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- Makes 12 cups
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This impressive vegan Greek salad packs incredible flavors without all the oil and cheese often found in this classic Mediterranean dish. Tender salad greens are tossed with tangy Kalamata olives, crisp red onion, refreshing cucumber, and juicy tomatoes to ensure each forkful is loaded with colorful produce. But the real star of this salad is the homemade tofu feta, which is marinated in a saucy mixture of sun-dried tomatoes, aromatic herbs, and a pinch of spicy red pepper flakes. For extra-flavorful feta, make it a day ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge overnight to absorb the drool-worthy marinade. When you’re ready to eat, top off each bowl with a savory dressing that gets a creamy texture from blended sunflower seeds. This scrumptious salad will quickly become a favorite in your regular recipe rotation!
Recipe from The Plant-Based Cookbook by Ashley Madden, B.Sc.(Pharm), ACPR, CHNC
For more vegan Greek dishes, check out these tasty ideas:
Ingredients
- 12- to 14-oz. package extra-firm tofu
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Pinch crushed red pepper
- ¼ cup unsalted sunflower kernels, soaked in water 2 to 3 hours
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried basil, crushed
- 2 large heads green leaf lettuce or romaine
- 10 Campari tomatoes, sliced or quartered
- ½ of an English cucumber, thinly sliced
- ¾ cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
Instructions
- For Sun-Dried Tomato Feta, drain the tofu, wrap it in a clean dish towel, and lay it on a flat surface. Place a small tray on top, and set two or three cans of beans on tray to weigh it down for 20 minutes. Cut tofu into ¾-inch cubes. Meanwhile, soak sun-dried tomatoes in room-temperature water 10 minutes; drain and finely chop. In a medium bowl stir together nutritional yeast, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, the red wine vinegar, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, the sea salt,and a pinch crushed red pepper. Add tomatoes and tofu; toss to coat. Chill while preparing salad.
- For dressing, drain sunflower kernels; place kernels in a small blender or food processor. Add apple cider vinegar, the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, tamari, onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, the dried basil, and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Add ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water. Cover and blend until smooth, stopping once or twice to scrape down sides of blender. Add water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, to make smooth and pourable.
- In a large salad bowl combine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and red onion. Add the Feta and drizzle with half of the dressing. Toss salad to coat. Serve remaining dressing on the side.
Comments (3)
(5 from 3 votes)What a treat this was! Certainly making this recipe again.
Enjoy this salad a lot. No sure why the tofu needs pressing though, as it is very firm anyway? Would like to know the reason. Also can the dressing be prepared a week in advance and refrigerated?
Helen -- the reasoning behind pressing tofu is to extrude moisture. I'd imagine the dressing can be prepared in advance for a party or something but I bet it tastes better fresh. You can always experiment and let us know!