Panzanella with vegan mozzarella balls

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 150 g cashew nuts
• 250 g yogurt substitute, plant-based, unsweetened
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 lemon(s), juice
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 3 tbsp tapioca starch
• 1 tbsp agar-agar
• 120 ml water
• Ice water
• ½ ciabatta
• 600 g mixed tomatoes
• 1 onion(s)
• ½ cucumber(s)
• 1 bell pepper
• 2 tbsp capers
• 4 garlic cloves
• olive oil
• 50 ml balsamic vinegar, lighter, lighter
• Dijon mustard
• 20 basil leaves
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 40 minutes

Bread salad

To make the vegan cashew balls, boil the cashews for about 20 minutes or soak them in cold water overnight. Place the soaked cashews in a high-speed blender with plant-based yogurt, salt, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and tapioca starch and puree until smooth. Pour the water into a saucepan. Dissolve the agar-agar in it and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 2 minutes. Add the cashew cream and mix quickly. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture is very thick but elastic. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Using a melon baller, form the mixture into balls and place them directly in the ice water. Let them set in the ice water for a few minutes. The balls will keep in the brine in the refrigerator for about a week. For the salad, preheat the oven to 200°C. Roughly dice the tomatoes, place them in a sieve over a bowl, and toss with a little salt. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes, reserving any draining water. Roughly dice the ciabatta. Finely chop two cloves of garlic. Mix the bread cubes with the garlic and a little olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and toast for about 10-15 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and crispy. Finely slice the onion, dice the cucumber and bell pepper. Slice the basil leaves into strips. Mix the balsamic vinegar and mustard with the drained tomato juice. Add about 120 ml of olive oil, stirring vigorously, and season with pepper. Toss the vegetables and balls with the toasted bread, capers, and basil well with the vinaigrette. Season to taste and add more salt if desired. Let the salad sit for about 20 minutes, then serve.