Middle Eastern Chickpea Salad

When this recipe was born, it didn’t have any nationality to start with. I had made it for a picnic and introduced it with the generic name ‘chickpea salad’, which was of course correct but not very resourceful. It didn’t take very long until everyone agreed that this was for sure a Middle Eastern chickpea salad. Thank you, fellow picnickers, because now my salad finally has a region to call home and a proper name on top of that.

The tofu needs at least 4 hours to marinate. Better even overnight!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (450 g) pressed, super firm tofu
• marinade:
  • 5 Tbsp freshly pressed lime juice
  • 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce (I used gluten free)
  • 1 tsp Celtic sea salt
  • 2 tsp sambal oelek
  • 1 Tbsp curry powder
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed
  • 4 dates, finely minced
  • 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 14 oz (400 g) cooked chickpeas
• 2 large stalks celery, finely diced
• 2 red bell peppers, diced
• 2 green onions, finely sliced
• about 4 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced

Preparation:

Pat tofu dry with a kitchen towel and carefully press out as much excess liquid as possible. Cut it into small ¼ – ½” (1 cm) cubes.

In a medium size bowl, thoroughly whisk together all the marinade ingredients. Add cubed tofu and make sure it’s completely covered with marinade.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Combine marinated tofu with remaining ingredients and enjoy!

Notes:

• Perfect salad for a picnic, party, or buffet because it can be made ahead of time.
• Instead of sambal oelek, you can use your favorite hot sauce to taste. If you like it spicier, just add a little more.