Betta Feta (Vegan)

Sharon123's Note:

This yummy faux feta tastes a lot like dairy feta and can be used as you would use feta cheese. Crumble it over pasta, grains, or raw vegetable salads. Adapted from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak.

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 2 cups

• 1 lb firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup light miso (or chickpea miso)
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sea salt

Directions:

1. Place tofu cubes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Drain well.
2. While tofu is simmering, prepare brine by whisking together remaining ingredients. Add drained hot tofu cubes to brine and let cool at room temperature 20 minutes.
3. Chill uncovered in the refrigerator until cold to the touch.
4. Cover and chill at least 2-7 days before serving. The longer marinating time will produce a richer tasting, more flavorful feta.
5. Shake or stir contents occasionally to ensure all cubes are evenly covered with brine.
6. Keeps at least 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
7. To serve, remove feta with a slotted spoon and drain well. Enjoy!

Reviews

[magpie diner]

I'm really happy to have tried this. It has been a great addition to a number of different dishes this week. I like the texture a lot, it really does crumble well. I cut back the salt by half, but otherwise made as written. So quick and easy...well other than the few days it needs to sit of course. I'll be making this again, it's the type of thing I really enjoy having an hand. I will probably just tweak a little to get some more tang, maybe more vinegar or a different type of vinegar. Thanks Sharon!

[VegSocialWorker]

Delish. I don't think it would trick anyone into thinking they were eating dairy feta, but if you want a salty and tangy alternative to eat on salads or pita, this is great. I accidently ran out of light miso so half of the brine was made out of the dark type. So, it looked a little funny but has been wonderful on our lunch salads all week. Thanks for posting!

[Chef Edlear]

I was thrilled to find this. After marinating for almost a week, I made my vegan customers their own version of my greek salad. I thank you for this, Sharon, and all my vegan customers thank you. I used a nice organic white miso. The last time that I made this I used a red barley miso. Each added a different and very distinctive flavor to the "feta". I was just SO happy with how much this tasted like a good, local feta. Could you fool someone with this? No, but could you make someone happy with this? Yes, I did. The feta does not last nearly as long as commercial sheeps or goats milk fetas of course. Mine starts to disintegrate after 7-8 days, so is really at its peak on days 3-6.