My Big Fat GREEK SALAD



Blogger's Rendering of Greek Salad 

 Breaking News: There are no original ideas so stop trying to have them.  Well maybe there's one original thought per idea.  Just when I was thinking how clever I was to come up with the perfect post theme,  I did a search and found that several someones had already beat me to it.  So now I know I'm going to have thoughts/ideas that although not original they still really work.  Like here for example, where I'm going to tell you about my little twist on a classic Greek salad.

My culinary creativity is based on, but not limited to, these concepts:

1.  Recreate recipes at home that I enjoy at restaurants.
2.  Vegetarianize recipes that aren't already vegetarian.
3.  Veganize recipes if possible.
4.  Use what's in the fridge, freezer, or pantry before shopping for more food.
5.  Don't let a recipe define your food - just let it be your guide.




Tomato Pie at Tomato Pie


The other day mommy and me went to a place in Torrance called Tomato Pie because we both love pizza.  (Sorry for those of you who are hoping for a pizza recipe, but this post is about Greek salad.)  As you can see from the picture, the pizza was perfection.  But the great extra bonus was the delicious Greek salad that we had first, definitely big and fat and filled with the usual GS ingredients plus a few artichoke hearts and yellow bell peppers for extra deliciousness. 



Greek Salad at Tomato Pie






Because I like to recreate recipes at home that I enjoy in restaurants and because I also like to veganize recipes if possible and because there's no way you can have a Greek salad without feta cheese or a really good facsimile, I went about making my version of a classic Greek salad with "feta' and here it is now:



My Big Fat Greek Salad (veganized)
feta:                                                                    salad:
1/2 pkg. extra firm tofu, cut into small cubes        4 cups mixed greens
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil                                 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced thickly
1 Tbsp. liquid from Kalamata olives                     1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp. dried oregano                                          2 baby cucumbers, cubed
s & p                                                                   Kalamata olives (as many as you like)
1 tsp. minced garlic
dressing: 


My Big Fat Greek Salad with tofu "feta"

 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil                                  
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
pinch of dried oregano

Put the tofu cubes in a container, add the oil, olive liquid, oregano, s & p, and minced garlic, and toss to combine.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours, but overnight or longer is even better.

Put all the salad ingredients in a bowl.  Add the "feta" with the marinade.  Whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad.  Toss again and enjoy.  Oopa!



Blogger's Rendering of Greek Salad 

 Breaking News: There are no original ideas so stop trying to have them.  Well maybe there's one original thought per idea.  Just when I was thinking how clever I was to come up with the perfect post theme,  I did a search and found that several someones had already beat me to it.  So now I know I'm going to have thoughts/ideas that although not original they still really work.  Like here for example, where I'm going to tell you about my little twist on a classic Greek salad.

My culinary creativity is based on, but not limited to, these concepts:

1.  Recreate recipes at home that I enjoy at restaurants.
2.  Vegetarianize recipes that aren't already vegetarian.
3.  Veganize recipes if possible.
4.  Use what's in the fridge, freezer, or pantry before shopping for more food.
5.  Don't let a recipe define your food - just let it be your guide.




Tomato Pie at Tomato Pie


The other day mommy and me went to a place in Torrance called Tomato Pie because we both love pizza.  (Sorry for those of you who are hoping for a pizza recipe, but this post is about Greek salad.)  As you can see from the picture, the pizza was perfection.  But the great extra bonus was the delicious Greek salad that we had first, definitely big and fat and filled with the usual GS ingredients plus a few artichoke hearts and yellow bell peppers for extra deliciousness. 



Greek Salad at Tomato Pie






Because I like to recreate recipes at home that I enjoy in restaurants and because I also like to veganize recipes if possible and because there's no way you can have a Greek salad without feta cheese or a really good facsimile, I went about making my version of a classic Greek salad with "feta' and here it is now:



My Big Fat Greek Salad (veganized)
feta:                                                                    salad:
1/2 pkg. extra firm tofu, cut into small cubes        4 cups mixed greens
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil                                 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced thickly
1 Tbsp. liquid from Kalamata olives                     1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp. dried oregano                                          2 baby cucumbers, cubed
s & p                                                                   Kalamata olives (as many as you like)
1 tsp. minced garlic
dressing: 


My Big Fat Greek Salad with tofu "feta"

 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil                                  
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
pinch of dried oregano

Put the tofu cubes in a container, add the oil, olive liquid, oregano, s & p, and minced garlic, and toss to combine.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours, but overnight or longer is even better.

Put all the salad ingredients in a bowl.  Add the "feta" with the marinade.  Whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad.  Toss again and enjoy.  Oopa!