Maybe you're not into animal abuse or maybe you want to clear up your complexion or maybe you're just lactose intolerant. Whatever the reason, what do you do when you can't (or won't) eat dairy cheese yet are absolutely craving the delicious taste of cheese AND want to keep it healthy and not eat those strange processed soy cheeses that pop up in some supermarket aisles?
Not to worry! I have a few awesome vegan cheese recipes (yes, you can!) to share. If attempting to make your own cheese is just the most absurd thing you've ever heard of, you can buy some really great ones, too. I have a list of recommended cruelty-free, dairy-free cheeses you can buy here. One of my top picks for store-bought cheese is Dr. Cow. I found them randomly one day in a health food store and have been in love with them ever since. Their cheeses are all organic, sustainable, plant-based, and vegan. They are fermented the way "real" cheeses are and they are perfect balance of somewhere in between a very hard and a soft cheese. I LOVE them. They are perfect for wine'n cheeses because they are as pleasing to the eye as to the palate. If you're lucky enough to be convenient to Brooklyn, New York, you can visit their physical store, but, if not, you can still order from their online store.
However, if you're ready to get creative, here are 4 basic cheeses you can make at home with a blender, an oven, and, if you want to get fancy, a dehydrator. Some of these are adapted from the amazing cookbook, "This Cheese is Nuts," by J Piatt, who is way better at making cheese than me. I highly recommend buying her cookbook!
1. Nacho Cheese Sauce / Cheese Dip
This is the easiest and one of the tastiest cheeses I know. Pure comfort food ... yet with a lot of nutrients for you at the same time. All you'll need are:
2 cups of raw cashews that have been soaked overnight in filtered water (or use soaked, mashed eggplant or tofu, if you prefer - experiment with tastes and textures you like) OR, if you are watching carbs or allergic to cashews, substitute about half an eggplant, boiled for 5-10 min until soft instead of the cashews
2 T chickpea miso paste,
1 T coconut oil,
1/4 c nutritional yeast,
1/2 t Celtic sea salt,
1 T fresh lemon juice, and
1 c HOT water (if you're using eggplant, instead of cashews, only use 1/2 a cup of water and you may have to add a pinch of cornstarch to thicken a tiny bit)
2 T baked butternut squash **optional, for a bit of sweetness and orange color**
Combine all those ingredients in a blender. Smother nachos and/or a pizza crust with it. Dip warm bread. Use it as cheese fondue! Bon Appétit
2. PepperJack Cheese
This one is so tasty yet is also the most complicated of the 4 and requires a 4 - 24 hour dehydration AND an overnight refrigeration before it's ready. It also takes practice if you don't have a dehydrator so just know it'll take a couple of tries before you get it perfect (unless you're a whiz in the kitchen, in which case, kudos to you!). You'll need:
1 cup of raw cashews that have been soaked overnight in filtered water (you can also substitute soaked, mashed eggplant or use tofu if you have nut allergies and, of course, minus out the pine nuts!)
1 cup pine nuts
1 t coconut oil
1/2 capsule acidophilus (make sure no gelatin in the capsule)
1 T nutritional yeast
1 T garlic powder
Black pepper
1/2 t chile pepper
1 t pink sea salt
1 jar red pepper flakes
fresh oregano
diced roasted red peppers *optional - play with adding these in after you've mastered the basic cheese in an amount to suit your tastes*
Throw everything in a blender except the oregano and blend away until it's well mixed. Place the mixture in a cheese mold, oiled with your coconut oil, smoothing the top with a spatula. If you have a dehydrator, put it in there at 90 degrees F for 24 hours. If you DON'T have a dehydrator, put it in your oven at the lowest possible setting for probably about 4 hours (you'll have to experiment a little - every oven seems to be a bit different). When that's done, your much dryer cheese mixture should be put in the fridge overnight. The next morning, take it out, and press red pepper flakes into the outside and garnish the top with your fresh oregano! It'll look and taste marvelous.
3. Cheddar Cheese
For this one, you'll need:
1 cup of raw cashews that have been soaked overnight in filtered water,
1/4 cup tapioca starch
Beta-Carotene (vegan) - this is optional and is to give it that orange color we associate with cheddar plus a little extra vitamin for you
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 t agar agar powder (avail at most health food stores)
1 t salt
Blend everything in your handy blender and then put it all in a saucepan. Stir it gently on a medium heat until it gets gooey and thick. Pop it into an oiled springform pan and refrigerate it overnight to set it in the mold. In the morning, you may need to use a knife to loosen the cheese from the mold and then pop it out and eat it up with crackers, bread, wine, or on its own. Yum! **Note, you can eat it as more of a cheddar spread straight from the pan if you can't wait for the overnight refrigeration part. That step just sets it and makes it more of a solid consistency.**
4. Gouda
The one tough part of this recipe is finding liquid smoke. You can make it without that ingredient but it really adds a tremendous deliciousness to the cheese. You'll need:
1/2 cup of raw almonds that have been soaked overnight in filtered water,
1/2 cup of raw cashews that have been soaked overnight in filtered water,
1/4 cup organic coconut oil
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 t pink sea salt
2 1/2 t agar agar flakes
1 t liquid smoke
1 drop of liquid beta carotene (just squeeze it out of a vitamin; make sure it doesn't contain gelatin)
Boil 4 cups of water and add your drained almonds for 1 minute and remove them. Blend all the ingredients except the liquid smoke until it's pretty smooth. Transfer it to a saucepan on medium heat and stir it gently until it thickens, then add the liquid smoke and stir it up! Pour the cheese into an oiled springform pan and let it cool about 5 minutes and then pop it in the fridge and leave it there overnight. In the morning, you'll have a lovely gouda to enjoy.
