Vegan (or fake) feta makes salads betta!

FETA CHEESE...

Feta cheese was originally made from sheep's milk.  I've also seen goat feta and now in most grocery stores you can buy cow feta.  For whatever reason, the sheep and goat feta is known to be more nutritious than cow feta; though cow feta is lower in fat.  If you're vegetarian, you may google this!  However, vegans desire to stay away from any animal by-product.

Tofu is one way to make vegan feta.  There are also nut milk versions, which require more work, but using tofu is the no-bake easy way to make vegan feta.  Tofu is bland and has the ability to soak up the flavors of whatever you put with it.  It is also very nutritious.  A half cup of raw tofu has a bit more than 10 grams of protein and 5 grams of fat (mostly mono- and polyunsaturated).  It also has folate and minerals, such as calcium, magnesium (which allows your body to absorb the calcium), iron, and other trace minerals.

If you've ever eaten feta cheese, you know that just a little goes a long way.  It has an intense tangy flavor and is pretty salty.  Mostly, you've eaten it on salads if you've ever had it before.  It's not something that you're going to eat out of the tub, unless you're a "REAL" feta cheese lover.

I only need feta in small doses and I love a little on my Greek salads mostly.  Like the animal version, the fake feta not only gives that tang that
my Greek (or even my garbanzo) salad craves, but also the look.  It has been a hit with my family.

Here is my recipe for vegan substitute for feta cheese.  Some recipes use more ingredients such as miso, oil, and even nutritional yeast.  I don’t find those necessary for my salad feta recipe.  I would use the nutritional yeast if I were making the fake feta for another dish, maybe a vegan spanakopita.  Otherwise, I love the recipe below.  In fact, I started making my feta a few days ago because I wanted to have it in my garbanzo salad (see picture). 

Chopping my tofu into feta-y bites.

FAKE FETA (VEGAN)

Makes 1½ cups

Ingredients: 

• ¼ cup water (I like using alkaline water)
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon Monk's pepper
• 1 pound extra firm tofu, cubed

Instructions:

Press every drop of water out of the tofu that you can , so that it can absorb the marinade.  Once this is done, place everything but the tofu in the bowl and whisk together. Add tofu, stir, and let sit for at least 12-48 hours (the longer, the better).  Drain. Use in your salad. 

Tip: You can put the tofu in a colander and cover it with a saucer.  Place a 5lb dumbbell on top of the saucer.  Also put a plate to catch the liquid on the bottom, but first gently squeeze the tofu to remove all the liquid you can.  I have never been able to get all of the liquid out yet, but this method helps me get a good portion out.  If you have other tips to do squeeze the tofu dry, I would love to hear them!

Fake feta drained after 48 hours.

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Let me know what you think!  I'd love more tips and tricks as well.