Gourmet Greek Salad with White Wine and Herb Vinaigrette

Gourmet Greek Salad with White Wine and Herb Vinaigrette

This delicious salad gives you a great excuse to use tons of summer's bountiful vegetable crop! This can be used as a main dish or a perfect side salad for a yummy mediterranean meal. It's also quite beautiful with its many colors!

What you'll need for the salad:

• 10 cups mixed organic greens
• 2 cucumbers, sliced into thin rounds
• 2 heirloom tomatoes (regular tomatoes are fine if you can't fine heirloom), cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 orange bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 large red onion, diced
• 3/4 cup mixed fancy olives (like kalamata or nicoise), pitted and sliced

What you'll need for the "feta cheese":

• 1/2 lb. firm tofu
• 1/8 cup water
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. salt
• a pinch dried oregano
• a pinch italian seasoning
• a pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• freshly ground pepper to taste

What you'll need for the dressing:

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp. dijon mustard
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
• freshly ground pepper to taste

What to do:

First, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the tofu and cook for one minute. Drain it immediately and set it aside to cool. While it's cooling, blend all other "feta cheese" ingredients together in a large bowl. When tofu is cool enough to handle, crumble it into the marinade you have created and let it sit for at least an hour (you can make this in advance and let it sit overnight if you'd like).

Then, combine all dressing ingredients in a dressing bottle or other suitable container and shake furiously to combine. Set aside and let the flavors blend while you prepare the salad.

Arrange the salad greens in two (for main dish) or four (for side dish) bowls. Evenly divide all remaining salad ingredients into each of the bowls. Sprinkle a little of the marinated "feta cheese" onto each salad, and top it with your desired amount of dressing. Enjoy!