Chickpea Greek Salad with Tofu Feta

This is a recipe that has summer on its mind. If you have some cooked chickpeas in the fridge or a can in the pantry for emergencies, you don’t have to cook anything!

GLUTEN-FREE, OIL-FREE

TOTAL PREP TIME: 20 minutes

YIELD: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE TOFU FETA

• 1 package (15.5 ounces, or 439 g) tofu, pressed, cut into small cubes
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon juice
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano

FOR THE SIMPLE YOGURT DRESSING

• 1 cup (230 g) unsweetened vegan yogurt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• Salt and pepper, to taste

FOR THE SALAD

• 1 1/2 cups (246 g) cooked chickpeas or 1 can (15 ounces, or 425 g), rinsed and drained
• 1 large head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 3 small tomatoes, chopped
• 1 large cucumber, chopped (peeled if waxed)
• 1/2 bell pepper, cored, and chopped
• 1/2 cup (80 g) chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup (85 g) pitted kalamata olives
• Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 to 2 tablespoons (4 to 8 g) minced fresh oregano (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a container with a tightly sealing lid, combine the tofu cubes, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and oregano. Shake the container to ensure the marinade coats all the tofu cubes. You can also turn the tofu cubes over a few times in the container to distribute the marinade evenly. Allow the tofu to marinate in the fridge, preferably overnight or for a few hours.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the unsweetened vegan yogurt, minced garlic, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper to make the simple yogurt dressing. Set aside. This dressing can be made in advance and stored in the fridge.
3. In a large salad bowl, combine the cooked chickpeas, chopped romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, chopped red onion, pitted kalamata olives, chopped parsley, and minced fresh oregano (if using). Gently mix the ingredients together.
4. Add the prepared yogurt dressing to the salad and toss well to coat all the veggies evenly.
5. Crumble the marinated tofu feta over the top of the salad. You can also garnish with extra olives or sprigs of parsley.
6. Serve the salad immediately and enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:

PER SERVING

• 405.7 calories; 16.3 g total fat; 0.2 g saturated fat; 19.9 g protein; 44.4 g carbohydrate; 9.1 g dietary fiber; 0 mg cholesterol.