Recipe: Healthy Vegan Tofu ‘Feta Cheese’
Nowadays there is a wide range of vegan cheese available (or should I say ‘cheeze’?), from fresh artisan produce that you can find at your local farmer’s market, to the packaged stuff from reputable brands like Violife, Sheese, Koko and Daiya. Every UK supermarket now has its own brand vegan cheese – I’ve tried a few from Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
I have a few reservations with vegan cheese: they tend to be either made from nuts — a lot of them — or they are made from coconut oil with added starches. Nut–based vegan cheeses are obviously problematic for people with nut allergies. Oil–based cheeses are high in saturated fat and low in protein — and often contain additives to mimic the flavour and texture of real cheese. So for those of you mindful of your nutritional intake, look at any list of ingredients and you may question how ‘healthy’ vegan cheese is.
As I wrote extensively in my Chinese Vegan Guide to Fake Meat, if you want to buy vegan alternatives that’s a good first start. Just don’t equate vegan alternatives with healthy. In some cases, they are more likely to be full of nutritional junk and you would be better off eating high quality eggs or dairy.
I have a vegan ‘cheese’ that I love to make at home, using firm tofu instead of nuts or coconut oil. It’s high in protein, low in fat, marinated in umami flavours that give it a piquant vibe, and it gets better over time in the fridge. Although it can be omitted, the addition of nutritional yeast gives the recipe that authentic cheesy flavour, plus it is a healthy source of essential B-vitamins for vegans.
Let me know if you try this recipe and share your results on Instagram with #CelestialPeach.
Ingredients
250g firm tofu
2–3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of one lemon, OR 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp miso paste
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
Pinch of dried oregano
Black pepper
Instructions
Cut the tofu into cubes approximately 1cm by 1cm.
Make a dressing by whisking together all the other ingredients.
Cover the tofu with the dressing in a clean container and ensure everything is submerged. You may want to top up with more olive oil.
Leave to marinate in the fridge; tastes best after its been marinating for one day. The vegan feta cheese can be kept for up to a week.
