Spelt salad with 3 cherry tomatoes and spicy tofu
Welcome to the first episode of the new Light and Tasty season. 😊 Summer is drawing to a close, but our light Monday column remains anchored to summer by dedicating the first issue to summer ingredients. And what could be more summery than a cold first course? 😊
I added a touch of color to the spelt, which is not known for its vibrant color, with a raw dressing of red, black, and yellow cherry tomatoes from my mom’s garden.
The new garden, and especially its new gardener’s green thumb, was the main topic of our summer, 😊 and the whole family enjoyed its fruits as much as possible!
To the three colors of cherry tomatoes, I added the green of chives and fresh oregano from my terrace. Both have done exceptionally well, growing lush despite my decidedly lacking green thumb, and have given me much satisfaction throughout the summer.
At the last moment, when the spelt was already cooked, I decided to turn the initially planned first course into a single dish, and for the protein part, I opted for tofu instead of the usual, albeit always welcomed, cheese. Sure, cheese would have given the dish a more Mediterranean touch, but sometimes it’s good to limit it, and besides, I really like tofu, and I like to put it in salads. Like in this sorghum salad with marinated tofu, remember it? 😋 I really enjoy eating vegan, so I try to prepare vegan dishes as much as possible… family jury permitting. 🤣😄
Well, are you ready? Let’s start with the recipe!
😉 Here are some ideas for other late summer salads:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 3
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
👉 I didn’t weigh the cherry tomatoes. In pasta or grain salads, you can easily go by feel, don’t you agree? 😊
- 5 1/4 oz pearled spelt
- cherry tomatoes (cherry/grape)
- yellow cherry tomatoes
- black cherry tomatoes
- 3 1/2 oz tofu
- spicy paprika
- tajine spice mix (or other spices to taste)
- chives
- oregano
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Tools
- Pot
- Frying Pan
- Salad Bowl
Steps
First, cook the spelt. Boil it in water for about 20 minutes.
👉 For cooking time, I always follow what’s on the package, usually it cooks in 20 minutes but sometimes it may take a few more minutes.
When the spelt is cooked, drain it, place it in a bowl or salad bowl, dress it with a little olive oil, and let it cool.
While the spelt cools, prepare the cherry tomatoes and sauté the tofu.
For the cherry tomatoes:
Wash them and cut them into halves or quarters.
For the tofu:
Rinse the block under running water, cut it into small cubes, sauté it in a pan with a little oil, a dusting of spicy paprika, and, if desired, other spices to taste.
👉 I added a pinch of spices for tajine. It’s a spice mix – directly from Morocco, a lovely gift – typically used for cooking Moroccan tajine. The mix is very varied, the spices that compose it are many (it can contain up to thirty different spices, although it usually contains “only” about ten), the main ones are: ginger, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, cardamom, saffron, black pepper, turmeric, nutmeg, cloves.
The tofu is ready when it’s golden and flavored.
Dress the spelt with the diced tofu,
add the cherry tomatoes, oregano, chives, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Mix and serve. 😋
Salt-Free Tips
The spices in the tofu flavor the entire dish. 😉 For those not yet used to cooking grains without salt, there are two tricks to further flavor this spelt salad cooked in unsalted water and dressed with cherry tomatoes and spiced tofu: 1. let the salad rest for a few hours before serving, so that all the flavors blend together, 2. add a very fine minced garlic just before serving.
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
■ Decrease salt gradually, the palate needs to slowly get used to it and should not notice the progressive reduction.
■ Use spices. Chili pepper, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
■ Use herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
■ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
■ Use spicy vegetables or fruits. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
■ Use my salt-free vegetable granule and gomasio.
■ Prefer fresh foods.
■ Avoid cooking in water, prefer cooking methods that don’t disperse flavors (grill, en papillote, steam, microwave)
■ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
■ Sometimes allow yourself a break from the rules. It’s good for morale and helps to persevere.
If you don’t want to or can’t give up salt:
■ You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.
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On the WhatsApp channel and on Instagram, on the Facebook page, on Pinterest, in my two groups: Catia’s group, in the kitchen and beyond and Just what I was looking for! and if you wish… subscribe to my Newsletter
Light and Tasty:
And here are the recipes with which my colleagues from the Light and Tasty Team are inaugurating the new season of our favorite light column. 😊
Carla Emilia: Chicken, peach, and green bean salad
Claudia: Bruschetta with spreadable cheese and peach
Daniela: Zucchini flatbread
Elena: The Ratatouille
Milena: Zucchini Pesto (Cooked)
Carla Emilia: Chicken, peach, and green bean salad
Claudia: Bruschetta with spreadable cheese and peach
Daniela: Zucchini flatbread
Elena: The Ratatouille
Milena: Zucchini Pesto (Cooked)
