Vegan Salmorejo, By Veggie Gib.
Salmorejo is a classic dish from the Cordoba region of southern Spain. It is a cold soup (similar to gazpacho) although it is much thicker in consistency because it is made with bread. Many traditional Spanish dishes use bread because it was cheap and a good filler. Salmorejo has become quite popular and trendy and can be found in most tapas restaurants.
I must say this now though, purists please look away! This version differs from the traditional version in that it does not contain bread, making it gluten free, and it is high in protein because it is made with tofu, but it does not interfere with the flavour and thickens the soup in the same way bread would! I suggest using a high-powered blender (like the ones for making smoothies) to make it smooth, and not to make it too far in advance as the garlic flavour will get more intense as time goes on and can become overpowering.
Traditionally Salmorejo is served with diced serrano ham and boiled egg, or even tuna. However, I like to keep it vegan and using raw diced fruits and vegetables gives it interesting textures and contrasting flavours. In winter-time I like to use cucumber, apples and even kiwi. In the summer-time melon works wonderfully as it has crunch and sweetness.
Tofu, made from soybean curds, is naturally gluten-free and low calorie, contains no cholesterol and is an excellent source of protein, iron, and calcium.
Ingredients:
- 750g (about 6) ripe plum tomatoes
- 250g extra firm tofu
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic
- Salt to taste
Method
- Place the plum tomatoes in a bowl and cover with water from a recently boiled kettle and allow to soak for about 1 minute. This should be enough time to enable them to be easily peeled. Discard the water, peel the tomatoes and roughly chop them into a blender.
- Cut the tofu up and add to the tomatoes.
- Cut and peel a clove of garlic and add to the tomatoes.
- Add the apple cider vinegar the olive oil and a good pinch of olive oil.
- Blend until smooth and then put through a fine sieve to remove any graininess from the tofu or seeds.
- Finely dice cucumber, apple, kiwi, melon or any other fruit / vegetable of your choice and serve.
Serves 4 tapas (or 2 main)
Nutritional information:
Overall: 768kcal | 49F | 34C | 44P
Per serving: 192kcal | 12F | 8.5C | 11P
Muscle Bakery tip: Want to make it even higher in protein? Add some Nutritional Yeast! High in protein, fiber and loaded with B Vitamins!
Food has always been a passion of mine, especially eating! Being naturally curious and having a sweet tooth I have always enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen and creating yummy treats for myself, family and friends. Going vegetarian made me explore a lot of different foods and ingredients and made me look at food from a different perspective. What is more I quickly learned that veggie food is far from bland or boring. I like to make food that is quick, easy and tasty and I like to adapt traditional recipes to vegetarian alternatives whenever I can. Now I like to share what I eat and my recipes and hopefully make people want to eat more veggie food.
Recipe created by Ivan Hernandez, the man behind Veggie Gib. if you have not checked him out… what are you waiting for?! You can find him on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and most importantly via his website. (His Instagram is a beautiful array of meals and sweets that will most certainly make your tummy rumble!)
We hope you enjoyed this recipe, get involved… tweet/ gram us @themusclebakery & @veggiegib and tell us your thoughts!