Three Colour Party Bites

Vegan

These colourful canapes are perfect for your party table or for a buffet. Recipe and picture courtesy of www.flavourphotos.com

Serves:

Makes 16

Time:

15 minutes

Ingredients:

125g/generous 4oz flavoured or smoked tofu
16 sunblush tomatoes - or oven-roasted if you can't get them
16 large basil leaves (approximately 20g/3/4 oz)
1 tbsp pine nuts
6 tbsp olive oil
Salt
Garlic to taste, about ½ clove
Cocktail sticks

Tip: Make sure you use sunblush tomatoes and not sundried ones. You can get them marinated in herbs and garlic from the deli counter in most supermarkets. Also, look out for some unusual tofu varieties such as Basil Tofu, Tofu Rosso or Smoked Tofu with Sesame.

Method:

1. Cut the tofu into 16 small squares. Take 16 large basil leaves and wrap them individually around each tofu piece. Pierce a cocktail stick through a sunblush tomato and then through the wrapped tofu.

2. For the basil drizzle sauce: Grind the pine nuts in a blender and set aside. Take the remaining basil and remove the thick stalks. Chop in a blender with the olive oil. For the best result, use the oil that the sunblush tomatoes have been marinated in - it adds fantastic flavour. Add the ground pine nuts, garlic and salt to taste.

3. Arrange the bites on a plate and drizzle some of the sauce around them. Any leftover sauce will keep in the fridge for a few days and can be added to salad dressings or tossed into pasta.