Tofu Tahini "Cheese"- vegan

Teamed up with rocket and olives, this "cheese" is a great dairy -free topping for crackers- or maybe add a sundried
tomato or two, some alfalfa and a couple of slices of avocado...

This is probably the tastiest "cheese" we have come up with, and it's not only very simple to make but also extremely versatile: use it in salads, jacket potatoes, quesadillas, on pizzas, bread and crackers or even as a stuffing ingredient for roasted vegetables, ravioli or canelloni. It's even good pressed into little chunks and added to a vegetable pasty filling. The only thing it doesn't do is melt! It would be more like cottage cheese if you made it a little wetter or more like mozzarella if you reduced the amount of lemon juice and rolled it into balls. The flavour is reminiscent of a Cheshire or Wensleydale cheese or even feta, although the texture is softer than these. Nutrition-wise, it is low(ish) in fat; the oil comes from the tahini, of which there is less than the tofu, and the tahini also boosts up the calcium content. Tofu, of course, is a great source of protein and the yeast flakes add B-vitamins- even B-12 if you get the fortified type. all in all, it's a very near match to dairy cheese nutritionally, except it's probably lower in fat and calories.

 This recipe makes enough "cheese" to use as a topping for a large pizza with some left over, or to add to something like a chickpea flour "omelette" for about 5 people. You may still get some left that you could put in a salad or on crackers...

1 1/2 packed-down 250ml cups mashed tofu (or tofu made from 1 l soya milk and left to drain in a sieve)

2 tabs lemon juice

1 tsp seasalt

3 tounded tabs yeast flakes (aka nutritional yeast)

2 tabs tahini

• Just mix everything together in a bowl- use your hands or a spoon. It should be moist but squeezable, able to hold together.
• Press into a log-shape and leave in the fridge, where it will solidify just a bit more.
• Use however you like- or just munch on it...