Chopped Miso Salad

(recipe from 101cookbooks.com)

1 1/2 cups shallots, skinned and thinly sliced
splash of olive oil
pinch of salt

2 Tbsp. miso
1/2 tsp. powdered mustard (or a bit of whatever mustard you have around)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar (or honey or agave)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp. sesame oil (optional)

1/2 of a medium-large cabbage
1 cup silvered almonds, toasted
1/2 medium red onion, sliced
3/4 cup chives, minced
8 oz. extra-firm tofu, or baked tofu, room temperature (tofu cooked in a skillet for a few minutes to take on some color is great)

Stir together the shallots, splash of olive oil, and big pinch of salt in a large skillet over medium heat.  Stir every few minutes, you want the shallots to slowly brown over about 15 minutes.  Let them get dark, dark brown (but not burn).  If needed, turn down the heat.  Remove them from the skillet and onto a paper towel to cool in a single layer.  They should crisp up a bit.

Make the dressing by whisking the miso, mustard, and brown sugar together.  Now whisk in the rice vinegar and keep whisking until it's smooth.  Gradually whisk in the olive oil, and then the sesame oil.  Add two pinches of fine grain salt.  Taste and make any adjustments if needed.

Cut the cabbage into two quarters and cut out the core.  Using a knife, shred each quarter into whisper thin slices.  They key here is bite-sized and thin.  If any pieces look like they might be awkwardly long, cut those in half.

Gently toss the cabbage, shallots, almonds, red onion, chives and tofu in a large bowl.  Add a generous drizzle of the miso dressing and toss again - until the dressing is evenly distributed.  Add more dressing a bit at a time, until the salad is dressed to your liking.