Cheeses

Tofu Ricotta

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INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 package extra firm tofu

  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

  • 1/2 lemon

  • 2 teaspoons miso paste

  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic

  • 1/2 onion

  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Wrap tofu in a clean kitchen towel or some paper towels and place a few books on top for 15 minutes to help remove excess liquid.

  2. Add onion to a food processor or high speed blender and blend until the onion is minced.

  3. Add the remaining ingredients to the onion and blend on high, scraping down the sides as needed, until the mixture is smooth.

  4. Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 5 days.

 

 

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Fried Vegan Mozzarella Bites

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Oh mozzarella cheese, how I loved you in all of your many forms.

Soft, shredded, on pizza, in a caprese salad, in lasagna, any way at all. But most of all FRIED and dipped in marinara.

So once going vegan I had to, HAD TO, find a way to mimic soft mozzarella. It is the cheese I missed the very most and could not imagine a world where I would not longer eat mozzarella!

Honestly, hard cheeses are really easy, and coming up with a shreddable mozzarella wasn’t too hard, but what stumped me was a soft vegan mozzarella, one that I could make my favorite salad with!

This may not be my easiest cheese recipe, but it is certainly not difficult. Just a little more time consuming than some agar quick set cheeses. This cheese cooks up like a regular agar cheese, but instead of pouring it into a mold, you scoop the mixture and drop it into ice cold water, causing it to quickly set into soft vegan mozzarella cheese balls!

It’s brilliant really! Agar agar will begin to set at room temperature, so dropping this cheese mixture into ice cold water will have it set into a ball almost instantly! It still needs some time in the fridge to completely set, but over all, this recipe is really easy, quick, and pretty straightforward.

Now, before you glance at the ingredients and gawk at addition of sauerkraut, hear me out. It works! It adds a fermented briny-ness (is that a word, if not it is now on this blog if nowhere else) that a lot of vegan cheese recipes are missing. You will never even be able to taste it in the cheese, but I adds a kick that you would miss if you didn’t add it! You gotta trust me here!

So don’t be intimidated and try your hand at making this soft mozzarella!! I think you will be surprised at how easy it is and how close it mimics the real deal! And trust me when I tell you, you want to fry it up and dip it in your favorite marinara sauce ( or my fave is vegan honey mustard..sounds weird maybe but its soooo good)

Use 1/2 a batch of vegan mozzarella, or a whole batch if you are extra hungry. Just double the following recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 batch vegan soft mozzarella

  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour

  • 2 flax eggs

  • 1/2 cup dairy free milk (I use unsweetened almond)

  • 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder

  • Oil for frying

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Cut 4 - 5 mozzarella balls into quarters.

  2. Add flour to a shallow dish.

  3. In a deeper dish, whisk together 2 flax eggs and 1/2 cup of non-dairy milk.

  4. In another dish mix Italian seasoning, garlic powder and panko.

  5. Start by dredging the mozzarella pieces first in flour, completely covering the pieces.

  6. Next, dip the bites in the flax egg mix, letting the excess drip off a little.

  7. Now, lay the pieces in the panko, gently pressing in the crumbs so they stick to all sides.

  8. Lay coated mozzarella on a plate.

  9. Fill a medium size skillet halfway with oil and heat on medium/high heat until nice and hot.

  10. Once oil is hot, add the mozzarella in batches. Just be careful not to over crowd the pan.

  11. Let the cheese bites fry on each side until brown and crispy before turning.

  12. Take a cooling rack, and place it on top of a paper towel line cookie sheet. Place finished mozzarella bites on the rack while you finish frying the rest.

  13. Serve with a side of marinara sauce.

Any leftovers can be reheated in a 350 degree oven for 10 - 15 minutes or until heated through.

Vegan Soft Mozzarella Cheese

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Oh mozzarella cheese, how I loved you in all of your many forms.

Soft, shredded, on pizza, in a caprese salad, in lasagna, any way at all.

So once going vegan I had to, HAD TO, find a way to mimic soft mozzarella. It is the cheese I missed the very most and could not imagine a world where I would not longer eat mozzarella!

Honestly, hard cheeses are really easy, and coming up with a shreddable mozzarella wasn’t too hard, but what stumped me was a soft vegan mozzarella, one that I could make my favorite salad with!

This may not be my easiest cheese recipe, but it is certainly not difficult. Just a little more time consuming than some agar quick set cheeses. This cheese cooks up like a regular agar cheese, but instead of pouring it into a mold, you scoop the mixture and drop it into ice cold water, causing it to quickly set into soft vegan mozzarella cheese balls!

It’s brilliant really! Agar agar will begin to set at room temperature, so dropping this cheese mixture into ice cold water will have it set into a ball almost instantly! It still needs some time in the fridge to completely set, but over all, this recipe is really easy, quick, and pretty straightforward.

Now, before you glance at the ingredients and gawk at addition of sauerkraut, hear me out. It works! It adds a fermented briny-ness (is that a word, if not it is now on this blog if nowhere else) that a lot of vegan cheese recipes are missing. You will never even be able to taste it in the cheese, but I adds a kick that you would miss if you didn’t add it! You gotta trust me here!

