This tasty salad contains three great sources of plant protein: lentils, tofu and quinoa, making it a hearty and healthy meal, while also containing fresh salad greens, beetroot and carrot to lighten the dish.
While visiting Canberra recently I was fortunate enough to visit Sweet Bone’s Cafe a couple of times. It is a charming vegan cafe, with a lot of personality and appeal – I could have gone back there everyday for a week and probably not got bored. The cafe offers all day breakfasts, light lunches and more hearty lunches including filling salads such as this one, nachos, burngers and much more, not to mention a lot of delicious baked goodies. I often find one thing that I find hard to find on holidays when eating out is enough hearty salad options – tending to eat more cooked foods, so I was very happy to sample their Buddha Bowl – a meal with lots of fresh ingredients, yet that wasn’t a side dish and still had a lot of substance. This salad is my attempt and replicating their “Buddha Bowl” and while not quite the same both versions are delicious!
Protein Rich Salad with Cashew -Tamari Dressing
Ingredients:
For the salad:
1 cup cooked quinoa (this will vary depending what quinoa you use (ie. red, white, mixed) but I suggest 1/3 cup raw with 2/3 cup water will make approx 1 cup cooked).
1 can drained and rinsed brown lentils
¼ cup grated carrot
¼ cup grated beetroot
2 big handfuls baby greens
For the dressing/Marinade
200g tofu
¼ cup water
¼ cup cashews
3 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons soy sauce/tamari (8 tsp)
1. Start cooking the quinoa if not already cooked
2. Prepear the dressing. I grind the cashews up first, dry in the vitamix then add all other ingredients to form a smooth dressing.
3. Chop the tofu into bite size squares and let it marinate in the dressing. For at least 20 minutes. You can also press the tofu before hand for greater absorption.
4. Mix all ingredients together, season with salt and pepper if desired.
Best enjoyed straight away 🙂
Veganlosophy 