We had a fabulous July 4th holiday feast with great friends and family. Our friends made these incredible grilled vegetable sandwiches and an outstanding gazpacho! (recipe soon to come, for sure).
Cold quinoa and/or rice salads tend to be ideal for outdoor get togethers, plus, being vegan AND gluten-free, makes it so everyone can enjoy. Granted, there was a lot of prep work for this salad, but you can save yourself some time by making certain things ahead of time. I love the different flavors in this salad, as well as the crunch from the nuts. I made quite a big batch, so feel free to halve the recipe for a smaller crowd.
INGREDIENTS:
Salad:
2 C wild rice mix (cooked in 2-1/4 C vegetable broth)
1 C quinoa (cooked in 1-1/4 C vegetable broth)
1-1/2 C dried apricots, diced
1-1/2 C toasted nuts, chopped (I used walnuts and pecans, but I think pepitas and almond slivers would be great too)
1 C fresh parsley, chopped
Tempeh + marinade:
8-oz pkg. tempeh, cut into small cubes
1/4 C tamari
1 Tbs vegan Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
Tofu “feta”: (adapted)
1 14-oz pkg extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1/4 C cashews
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp yellow or mellow miso
2 Tbs reserved marinade (below)
Marinade:
3 Tbs lemon juice
5 Tbs white wine vinegar
1-1/2 Tbs yellow or mellow miso
1 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
Dressing:
1/2 C lime juice
4 Tbs red wine vinegar
4 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
DIRECTIONS:
I recommend making the feta and marinating the tempeh ahead of time, even a day or two ahead if you can. I didn’t, and I think the salad still turned out great, but it’ll bring out the flavors even more. We’ll start with the feta.
Slice the tofu into 1/2″ slabs and place into a large dish. Whisk together the feta marinade and coat the tofu thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for several hours, or preferably over a night or two. Next, blend the cashews, olive oil, miso, and reserved marinade. I used my blender, but I couldn’t get a smooth consistency, so I transferred the mixture to a mortar and pestle, to mash it up even more.
Crumble up the tofu with your fingers, then add the cashew mixture; combine well. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container.
To make the tempeh, combine all of the marinade ingredients in a medium zip bag and add the tempeh. Let it marinade for several hours to overnight.
When ready, heat a tiny bit of olive oil to a small skillet and add the tempeh. Saute over medium heat until the tempeh has crispy edges.
Meanwhile, cook the rice and quinoa (separately) according to package instructions. I tend to use veggie broth for added flavor. I also used what quinoa I had: some red, some regular.
Combine the two in a large bowl and refrigerate until cooled. (Be sure to place a hot pad or trivet underneath the bowl when placing directly onto a cold, glass refrigerator shelf.) Once cooled, fold in all of the ingredients: nuts, feta, parsley, tempeh, and apricots. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad; fold gently to incorporate everything. Enjoy!
- Salad:
- 2 C wild rice mix (cooked in 2-1/4 C vegetable broth)
- 1 C quinoa (cooked in 1-1/4 C vegetable broth)
- 1-1/2 C dried apricots, diced
- 1-1/2 C toasted nuts, chopped (I used walnuts and pecans, but I think pepitas and almond slivers would be great too)
- 1 C fresh parsley, chopped
- Tempeh + marinade:
- 8-oz pkg. tempeh, cut into small cubes
- ¼ C tamari
- 1 Tbs vegan Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Tofu "feta": (adapted)
- 1 14-oz pkg extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
- ¼ C cashews
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp yellow or mellow miso
- 2 Tbs reserved marinade (below)
- Marinade:
- 3 Tbs lemon juice
- 5 Tbs white wine vinegar
- 1-1/2 Tbs yellow or mellow miso
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Dressing:
- ½ C lime juice
- 4 Tbs red wine vinegar
- 4 Tbs olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- I recommend making the feta and marinating the tempeh ahead of time, even a day or two ahead if you can. I didn't, and I think the salad still turned out great, but it'll bring out the flavors even more. We'll start with the feta.
- Slice the tofu into ½" slabs and place into a large dish. Whisk together the feta marinade and coat the tofu thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for several hours, or preferably over a night or two. Next, blend the cashews, olive oil, miso, and reserved marinade. I used my blender, but I couldn't get a smooth consistency, so I transferred the mixture to a mortar and pestle, to mash it up even more.
- Crumble up the tofu with your fingers, then add the cashew mixture; combine well. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container.
- To make the tempeh, combine all of the marinade ingredients in a medium zip bag and add the tempeh. Let it marinade for several hours to overnight.
- When ready, heat a tiny bit of olive oil to a small skillet and add the tempeh. Saute over medium heat until the tempeh has crispy edges.
- Meanwhile, cook the rice and quinoa (separately) according to package instructions. I tend to use veggie broth for added flavor. I also used what quinoa I had: some red, some regular.
- Combine the two in a large bowl and refrigerate until cooled. (Be sure to place a hot pad or trivet underneath the bowl when placing directly onto a cold, glass refrigerator shelf.) Once cooled, fold in all of the ingredients: nuts, feta, parsley, tempeh, and apricots. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad; fold gently to incorporate everything. Enjoy!
This was outstanding. I mean, out of this world fantastic. I don’t rave about recopies often, but this one is pure genius. Thank you for creating and sharing it. There are many steps, for sure, but with some planning, it’s not a big deal and comes together with ease.
The flavors and textures are like little surprises that keep on delighting while eating.
This also makes a LOT of salad, which is a good thing.
A gold star winner.