This vegan soft mozzarella will keep in the fridge for about a week and will work perfectly for a caprese salad, sliced on top of pizza, diced on a green salad, or in any recipe where you are missing soft mozzarella!

So don’t be intimidated and try your hand at making this soft mozzarella!! I think you will be surprised at how easy it is and how close it mimics the real deal!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup cashews soaked over night or microwaved for 3 minutes in 1 and 1/2 cups water, then drained.

  • 1/2 cup sauerkraut, without the juice

  • 1/4 cup plant based milk

  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic

  • 3 tablespoons tapioca starch

  • 2 tablespoons triple filtered coconut oil

  • 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast

  • 1 teaspoon of salt

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 2 teaspoons agar powder

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS: 

  1. Add drained cashews, and all other ingredients EXCEPT the water and agar to a high speed blender or food processor.

  2. Blend on high until the mixture is completely smooth. You may need to scrape the sides down a few times to make sure all of the cashew bits get processed.

  3. Fill a large bowl halfway with water and a cup of ice. Stir in a few teaspoons of salt and place next to your stove top.

  4. In a medium sized pot, bring water and agar powder to a boil.

  5. Once it is boiling reduce heat to med/low.

  6. Mix the cashew mixture into the water and agar, stirring continuously unit it becomes thick and stretchy. This will take just a couple of minutes, as it comes together pretty quickly. Just keep stirring and scraping the cheese from the sides of the pot. It will resemble a stretchy dough/ batter and scoop easily once it is ready.

  7. With a medium size cookie scoop (or you can use a large spoon or ice cream scoop) scoop out balls of mozzarella and drop them into the bowl of ice water.

  8. Once all of the mozzarella balls are formed and in the water, place the bowl in the fridge for about an hour, or until the mozzarella has firmed up a bit.

  9. Once firm, remove mozzarella and place in zip lock bags or a shallow storage container adding just a little of the liquid brine for storage. You don’t need to fully cover them. Just add a little of the liquid so they do not dry out.

Store in fridge for up to 5 days

 

 

Vegan Parmesan Cheese

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup raw cashews 
  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Put all in ingredients into a food processor and pulse until crumbly.
  2. Store in an air tight container in the fridge.

Smoky Cashew Cheddar

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Hard vegan cheeses are easier than most people think.

Agar is vegan gelatin that you can easily find online or in your local asian food market that helps the cheese to solidify. You can find it in powdered or flake form.  

I love this recipe because you can slice and even shred this cheese. If you are not a fan of smokey cheeses, just eliminate the liquid smoke and you will still be left with a tasty cheddar, perfect for sandwiches, cheese plates, tacos, and more.

 Also this recipe uses triple filtered coconut oil. I buy mine at Trader Joe's. Triple filtered coconut oil does not have a coconut flavor like regular coconut oil, so if you choose to use regular, you may find the cheese will have a hint of coconut flavor to it.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons dry cashews

  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon onion powser

  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 2 teaspoons paprika

  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

  • 1 teapspoon liquid smoke

  • 1 and 3/4 cups almond or coconut milk

  • 8 teaspoons of agar powder

  • 1/4 cup triple filtered coconut oil

  • 2 teaspoons light miso paste

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. In a food processor, combine cashews, nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, garlic, paprika, and turmeric. Pulse until the nuts are well ground. DO NOT OVER PULSE. You don’t want to end up with cashew butter.

  2. In a medium sized sauce pan, combine milk, agar, and oil, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. You want the mixture to thicken to a thin pudding like consistency.

  3. Add the liquid mixture to the nut mixture in the food processor, along with the miso, liquid smoke, and vinegar.

  4. Mix for a few minutes until all of the ingredients are well incorporated, and smooth.

  5. Pour the cheese mixture into 2 - 3 ramekins or small bowls, and let cool uncovered in the refrigerator for serval hours to firm up.

  6. Store in an air tight container for up to one week in the refrigerator.

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Vegan "Meaty" Cheddar Queso

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Vegan “Meaty” Cheddar Queso

In college I waited tables at popular casual dinning restaurant. Not naming names, but one of our jingles involved baby baby ribs, and customers thought it was hilarious to ask us to sing it.

But hey, the job got me through college!

One of our most popular appetizers was a chili queso dip in a skillet, and I probably ate my weight in this dip before I was vegan. I have not eaten that dip in forever, but I think of it often and knew I needed to try and create a vegan version.

This one did not disappoint, and I can still eat my weight in it! You can use any store bought meatless crumble, vegan sausage, or you could even use your own vegan crumble recipe.

I love to roll up warm flour tortillas and dip them into this cheesy, spicy, magic! It also makes a delicious enchilada or quesadilla filling!

