Greek Farmers’ Salad

When I made my first batch of marinated tofu feta, I had this salad in mind to top it with. I used to make Greek farmers’ salad all the time many years ago, but when I switched to a vegan diet the feta was gone, and so was the salad. I’m so happy that my “feta” is back, in a much better version, and with it this dearly missed salad. You can, of course, make it without tofu feta but, boy, you’ll miss out!

You will need:

• Marinated Tofu Feta (optional, but highly recommended!). This needs to be prepared 3 days ahead of time.

Ingredients:

For the salad:

• 1 small sweet or red onion, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced
• 1 medium-size Romaine lettuce, chopped into bite size pieces (mine weighed 11 oz/325 g)
• 1 small cucumber, peeled (optional) and sliced (mine weighed 7 oz/200 g)
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, quartered, seeded, and sliced
• 2 ripe tomatoes, diced (or several cherry tomatoes, halved)Marinated Tofu Feta
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, drained (or mixed olives, whatever your preference)
• 1 cup or more marinated tofu feta (optional)

For the dressing:

• 4 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• 1/2 tsp maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano (if you have fresh oregano, use more)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Wash and cut the fresh salad ingredients.

In a small bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients until emulsified.

If you prefer your onion milder, place the slices into the dressing for about 10 minutes. If you prefer the onion slices crisp and don’t care for the mild, omit this step.

Place all the salad ingredients, except for the tofu feta, into a large serving bowl. Add dressing and toss until well coated. Top with tofu feta, and maybe even spoon some of the marinade over the salad. Enjoy!

Notes:

• As I mentioned before, it’s really worth marinating the tofu beforehand.
• It should serve 4 people as a side salad or starter.