Orzo Greek Salad with Vegan Feta

From the day I started this new journey to healthy, cruelty-free living, I have been trying to do a better job of adding fresh, raw vegetables to my diet. Before I turned vegan I always made sure I had plenty of vegetables to go along with my meat and dairy, but salad was something mostly reserved for the “soup or salad” option when eating out.

Now though, I am a full time writer and author which means I can take my time to make a proper salad for lunch. But…I am human. It came as a shock to me too, but there you have it. I am a human and some days I’m not in the mood for a raw salad, especially this time of year when the temperature drops. And now that I have a lot less fat covering my body, I feel that cold a heck of a lot more and I want something at least a little bit warm.

And then…I found Violife Greek White Block, which I just called vegan Feta!!!!! So of course, I had to make a Greek salad and I had to do it my way.

The one thing I think it’s important for everyone to remember is that you can make a salad any way you want it. Don’t let so-called rules about what a salad should and shouldn’t be, dictate how you eat them. Or don’t eat them. As long as it’s healthy and delicious, have fun with it.

I kept the ingredient list pretty simple: orzo, romaine lettuce, feta, tomatoes, cucumber, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, sauteed onions, bell pepper & sun chokes. Make a dressing if you want but if you saute the veggies, the remaining oil should help you toss it beautifully.

This doesn’t taste exactly like feta but it does have that tangy, salty flavor. It is WAY creamier than dairy feta cheese which I loved about it and in fact, I took a few pieces from my plate and put it on my husband’s plate because it was a bit too rich for me.

Make the orzo and sauteed vegetables first and once they’ve cooled down a bit put them in a bowl so you don’t completely wilt the lettuce or warm the fresh raw veggies like tomato & cucumber. Set it aside and get to chopping.