I’m pretty sure if I had to eat one type of food for the rest of my life, it would be mediterranean food. I love me some mediterranean food. The bright, fresh ingredients, all the veggies, the spices. It’s the best. Some of our favorites restaurants are some local middle eastern restaurants here in San Antonio. And naturally I look for any possible to way to make these dishes vegan. Like this vegan mediterranean orzo salad.
This take on a mediterranean orzo salad brings together all the fresh ingredients you love in a regular orzo salad but made vegan with my vegan feta cheese… yep that’s feta cheese sans dairy.
The vegan mediterranean orzo salad, while in 3 parts (the salad, dressing, and vegan feta), is still super simple to assemble! Ingredients you will need for the salad itself are:
- orzo salad (preferably whole wheat)
- grape or cherry tomatoes
- bell peppers
- kalamata olives
- garbanzo beans
- fresh parsley
- lemon juice
One great thing about this salad is its versatility. I do love a versatile salad. Having the ability to change it up based on what you’re in mood for that day (or what’s in your fridge!) is so freeing! Here are some additions or substitutions you can make :
- throw in some chopped artichoke hearts
- dice up some red onions
- add diced cucumber
- substitute green olives for kalamata olives
- toss in pine nuts
- substitute cannellini beans for garbanzo beans
- add roasted red peppers
- add other fresh herbs like dill or basil
To get started, you’ll want to make the feta first. The feta is best after it’s been in the fridge for a couple of days. So make it ahead of time and toss it in at the end. This vegan feta doesn’t disappoint. It’s got the salty tang you’re looking for from a regular feta cheese, just without the dairy! Get the feta recipe here.
Oh and don’t forget the dressing! This super tangy dressing made with red wine vinegar can also me adjusted based on your preferences. Change up the herbs, maybe doing dill, thyme, tarragon, or even some za’atar would be a nice change up. Changing the red wine vinegar to lemon juice would add a nice burst of citrus and definitely a different tang to the salad.
A heads up… this salad makes a lot! So make it to feed a crowd or half the recipe to make a family serving.