Fennel Tofu Chickpea Salad

The secret ingredient is cantaloupe and it's giving all the summer feels!

Summer is here. It may be a little over a month early but it’s definitely here. With summer comes lighter fare. I have dived back into smoothies for breakfast and hearty salads for dinner. My goal this summer is to spend less time cooking and more time enjoying, who’s with me on that?

I love a good salad. A good salad to me covers all the bases, protein, fat, crunch, and colour. Basically, it can’t be boring and has to satiate so we aren’t starving an hour later. A big beautiful salad should make you feel like you’ve had a complete meal without making you feel too full. My kinda meal, especially in the summer.

I normally don’t create recipes for salads as I usually just throw whatever I have leftover in the fridge in a bowl, but I promise that is going to change. Salads are life and I’m going to be living on them all summer. Let’s dig into this one shall we??

Not sure WHY, but I had a hankering for cantaloupe this week. Perhaps it was the summer weather or maybe I’d seen it peppered throughout my social but whatever the case it got me thinking about how to incorporate it into a salad. Cantaloupe is sweet without being overpowering. A perfect accompaniment to a summer salad.

Fennel Tofu Chickpea Salad

Teri-Ann Carty

A summery salad that everyone can enjoy!

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40

Course Appetizer & Starters, Main Course, Side Dish

Servings 2

Equipment

oven

Ingredients

SALAD INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp olive oil
½ block tofu, patted dry
Pinch sea salt and cracked pepper
4 cups baby arugula
1 cup fennel (thinly sliced)
2 small heirloom tomatoes (quartered)
2 cups cantaloupe balls or cubes
10-12 snap peas (trimmed)
1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
½ block tofu (roasted)
½ avocado (sliced)
1 cup raw almonds (roasted and roughly chopped)
1 tbsp apple cider vinaigrette
maldon sea salt, cracked pepper
pinch of chilli flakes

VINAIGRETTE INGREDIENTS

1 clove garlic (minced)
1 tsp Dijon mustard (heaping)
1 tsp maple syrup
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3-4 tbsp olive oil
pinch sea salt and cracked pepper

Instructions

SALAD INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400. Cut dry tofu into cubes, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread evenly on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, turn and bake for 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Roast chickpeas at the same time as tofu. Place half of the chickpeas in a small bowl. Drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil and season with a big pinch of sea salt. Bake for 20 minutes, shake the pan and bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Reduce heat to 320. Scatter almonds on a baking sheet and toast for 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on them! Allow to cool before chopping.
Scatter arugula onto a serving platter. Layer remaining ingredients. Season with Maldon salt, cracked pepper and chilli flakes.

VINAIGRETTE INSTRUCTIONS

Place everything in a small jar, secure with a lid and shake vigorously to emulsify.

Keyword baked, dairy free, gluten free, plant based, salad, vegan

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