Again, lots more resources on this blog for all kinds of cheeses, cream cheese, sour cream, yogurt, etc. Just check the link above or the menu bar on the right side of this webpage. Happy eating! The cows, their calves and your complexion will all thank you!
Not to worry! I have a few awesome vegan cheese recipes (yes, you can!) to share. If attempting to make your own cheese is just the most absurd thing you've ever heard of, you can buy some really great ones, too. I have a list of recommended cruelty-free, dairy-free cheeses you can buy here. One of my top picks for store-bought cheese is Dr. Cow. I found them randomly one day in a health food store and have been in love with them ever since. Their cheeses are all organic, sustainable, plant-based, and vegan. They are fermented the way "real" cheeses are and they are perfect balance of somewhere in between a very hard and a soft cheese. I LOVE them. They are perfect for wine'n cheeses because they are as pleasing to the eye as to the palate. If you're lucky enough to be convenient to Brooklyn, New York, you can visit their physical store, but, if not, you can still order from their online store.
However, if you're ready to get creative, here are 4 basic cheeses you can make at home with a blender, an oven, and, if you want to get fancy, a dehydrator. Some of these are adapted from the amazing cookbook, "This Cheese is Nuts," by J Piatt, who is way better at making cheese than me. I highly recommend buying her cookbook!
1. Nacho Cheese Sauce / Cheese Dip
This is the easiest and one of the tastiest cheeses I know. Pure comfort food ... yet with a lot of nutrients for you at the same time. All you'll need are:
2 cups of raw cashews that have been soaked overnight in filtered water (or use soaked, mashed eggplant or tofu, if you prefer - experiment with tastes and textures you like) OR, if you are watching carbs or allergic to cashews, substitute about half an eggplant, boiled for 5-10 min until soft instead of the cashews
2 T chickpea miso paste,
1 T coconut oil,
1/4 c nutritional yeast,
1/2 t Celtic sea salt,
1 T fresh lemon juice, and
1 c HOT water (if you're using eggplant, instead of cashews, only use 1/2 a cup of water and you may have to add a pinch of cornstarch to thicken a tiny bit)
2 T baked butternut squash **optional, for a bit of sweetness and orange color**
Combine all those ingredients in a blender. Smother nachos and/or a pizza crust with it. Dip warm bread. Use it as cheese fondue! Bon Appétit
2. PepperJack Cheese
This one is so tasty yet is also the most complicated of the 4 and requires a 4 - 24 hour dehydration AND an overnight refrigeration before it's ready. It also takes practice if you don't have a dehydrator so just know it'll take a couple of tries before you get it perfect (unless you're a whiz in the kitchen, in which case, kudos to you!). You'll need:
1 cup of raw cashews that have been soaked overnight in filtered water (you can also substitute soaked, mashed eggplant or use tofu if you have nut allergies and, of course, minus out the pine nuts!)
1 cup pine nuts
1 t coconut oil
1/2 capsule acidophilus (make sure no gelatin in the capsule)
1 T nutritional yeast
1 T garlic powder
Black pepper
1/2 t chile pepper
1 t pink sea salt
1 jar red pepper flakes
fresh oregano
diced roasted red peppers *optional - play with adding these in after you've mastered the basic cheese in an amount to suit your tastes*
Throw everything in a blender except the oregano and blend away until it's well mixed. Place the mixture in a cheese mold, oiled with your coconut oil, smoothing the top with a spatula. If you have a dehydrator, put it in there at 90 degrees F for 24 hours. If you DON'T have a dehydrator, put it in your oven at the lowest possible setting for probably about 4 hours (you'll have to experiment a little - every oven seems to be a bit different). When that's done, your much dryer cheese mixture should be put in the fridge overnight. The next morning, take it out, and press red pepper flakes into the outside and garnish the top with your fresh oregano! It'll look and taste marvelous.
3. Cheddar Cheese
For this one, you'll need:
1 cup of raw cashews that have been soaked overnight in filtered water,
1/4 cup tapioca starch
Beta-Carotene (vegan) - this is optional and is to give it that orange color we associate with cheddar plus a little extra vitamin for you
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 t agar agar powder (avail at most health food stores)
1 t salt
Blend everything in your handy blender and then put it all in a saucepan. Stir it gently on a medium heat until it gets gooey and thick. Pop it into an oiled springform pan and refrigerate it overnight to set it in the mold. In the morning, you may need to use a knife to loosen the cheese from the mold and then pop it out and eat it up with crackers, bread, wine, or on its own. Yum! **Note, you can eat it as more of a cheddar spread straight from the pan if you can't wait for the overnight refrigeration part. That step just sets it and makes it more of a solid consistency.**
4. Gouda
The one tough part of this recipe is finding liquid smoke. You can make it without that ingredient but it really adds a tremendous deliciousness to the cheese. You'll need:
1/2 cup of raw almonds that have been soaked overnight in filtered water,
1/2 cup of raw cashews that have been soaked overnight in filtered water,
1/4 cup organic coconut oil
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 t pink sea salt
2 1/2 t agar agar flakes
1 t liquid smoke
1 drop of liquid beta carotene (just squeeze it out of a vitamin; make sure it doesn't contain gelatin)
Boil 4 cups of water and add your drained almonds for 1 minute and remove them. Blend all the ingredients except the liquid smoke until it's pretty smooth. Transfer it to a saucepan on medium heat and stir it gently until it thickens, then add the liquid smoke and stir it up! Pour the cheese into an oiled springform pan and let it cool about 5 minutes and then pop it in the fridge and leave it there overnight. In the morning, you'll have a lovely gouda to enjoy.
Again, lots more resources on this blog for all kinds of cheeses, cream cheese, sour cream, yogurt, etc. Just check the link above or the menu bar on the right side of this webpage. Happy eating! The cows, their calves and your complexion will all thank you!
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