Looking for something quick and easy to make this summer without heating up your kitchen? Then you have got to try my Vegan Greek Salad. It's super-tasty, super-healthy, and completely oil-free.
Kudos to Chef John of Food Wishes for the inspiration to this week's recipe. Everything on his channel always looks so tasty and delicious (even though it's usually not Vegan).
So as I was watching him make this incredible Greek Salad, I knew he was going to add olive oil to his dressing. And as most of you probably know... I am completely oil-free, thanks to the teachings of Dr. John McDougall and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn.
So I was thinking - how can I make this oil free?
And then I remembered Dion
How can I make this oil free?!
And then I thought, why not just add some chickpeas to the salad, and drain off the liquid (they call it
The wheels were turning and I knew I was going to have to try this. And this - is the result.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Vegan Greek Salad with Oil-Free Dressing and Tofu Feta
There are 3 parts to this recipe, and not one of them involves a stove 🙂
- First, we'll make the Tofu Feta, to give those flavors time to meld
- Then we'll make the Oil-Free Greek Dressing
- And finally, we'll throw together the salad.
Tofu Feta
So first of all - know that this step is completely optional. Not a Tofu fan? Allergic to Soy? Trying to cut back on the fat? No problem - just leave this out.
But if you DO want to try it, drain and press a 12oz block of extra-firm Organic Tofu. We want to remove as much moisture as possible. To press, I usually use 2 cutting boards and lots of paper towels, but there's also a device called a Tofu Press that I have included below.
Here's my affiliate link if you want to check that out, and yes I do make a small comission, but at no extra cost to you.
Once pressed, we simply want to crumble it up so it resembles Feta Cheese. Not too big, not too small, somewhere in between. I used a shallow glass dish to hold all the pieces.
Now we just mix all the remaining Feta Ingredients I have listed in the Recipe Box below, and pour over the top. Mix well so every little bit is coated, cover it, and refrigerate it for now.
Be sure and give it a stir every now and then while we make the dressing and salad.
No Oil Greek Dressing
Now we make the dressing.
Drain a 15oz can of Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans) and save the liquid. We'll need about ¼ cup of this magic bean juice. You can freeze the rest for later use or discard - up to you. Save the beans in a separate container and we'll add those to our salad here in a bit.
Mix your
Note: I added about 1 Tablespoon of chopped Kalamata Olives to give it a little briny flavor. Again - if you are watching your fat intake and want to leave these out - no problem.
Greek Salad
And finally the salad. I used (2) English Cucumbers, a Red Bell Pepper, about ½ of a small Red Onion that I sliced thinly, a pint of Cherry or Grape Tomatoes that I washed and sliced in half, and a handful of fresh Spinach.
I also used about ¼ cup of sliced Kalamata Olives and the Chickpeas we saved earlier.
Tip: To draw out the moisture from the Cucumbers, chop them into equal, bite-sized pieces and then sprinkle several teaspoons of Kosher Salt over the top and mix. If you place the cucumbers into a colander, the salt will begin to draw out the water from the cucumbers, making them a little crunchier in texture. Simply rinse and dry well before adding them to the salad bowl. If you're worried about the salt - skip this step.
With the salad in the bowl, you can now add the dressing and toss to coat. Add as little or as much Feta as you like and garnish with your choice of Parsley or Basil.
I honestly couldn't remember what Dion's Greek Dressing actually tasted like, I just knew I liked it (especially on their sandwiches - back when I ate just about anything). But regardless, I thought this dressing was really good and my wife absolutely LOVED it.
So for all you Dion's fans out there, tell me how I did. Was I close? Not even? Leave me a comment. Let me know.
And that is it for this week's recipe. Simple, quick, healthy, and very tasty. Hope you like it and I hope you enjoy your weekend.
Stay cool, stay dry, stay happy, and above all else - stay kind 🙂
And as always, we'll see you back here next week!
Vegan Greek Salad with Oil-Free Dressing and Tofu Feta
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 -6 Servings 1x
- Category: Salad, Salad Dressing
- Cuisine: Greek, American, Vegan
Description
Looking for something quick and easy without heating up your kitchen? Then try my Vegan Greek Salad. It's super-tasty and completely oil-free.
Ingredients
Tofu Feta (optional)
- 12oz extra-firm Tofu
- ¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 2 Tbs Lemon Juice
- 1 Tbs White Miso
- 2 Tbs Nutritional Yeast
- 1 tsp Oregano
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Salt
No Oil Greek Dressing
- ⅓ cup Red Wine Vinegar
- ¼ cup Aquafaba (garbanzo bean juice)
- ½ tsp Dijon Mustard
- ¾ tsp dried Basil
- ¾ tsp dried Oregano
- ¾ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Onion Powder
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Pepper
- 1 Tbs chopped Kalamata Olives (optional)
Greek Salad
- 2 English Cucumbers, chopped
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
- 1 pint Cherry Tomatoes, sliced
- ½ small Red Onion, thinly sliced
- 15oz can drained Chickpeas
- Handful fresh Spinach
- ¼ cup Kalamata Olives, sliced (optional)
Instructions
- Drain and press Tofu and crumble into bite-sized pieces.
