NEW, IMPROVED QUICK TOFU "FETA"

One of our favorite meals: a plate with some homemade crusty bread (in this case a multi-grain sourdough-- I'll give you the recipe some time!), a head of roasted garlic to spread on it, along with cubes of herb-marinated homemade vegan "feta", and a hearty salad, such as tabbouleh.

HEAR ME INTERVIEWED ON GO VEGAN TEXAS RADIO ON MONDAY APRIL 24TH

I've been giving you rather alot of bread lately, so here's something to go with it!

BRYANNA'S NEW AND IMPROVED QUICK TOFU "FETA"
Makes about 3 c.

“New and improved” because it is simpler and less salty, with a cleaner taste, than the recipe in my book Soyfoods Cooking for a Positive Menopause. This is excellent and very easy to make (especially in a microwave)! It even melts when heated, so you can grill it in grape leaves, or coat it in breadcrumbs and fry it until crispy on the outside and melty in the middle. This versatile recipe will allow you to easily convert many ethnic recipes to make them low-fat, and dairy-free.

"Cheese":
12-14 oz. firm regular (NOT silken) tofu, crumbled
NOTE: You can use 8 oz. medium-firm mixed with 4-6 oz. extra-firm tofu, if you have no firm tofu)
2 tsp. agar powder (or 4 T. flakes, if you absolutely can't find the powder-- but I recommend the powder in this recipe. If you use flakes, I recommend that you grind them as close as you can to a powder in a dry electric spice mill/coffee grinder [that you DON'T use for coffee!].)
1/4 c. water
1 tsp. vegan sugar
2 T. neutral-tasting cooking oil
1/2 tsp. salt
6 T. fresh lemon juice

Brine:
2 cups water
2 T. salt

Blend the tofu, agar, water, sugar, oil, and salt in a food processor until very smooth. Place the mixture in a heavy-bottomed small saucepan and stir over medium heat until it bubbles for a few minutes and thickens. MICROWAVE OPTION: Place the mixture in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on HI for 3 minutes. Whisk briefly. Microwave 2 minute more.

Whisk the lemon juice into the cooked mixture. (You add this last because the lemon juice interferes with the jelling of the agar if cooked with it.)

Pour it into a flat container, cover and chill until firm. Cut into squares.


Make a brine by boiling the water and salt together for 5 minutes, cool it, and pour it over the chunks of “cheese” in a glass jar or other covered container to cover. The “feta” will keep for several weeks in a covered container in the refrigerator in this brine.

TO STORE FOR LONGER PERIODS:
The "feta" will get saltier the longer it sits in the brine, so taste it now and then to get it to your liking, then drain it and refrigerate the squares in a jar of neutral-tasting oil (NOT olive oil, because it thickens during refrigeration). Make sure all of the cheese is covered in oil, to keep the air out. Screw in the lid. The cheese will keep this way for several weeks. I rinse off the oil under warm water before using.
VARIATIONS--Herbed "Feta" and Zatar "Feta":

Zatar "Feta" on left and Herbed "Feta" on right

FOR HERBED FETA :

Place cubes of well-brined, drained "feta" in a jar, and cover completely with oil (I use a plain neutral cooking oil because olive oil gets cloudy and thick in the refrigerator-- you can rinse the plain oil off with warm water before serving and serve as is, or drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil for flavor, if you like). Now pack the jar with sprigs of any fresh herbs that you like, plus a few garlic cloves (whole, peeled), perhaps, a few dry bay leaves, and a few dried red chili peppers for color. You can also add some Greek olives, if you like. Keeps in the fridge for weeks, and the herb flavors penetrate the "feta" as it stands.

ZATAR "FETA":

Roll the cubes of well-brined, drained "feta" in zatar, a delicious Lebanese spice mixture of lemony-tasting reddish sumac, sesame, thyme and sometimes other herbs. Then store in oil as above. Delicious and exotic-looking! (You can't rinse the oil off of this version, though, or you loose the zatar.)

Notes about sumac and zatar (or zahtar or za'atar):

Both can be purchased at North African or Middle Eastern markets, or online (worldwide shipping from Lebanon-- type "sumac”into search box, or go to "herbs and spices" link and scroll down for zatar mixtures); or at this UK site; or this site from the USA (click "spices and herbs" and then "North African, etc" for sumac, and "original blends" for zahtar).

The Great American Spice Company carries zahtar(go to "spice blends, w-z" for zatar, and "spices and herbs, r-s" for sumac).

Here is a link to an authentic zahtar recipe with a variation that does not require sumac, and an good explanation of the spice mixture and its uses. Here are two more recipes: #1 and #2.

Nutrition (per 1/4 cup): 46.6 calories; 65% calories from fat; 3.5g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 82.9mg sodium; 62.0mg potassium; 2.2g carbohydrates; 0.4g fiber; 0.7g sugar; 2.4g protein, MyPoints 1.3 (like Weight Watchers Points)
(NUTRIENT ANALYSIS WAS DONE FOR THE BASIC RECIPE ONLY, USING 12 OZ. OF FIRM TOFU. BRINE OR OIL FOR STORAGE WAS NOT FACTORED IN.)

Enjoy!