Marinated Tofu Cheese

My yummy "cheese" in a jar and a Spoon Dog ( made out of old spoons)

Marinated Tofu Cheese

1 14-oz package firm tofu

Fresh or dried herbs (thyme, oregano, basil, bay leaves)

salt

lemon zest (optional)

few cloves of garlic, peeled and slightly crushed

optional kalamata olives and cherry tomatoes

extra virgin olive oil (good quality)

I made this marinated tofu cheese by using 1 14-oz package firm tofu that I drained and pressed using TofuXpress overnight, which gave it a really nice texture. I cut the tofu into small cubes (about 1/2 inch) and sprinkled it with salt. I wanted to use fresh branches of thyme, fresh basil and oregano, but all I had were dried herbs. I decided to make it more interesting by adding some kalamata olives and cherry tomatoes that I cut in half. Next time I will probably not use the olives or tomatoes. I used a medium glass jar with a tight lid. I placed a layer of tofu cubes, kalamata olives, 1 clove of garlic and tomatoes on the bottom of the jar. I sprinkled it with herbs (thyme, oregano, basil, bay leaves) and some lemon zest. I repeated the process until the jar was full. I poured an extra virgin olive oil over the tofu cheese mixture until all the tofu was completely submerged. You will need to refrigerated it at least overnight, or for a few days to give the tofu enough time to soak up all the good flavors. Take it out of the fridge at let it sit at room temperature until the oil liquifies before serving. Serve with fresh bread, or scatter over salad, or crumble up over pizza or pasta. It makes a great little appetizer.