The recipe for this post is more about making some vegan cheese than the recipe itself. The recipe is awesome. America’s Test Kitchen does a lot of really great recipes. They recently posted a recipe for Egyptian Barley Salad and I knew I could make some adjustments and turn this from a side dish to a full meal. I would also make this gluten and dairy free. The real challenge is the feta cheese. Making a vegan version will be a challenge because I want something to taste like feta, but in a lower sodium version. I love a good challenge and a salad is a great recipe as we wind down from summer.

Here are the original stats:

The vitamin A and C as well as the protein are low, but those things are easily changed.

Here’s what I changed:

• I replaced the barley with sorghum to make it gluten free and preserve the texture of barley.
• I am replacing the feta with a tofu feta cheese to remove the dairy.
• I am replacing the pomegranate seeds with dried figs to keep it in the Egyptian them and because they are out of season.
• I am removing the added salt to reduce the sodium.
• I am adding red bell pepper to increase the vitamin A and C.
• I am adding lentils to increase the protein and keep it vegetarian.

Here are the final stats for the salad:

Here are the stats for the vegan feta:

Here are the final recipes:

Egyptian Salad

Serves 8

• 1/4 cup sorghum
• 1 cup brown lentils
• pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ⅓ cup golden raisins
• ½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• ¼ cup shelled pistachios, toasted and chopped coarse
• 1 recipe vegan feta
• 6 scallions, green parts only, sliced thin
• 4 dried figs, chopped
• 3 red bell peppers, chopped

1. Bring 1 cup water to boil in Dutch oven. Add sorghum, return to boil, and cook until tender, 1 hour. Drain  spread onto rimmed baking sheet, and let cool completely, about 15 minutes.
2. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a separate pot and add the lentils.  Cook for 20 minutes until the lentils are cooked, but still firm.  Let cool to room temperature
3. Whisk oil, molasses, cinnamon, and cumin together in large bowl. Add sorghum, lentils, raisins, figs, cilantro, and pistachios and gently toss to combine. Season pepper to taste. Spread salad evenly on serving platter.

Vegan Feta from Sweet Simple Vegan

Serves 6

• 1 package of extra firm tofu
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons vegan white miso 
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1. Press the tofu for at least 1 hour and cut into small cubes.
2. Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl or a container, add the tofu, mix until uniform. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. It will taste better the longer it sits.