- Mix remaining Feta Ingredients and pour over the crumbled tofu in a shallow bowl. Mix, cover, and refrigerate until needed.
- Drain the juice from a can of Garbanzo Beans and save (we'll need ¼ cup for the dressing). Save the beans too and we'll add those to the salad.
- Mix all Dressing Ingredients together. Whisk or shake until thoroughly mixed and set aside.
- Chop cucumbers and bell pepper into bite-sized pieces and place in a large salad bowl. Thinly slice the onion, and cut the cherry tomatoes in half and mix into the salad. Add the chickpeas, spinach, and the dressing and toss to coat.
- Add as little or as much feta as desired and garnish with sliced Kalamata Olives, fresh Basil and/or Parsely.
Sherry
Loved this dressing! I used hummus in place of Aquafaba it worked really well. Since I’m new to this I found the vinegar hard on the stomache, what can I use to dial down the vinegar? Please and thank you 😊
Ken
I made this salad for my lunches this week. I am really enjoying it. You've come up with a really good vegan version of a classic salad.
Ginger
Yum! TYSM for this oil free recipe. Game changer. Sure, it's creamier with olive oil but it's still pretty darn great! I also very much enjoyed the tofu feta. Absolutely delicious. This will be in rotation!
Emily
The dressing is so good! I make it all the time, but have exclusively used it for salads in the past. Tonight I needed to use up some cucumbers and tomatoes, so I cooked some couscous and tossed with the dressing and Kalamata olives. Artichokes, red onion, and chickpeas would be great additions, but didn’t have any on hand.
Elsie DeJesus
Interested in trying the aquafaba for olive oil jack in dressing. Does it seem to work for all types of dressing that call for olive oil? Is it an even swap in quantity?
Amy
You nailed this! Taste and texture are perfect! Magical!
Esther
I can’t wait to try this. Replacing the oil with aquafava is a game changer. Thank you!!
Carol Murphy
Thanks you so much for this awesome recipe!!
Dina
I haven’t tasted yet, but just reading the ingredients to the whole recipe makes my mouth water! Knocks In The Kitchen mentioned the feta tofu recipe but I’m going to try everything in this recipe. Thank you!
Phyl Cable
Made this with pepperoncini and sliced beets, it was delicious. Your feta cheese is the best recipe I have tried yet. I love the chopped olives in the dressing.
Dena
WE Loved this salad! My whole family liked it! Thanks for giving us a great way to eat our veggies & love it!
Linda W
The last Greek Salad I had was much like this but also had big chunks of potatoes in. it.
Louise
Amazing Tofu Feta. Thanks
Kimberly
How long will the dressing last in the fridge?
JessicaM
I made just the dressing to put on a Greek quinoa salad I whipped up. The dressing looked like mud! But it was so dang delicious! Thank you. I would never have thought of the aquafaba.
Ashley
Thanks so much for this. I just got back from Greece and wanted to make the tomato/cucumber/bell pepper salad they serve there, but without the oil. Your aquafaba dressing was the perfect solution. Since I wanted something closer to what my Greek friends in Attica make, I ended up substituting capers for the olives in the dressing, adding a lot more oregano, and leaving out the salad leaves, mustard, and vinegar. It was delicious. Thanks, as always, for all the wonderful ideas!
Debbie McCarthy
DELICIOUS!!! I didn’t think there was a way of pulling off the “feta cheese”. It’s perfect! The dressing is as good or better than any dressing I’ve had in my life. The combination of veggies and chick peas is just right. I chose to add the kalamata olives to my dressing and salad. If you can deal with the salt and fat, go for it!!!
Peace Feline
Oh Chuck ❤
Mary Minton
Thank you SOOOOO much for posting this recipe. I'm new to WFPB eating (week 8) and have been craving Greek Salad. Could find NO dressings without feta and oil. Can not wait to dig in (and have my first attempt at tofu).
Holly
Excited to try this. What kind of peppers in the dressing?
Luci Ryan
I purchased a tofu press years ago and love it. It literally removed 95% of the water and is a great help bc it happens somewhat quickly.
Serenity
Wow, Chuck! I remember when you were a brand-new vegan on the McDougall boards. After 15 or 20 years, I seriously strayed for the last several. Working my way back to the fold and noticed a lot of references to your site/channel. I am seriously impressed. I can see I will be trying out a lot of your recipes. Thanks so much.
Chuck Underwood
Nice to see you again! Yeah, I started out there and kind of built up my own little following. Funny how life works sometimes isn't it? Glad you found your way back!
Jwiltz
This was excellent. Every component was easy to put together. Not to mention, it tasted delicious and it was a very satisfying meal!
Kevin Carr
Thanks for another lovely recipe.
How long do you think the Feta would keep in the fridge.Like ti have some on hand most of the time for pizza etc. Cheers.
Chuck Underwood
Probably not very long, being Tofu and all. Maybe a few days. I keep it in a separate bowl and add it to my salad when I serve it.
Ellen
Yum! This sounds amazing. The only thing I would do differently is add pepperoncinis.
Linda Myler
I love the dressing with the chopped olives! Very nice salad for a pot luck!