Beat the Heat: Mediterranean Crunch Salad

A few weeks ago The Detroit Free Press had an article about how you can make delicious and flavorful "pasta-less" summer salads.  The following one caught my eye because of it's fresh ingredients and for the simplicity of the salad.  I happened to have almost all of the ingredients one day last week so after a quick trip to the store for broccoli and thyme, I was ready to go.  

In the article I noticed that this recipe is actually from Whole Foods so you can find their original recipe here.  (It's one of their "Health Starts Here" recipes.)  I'm going to go ahead and post it anyway because I've made a few slight variations.  Hopefully Whole Foods won't mind.

 

Mediterranean Crunch Salad

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained 
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 cup small broccoli florets
1 cup Roma tomatoes, sliced
1 cup finely sliced kale, tough stems removed
10 Kalamata olives, cut in half
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

Fresh roasted beets, sliced (may sub canned but fresh are best)

Crumbled tofu “feta" (plus a few tbsp marinade, if desired)
Fresh ground pepper

Directions:

In a large bowl combine all ingredients through the thyme.  Cover and chill at least 1 hour before serving.  Before serving, top with roasted beet slices and tofu feta.  Sprinkle with a generous portion of black pepper and drizzle with a few tbsp of the tofu marinade.  Serve immediately.

Makes 2 large or 4 small servings.