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Vegan Caprese Salad Skewer with Tofu Mozzarella Balls

The most vibrant and refreshing salad but on a skewer! Making them even more fun and exciting to eat. The classic Caprese combo will never get old - tomatoes, fresh sweet basil, mozzarella, olive oil, and balsamic glaze, the only twist is I made fresh mozzarella balls out of tofu!

Let me just make it very clear, these do not taste exactly like mozzarella... obviously. But honestly, for me, they don't have to. I'm perfectly fine with never eating cheese, aka aged cow breast milk fat curd, ever again for the rest of my life. Rather than the exact taste, it's the "format" of certain food and dishes we miss, and all the sweet memories associated with them.

And these tofu mozzarella balls do the job perfectly splendid (Hill house fans anyone? ;) They are soft, bouncy, just the right level of chewy, and super creamy. They're also incredibly refreshing and high in protein - fyi tofu is a complete protein.

You can of course enjoy these tofu mozzarella just as a salad with the rest of the caprese combo, or, if you're an adventurous eater like me we can make it even more fun by threading the ingredients on skewers! They'd also make a perfect element for a lunch box, picnic, or party appetizer this way.  

Watch the video below to follow the steps and please read through the details in the written recipe, especially if you're not super familiar with the use of agar agar. And if you have any other questions come find me on Instagram and Tiktok


INGREDIENTS:

12 oz extra-firm silken tofu

3 tablespoon tapioca flour

2 teaspoon white miso paste

4 tablespoon lemon juice, about 1 lemon

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 cup water

1 tablespoon agar agar powder

Cherry tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic glaze, as needed


For the ice bath -

4 cup water

2 cup ice

1 teaspoon salt


TO MAKE:

- Add the tofu, tapioca flour, miso, lemon juice, and coconut oil to a blender or processor, blend till completely silky smooth;

- In a nonstick pot, add in the water and agar agar powder off of heat, stir to combine the powder with water well, if we add agar agar to hot or boiling water it can easily clump;

- Then transfer the pot to the stove, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, keep stirring frequently, and let it simmer for 5 minutes;

- Pour the tofu mixture in the pot, stir stir stir! Until everything is well mixed and silky smooth again, it should be a thick glossy batter, almost like a wet dough;

- Meanwhile prepare the ice bath, when the mixture is well mixed and ready, scoop up about 1 teaspoon of the mixture of drop it into the ice bath, use bigger scoops if you want the mozzarella balls to be bigger, continue until all mixture is used up;

- Transfer the ice ball bowl to the fridge and chill for 1 hour;

- Prepare the rest of the caprese ingredients as you wait;

- Once the tofu mozzarella is ready, thread cherry tomato, basil leaf, and tofu mozzarella ball, one of each onto a skewer, then drizzle on extra virgin olive oil and balsamic glaze, serve immediately, enjoy!

- *If you have leftover tofu mozzarella, keep them in water in the fridge for up to a week, and they DO MELT! You can use them on pizza etc.


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