June 30, 2008

I Hate "Mock" Anything


That's what Max said when I proposed this recipe for dinner. And I understand. Tofurky is not my style. But I decided to give this Mock Greek Salad a try because it blended macrobiotic and raw diet ideas into one easy meal. Plus I had a head of Napa just sitting in the fridge...and well, Max can make his own dinner.

Mock Greek Salad
modified from the recipe found in The Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics
4-5 cups of mixed greens (cabbage, swiss chard, collard greens, lettuce, etc.)
cucumber, tomato, peppers, etc. (your choice)
1/2 red onion (optional)
1 lb. organic firm tofu
6 Tbl. umeboshi plum vinegar
1 Tbl. tamari
approx. 14 kalamata olives
1-2 Tbl. ground flaxseed

Crumble tofu and mix with 3 Tbl. vinegar. Set aside.

Cut greens, and veggies into thin slices. Place in large, wide bowl. Add remaining 3 Tbl. vinegar and tamari and mix by squeezing with your hands until vegetables start to sweat. Place plate on top of green, and press the salad by stacking heavy items like canned soup on the plate. Press for 20 minutes. Add tofu, olives and flaxseed. (I added onion powder at the end instead of red onions.)

Don't expect feta! That's the big mistake with 'mock' foods. Just expect a cool salad with some yummy olives. That's more like it.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have you ever tried those Tofu Shirataki noodles? I feel the same way about those...they're good, but they're not pasta, so you really can't compare the two!

Lo said...

I have to agree wholeheartedly. We eat plenty of things around our house that other people pass off as "mock-somethingorother"... doesn't work for me.

I'd much rather appreciate a food for what it IS than pretend it's something it's not!

Marisa L. S. said...

Looks yummy, all you need is some grape leaves!!!!

Michelle said...

@jenn - i have had those shirataki noodles but i can't decide if i like them. i think they are inoffensive, at best.

@marisa - that's a good idea, grape leaves. as i've been eating leftovers of this salad i added sprouted wheat berries which is totally not greek but provided some nice texture. plus, i had too many sprouted wheat berries sitting around.

Beatrice said...

Do you think it would work to marinate the tofu first? (It might make it less "greek" but substituting tofu for feta isn't really greek anyway...)

Michelle said...

@Beatrice - sure! why not? it would also be nice to bake the tofu if you have time. i like the texture it gets that way, just bake around 350 until it turns golden.