can heat up the dressing in a small sauce pan and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before use.) Wash the baby spinach and drain excess water. In a salad bowl, toss the baby spinach with tofu and sesame miso dressing. Dish out and serve cold.