Tofu Halloumi

Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove the tofu from the package and drain well. Slice tofu lengthwise into 6 pieces. Lay on top of a few paper towels (or a clean dish towel) and cover with another paper towel. Top tofu with a plate to let the water drain naturally until you’re ready to sear.

Rinse and dry the eggplant and cut into 1 inch cubes. Transfer eggplant to a baking sheet, toss with 2 tbsp olive oil, and season liberally with salt and pepper. Bake until eggplant is tender and slightly caramelized, about 18 to 20 minutes.

Rinse, dry, and deseed the bell pepper. Cut into 1 inch pieces and place into a medium bowl. Rinse and dry the cucumber and cut into 1 inch pieces. Add cucumber to the bowl with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Rinse and dry the romaine and add to the bowl. Rinse the lemon and cut in half. Squeeze juice from half of the lemon into the bowl and toss salad well.

To a blender add almonds, 2 tbsp olive oil, a pinch of salt, and ¼ cup of water. Blend on high until smooth, about 3 to 4 minutes. Rinse and dry the parsley. Add ¾ of the parsley, stems and all, to the blender (the rest is for garnish!). To the blender also add the juice from the remaining lemon half, garlic, and 3 tbsp of water. Blend on high for 1 to 2 minutes and season with salt and pepper.

On a plate, mix nutritional yeast and just 1 tsp za’atar. Remove towels from the tofu and sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper, and za’atar seasoning. Put a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tbsp vegetable oil. Once hot, add tofu to the skillet and cook until golden and crispy, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer tofu halloumi to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with salt.

Tear remaining parsley leaves from their stems and add all leaves to the salad. Toss the roasted eggplant with the salad and mix well to combine. Divide roasted eggplant salad and tofu halloumi between your plates and serve with herb tarator sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp za'atar spice. Be’te-avon!