Lentil Arugula Panzanella Salad

Tucson, Arizona

Lentil Arugula Panzanella Salad

Spring is in the air!  The desert is in bloom.  It's a beautiful day in Tucson.  Weather like this makes me crave panzanella.  An Italian-style bread salad with peppery arugula and hearty lentils, combined with a lemony, feta-like tofu cheese.

Lentil Arugula Panzanella Salad
vegan, nut-free
serves 2

4 cups arugula
wedge of lemon
Lentils (recipe below)
Bread (recipe below)
tofu feta (recipe below)

Split arugula onto 2 plates.  Drizzle with lemon.  Add lentils, bread, and tofu feta.


Tofu feta:
½ cup firm tofu, drained and pressed, crumbled
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp sea salt
dash dill
dash oregano

Add all in a small bowl, stir to combine.  Set aside in the refrigerator to chill and marinate.

For the Bread:
2 slices of thick cut bread
1-2 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper

Let slices of bread dry out on a paper towel for about a ½ hour (or use day old bread, bread going stale).  Cut bread into 1inch squares.
Drizzle each square with olive oil, and sprinkle garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Toast in oven or toaster oven, turning once until crispy and golden brown.  You can also opt to pan fry them over med-high heat until crispy and golden brown.

For the lentils:
1 cup green lentils, rinsed
4 cups water
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil

In a pot, boil water.  Ad lentils and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain well.  Transfer to a small bowl.  Stir in garlic powder, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil.