Thursday, 25 April 2013

Feta cheese...goes vegan!

I hinted at this creation over on my Instagram and on Facebook a good few weeks ago now, but I’ve only just got round to posting it...crazy!  This is another spin off from the coconut cream creations  but this one is a totally unique concept and I love it!

 
Vegan feta cheese ...oh yeah!

When I transitioned to a plant based diet I found there were actually very few things I missed. Meat ...not fussed, dairy...no problem, cheese...even cheese wasn’t a particularly tricky one for me other than a bit of feta.  Mmmm, I always loved creamy cubes of feta with caramelised onions on a crisp bruschetta!

Whilst this is not exactly the same, as it doesn’t have the same level of melt in your mouth creaminess, it does have a lovely delicate, slightly crumbly and tart creamy flavour and texture. As long as you are not expecting it to be a direct replica of feta cheese then I am pretty sure you will love it. I tossed a few cubes into a Greek style salad and it was perfect! It is best used in combination with other things as it seems more ‘realistic’ that way. Nibbling on a chunk on its own didn’t really do it for me...but then again I never ate real feta cheese that way either.

This recipe made me super smiley in it's simplicity and yumminess, so I’d love to know what you think!



Recipe: Vegan feta cheese

Ingredients:

½ cup soy yoghurt (other yoghurts would probably work well)
2 tbs fine coconut flour
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs (to taste)

Method

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir together well.

Sppon mixture into a parchment lined mini load pan or similar dish (approx 10x10 cm or equivalent) and spread the top as smoothly as possible.

Place plan in the freezer until the ‘feta’ is almost solid.

Remove from the pan and slice the almost frozen block into cubes. Continue to freeze in their cubes form until ready to consume. Allow a few minutes to defrost prior to eating.






For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

12 comments:

  1. That's a really clever recipe! I would maybe add a little miso and salt since I love salty foods. That recipe is really appropriate since I'm splurging on fresh spring veggies. And paired with feta cheese, what's not to love?

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    Replies
    1. Mmmm, I bet miso would make a great addition...let me know how you get on if you decide to give it a go!

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  2. That sounds amazing--I also miss feta cheese. Tofu feta is ok--but sometimes you don't have a block of tofu just lying about--plus many tofu feta recipes are full of oil. I'm off to buy some coconut flour!

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    Replies
    1. Hiya, I agree with tofu recipes, though I really should do more with tofu...don't use it nearly enough!

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  3. About how long should it freeze? I've got the coconut flour, but I'm not clear on freezer time. Is it just a watch and wait sort of thing? What if you don't eat it all in one go--how do you store it?

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    Replies
    1. There is no hard and fast rule, it's a kind of 'watch and wait' thing to reach the texture you are happy with. If they are fully frozen (I have some in the freezer from a few weeks back) then just take out the amount of cubes you want, seperate with a knife if they are stuck together and allow to defrost a little before serving. Hope it goes well for you, let me know how you decide to use them!

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  4. This looks yum. Anyone care to post back if you liked it after you made it?

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  5. Tis looks yum! Anyone care to post back on how you liked it?

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    Replies
    1. Have a go with a small amount, that way if you decide it's not to your taste, you haven't wasted much by way of ingredients! :-)

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  6. Hi Jo I am finally getting round to making this recipe after buying my first bag of coconut flour! I was just wondering if you think it will be OK to cook the cheese mixed with other ingredients to make a recipe? Thank you :)

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    Replies
    1. Hi Nicola, I used this same principle to make these mini baked cheesecakes: http://www.includingcake.com/2013/04/baked-coconut-cream-cheesecakes.html

      That involved cooking the mix and it did work pretty well, though i think it would depend what sort of recipe you wanted to achieve. It's not a gooey cheese but a creamy-crumbly cheese type effect, if that makes sense. If I were you i'd make up a small amount in a muffin case to try it out! Maybe a frittata type thing?.....now you've got me thinking!

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  7. Thanks for your reply Jo. I wanted to try it with a frittata recipe I found on another blog so I will give it a try and let you know :)

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Comments make me smile....go on!

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