This Mediterranean lentil salad is packed with colourful veggies and topped with a delicious lemon dressing. It contains homemade dairy-free feta made of tofu, making it completely plant-based. It comes together in 35 minutes and is the perfect spring or summer salad!
Prep time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 can lentils, drained and rinsed
- 1 cucumber
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1/2 red onion
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- Small handful (about 10-12) fresh mint leaves
Homemade Dairy-Free Feta
- 1/2 block extra-firm tofu (about 175g)
- 1 tbsp white miso paste
- 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 lemon (about 1-1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice)
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp warm water
Lemon Dressing
- 2 tbsp olive oil (see notes for oil-free)
- 1/2 lemon (about 1-1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice)
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp maple syrup
- Salt to taste
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- 2 containers or jars for feta and dressing
Instructions
- Crumble the 1/2 block of tofu into small pieces.
- In a jar or container, mix together the miso paste, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt and warm water. Once combined, add in the tofu crumbles. Close and give it a good shake until each tofu piece is coated in the marinade. Leave in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour (the longer the better!).
- In another jar or container, prepare the lemon dressing by adding olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, garlic powder, maple syrup and a pinch of salt. Mix well.
- Drain and rinse the lentils.
- Finely dice the cucumber, red pepper and red onion, and roughly chop the fresh cilantro.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the lentils, cucumber, red pepper, red onion, fresh cilantro and mint. Once the tofu feta has marinated for long enough, sprinkle into the salad.
- Add the dressing on top, then mix well and enjoy!
Notes
*For an oil-free version, simply omit olive oil from the dressing and replace with a tbsp of water.