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Years ago I never imagined eating vegan feta. Then again, years ago I thought I could never give up cheese.

Twenty years later, I now realize it was much easier than I thought. Still, two cheeses kept me in dairyland for a while: parmesan and feta.

It was the intensity of those cheeses. The flavor impact. Salty, tangy, briny. At the time, there were no substitutes on the market. So, I couldn’t imagine eating without them!

Later, vegan feta cheese products did appear in stores. I tried them, and was underwhelmed. They just didn’t hit the flavor mark.

These substitutes were tofu-based, and for some reason the flavor wasn’t penetrating the tofu well enough.

I started to experiment with my own vegan feta recipe. Not only did I want a flavorful marinade that would hold up to a classic greek salad, I also wanted to find a way to make this vegan cheese recipe oil-free.

Most products I tried had an oil marinade. There had to be a way to get that richness without adding that extra oil.

There is! After many trials, the secret to influsing great briny flavor in the tofu is to first simmer it in a vinegar mixture, and then marinate that warm tofu in the full marinade consisting of herbs, lemon juice, vinegar – and chopped olives.

Bingo! Vegan feta flavor success! Not only does the flavor hold up, but for me the texture improves too.

The simmering breaks down the tofu just slightly so that when tossed through the marinade, it mostly holds shape, yet loses *just* a touch of texture. Somewhat like traditional feta cheese.

This recipe is one of my favorites from Plant-Powered Families. It was also one of Nicole’s favorites!

Since summer is here and we are enjoying big, bright salads, I wanted to share this recipe widely on the blog.

So here it is, kids. Enjoy!

x Dreena

(p.s. I did create a soy-free vegan feta recipe for the release of PPF. If you managed to nab the promo ebook, it’s in there – have a look!)