Almost 12 years ago when my kids were first diagnosed with food allergies, dairy free milk was a very uncommon thing much less dairy free cheese. But thanks to a lot of allergy friendly brands, we now have a variety of plant based cheeses available on the market today and that opens up so much possibilities of making traditional cheese based foods - dairy free, exciting! and that is how this recipe came about.

Dairy Free Paneer Tikka Skewers are easy to make, delicious and vegan. Here I have baked them, but you can grill too. I used cheese sticks but you can use a cheese block and cut it up into cubes. Mozarrella style is preferred or any white dairy free cheese. I used mini bamboo skewers to thread the cheese but be careful of the thickness of the skewers as the cheese might break if the skewers are too thick or maybe cut them into bigger cubes then the ones shown in the recipe.

Paneer is the most common form of cheese used in the Indian subcontinent. It is fresh, soft, white and does not melt easily. It is similar to cottage cheese the only difference is cottage cheese is salted while paneer is unsalted. It also does not require any aging. The process is quite easy so you can make it at home. It is made by curdling milk with lemon juice or vinegar. Paneer is used as a meat alternative for a variety vegeterian dishes quite alot in the subcontinent. One of those recipes is a Paneer Tikka.

Tikka is small cubed pieces of meat such as chicken, beef lamb or even the above mentioned paneer for vegetarian version. These pieces are marinated in spices, threaded on to metal skewers and then grilled.

To learn more about the Plate it Safe initiative and what the icons in the recipe stand for click here.