Crostini is a simple but beautiful appetizer. It is simply small grilled or toasted bread slices topped with anything you fancy really. We used ordinary wheat baguette for this recipe but it would be so simple to make it a fully gluten-free starter.
As I said, you can top these crostini’s with pretty much anything, making it super easy to tailor it to what you have in the fridge or what you feel like eating. But we’re here to give you helping hand with some delish Hungry Herbivore approved flavours.

dsc_2008

Our topping and flavours revolved around the main ingredient Tofu Feta today! Often crostini is topped with cheese, so why not make it cruelty free?
Tofu feta is simple to make and you can even make it days in advance so you can use it whenever you’re feeling a feta urge. Plus this lets the flavours soak in further. Mm.

Since crostini is traditionally a Italian dish, we experimented with tomatoes, figs, garlic, balsamic and herbs.
We’re big lovers of balsamic. We started with boiling some up and reducing before adding chopped figs to cook in the simmering vinegar.

dsc_2012

Not forgetting the tomatoes. We tried out a garlicy, bruschetta style crostini that went beautifully with the tofu feta!

Try out our favourite crostini combos below, plus our tofu feta recipe!

Tofu "Feta" Crostini
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Easy appetizer of beautiful vegan style, Italian flavours. Figs, tomatoes, garlic, balsamic, herbs and vegan tofu feta on crunchy (big) bitesize bread!
Author:
Recipe type: Appitizer
Cuisine: Vegan, Italian
Serves: ¾
Ingredients
TOFU FETA
  • 1 block firm tofu
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • ⅓ cup water
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes
  • 1 tbsp. oregano
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • pinch salt & black pepper
CROSTINI
  • 10 slices of baguette (1 to 1.5 inch)
  • ⅛ cup Olive Oil
  • 1 Garlic Clove
BALSAMIC FIGS
  • ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3 Sliced Large Figs
TOMATO TOPPING
  • ½ cup small tomatoes (we used cherry)
  • ½ garlic clove
Instructions
  1. For the Tofu:Firstly, leave the tofu to press and drain between two plates, or two chopping boards for at least 15 mins.
  2. Meanwhile, stir together the rest of the ingredients for to the feta in a shallow bowl.
  3. Cut the tofu into small cubes and place them in the marinate - refrigerate for at least 3 hours or you can leave it in a jar in the fridge for a week or two.
  4. For the Crostini: Pre-heat the oven to 190C/375F/G5. Brush the back and front of the bread with olive oil and rub with the garlic clove and place onto an oven tray.
  5. Turn the bread over after 5 mins, or has started to brown. Take out after another 5 minutes, or longer if you want it crispier.
  6. For the balsamic figs: Place the balsamic in a heavy-based saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer and let the balsamic reduce down for about 10 minutes.
  7. Then place the sliced figs in the pan also, stirring to cover, and leave simmering for 5 minutes.
  8. For the Tomato Topping: Using a hand blender or a food processor, pulse the tomatoes until they look mushy.
  9. Transfer to a sieve and drain a bit of the water from the tomatoes.
  10. Then mince the garlic into the tomatoes. Season to taste.
  11. Assemble the crostini's with the toppings. Try using the cubed tofu or crumbling like feta. garnish with Italian fresh herbs
Notes
Other topping ideas: Sundried tomatoes, Rocket leaf, capers, olives, thyme, rosemary, parsley, basil.