INGREDIENTS:

Cashew Queso:

  • 1 bag of frozen spicy meatless crumbles or vegan sausage (we like Beyond Meat brand, but use your favorite) or one package of vegan chorizo ( I like Trader Joe’s soy chorizo)

  • 1 cup cashews soaked in hot water for one hour or microwaved for 3 minutes

  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

  • 2 teaspoons of miso paste or 2 tablespoons sauerkraut with out the juice

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon of turmeric

  • 1 - 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

  • 1/4 cup of tapioca/corn starch or arrow root powder

  • 2 cups of water

  • 1 small can of chili peppers

  • a few shakes of favorite hot sauce

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Add all ingredients except the, crumbles, chilis and hot sauce to a high speed blender or food processor.

  2. Process and blend on high until the mixture is completely smooth (no lumps at all).

  3. Transfer the mixture to a medium size pot and cook on medium heat, stirring with a whisk continually until the mixture thickens.

  4. Once the queso gets to a pudding like texture remove it from the heat and mix in the chilis and hot sauce.

  5. Heat the crumbles in a pan until cooked.

  6. In a baking dish or smalls cast iron skillet, combine the queso and cooked crumbles. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serve with chips, rolled tortillas, or veggies. Add to burritos or enchiladas. 

My favorite vegan cookbook is “Veganize It!” by Robin Robertson. I adapted her recipe for cashew “cheese” sauce and created this queso. If you omit the hot sauce and chiles, and meat you will be left with a very versatile cheddar “cheese” sauce.

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Vegan Pimento Cheese

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Vegan Pimento Cheese

When I was a kid my step mom always kept a tub of pimento cheese in our fridge.

It completely grossed me out. Not that I ever once tried it, I just somewhere along the line decide I didi’t like it and that was that.

Flash forward to becoming an adult, and it is now one of my absolute favorite things. And now I want to cry for all those lost years where I could have been and should have been eating one of my most favorite foods.

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I make a lot of homemade vegan cheese. Often I make a quick coconut cheddar to whip up a batch of pimento cheese and recently posted a recipe for an easy coconut milk pimento flavored cheddar to make the most perfect batch of pimento cheese spread even. If you are feeling frisky and want to try your hand at cheese making, I have over 30 cheese recipes for you to try! You can also any pre made store bought vegan cheese you like.

The secret ingredients to a perfect pimento cheese are onion and vegan cream cheese! The onion adds a new element of flavor and the cream cheese adds more cheese goodness while lending some more creaminess to the spread.

Vegan Cream Cheese

Vegan Cream Cheese

If you like you pimento cheese a little spicy you can add a few splashes of hot sauce to the mix to add some heat as well.

So go forth and make the most delicious vegan pimento cheese. And if you have some preconceived notion that its gross, trust me and just try it. You don’t want to be like me with all those years wasted not eating the most delicious cheesy spread. You just can’t get those years back, y'all!

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INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 bag of cheddar shreds or one batch of our homemade Pimento Cheddar Cheese

  • 1/3 cup vegan cream cheese, homemade or store-bought

  • 2 tablespoons of vegan mayo

  • 2-3 table spoons diced pimentos, drained

  • 1/4 of a small onion diced

  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1 teaspoon all purpose greek seasoning (optional)

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard

  • salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir until well mixed. That's it! It's so easy! Serve on crackers or as a sandwich.

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Vegan Cashew Queso

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Dipping a yellow corn chip in a bowl of cashew queso

This is hands down the best vegan queso I have ever had, and I have eaten a lot!

Growing up I would beg my parents to go out to eat at our local Mexican restaurant just for the white cheese dip. Nothing changed when I grew up, and I often just went to eat the chips and dip.

Seriously cheese was my struggle going vegan and missing my favorite cheese dip was extra hard.

Then one day I was cooking up a cashew cheese sauce for something else and had half a pot leftover. I walked by with a chip and randomly dipped it in and nearly lost my mind….why had it not occurred to me sooner. I dumped in a can of green chilis and some hot sauce and my world was forever changed!!

I mention using sauerkraut in the recipe and I need you to hear me out. Sauerkraut is fermented and tangy…like cheese. I am often asked if miso can be replaced or omitted and it can, with the kraut. I personally always add kraut to all of my cheese sauces for an extra tangy kick. You would NEVER EVER IN ONE MILLION GAZILLION YEARS guess it was in there. Try it! Trust me. If I have not earned your trust by now, I think we need might need to look into some couples counseling. Just saying.

This dip is sooooo good that util life got too buys I made weekly batches of it for neighbors and friends. Non vegan neighbors and friends! Everyone loves it and is always shocked it’s vegan.

It’s smooth, creamy, spicy, cheesy, perfection in a bowl.

Use it as dip, a filling for enchiladas with refried beans, in quesadillas, or on nachos!! Because we are adding tapioca starch, the longer you cook this cheese, the thicker and stretchier it will become. So if you want to use it for an enchilada or a quesadilla, just cook it a bit longer. And if you accidentally cook it for too long and need to thin it out, just whisk in more water. Easy peasy. Don’t panic.

Just remember DON’T STOP WHISKING WHILE IT COOKS. This will ensure you get a super creamy and smooth queso, Lumpy queso is weird and unappealing and nobody wants that now do they?

This queso will keep for about a week, so it’s perfect for weekend meal prep, or keep a batch in the fridge for quick and easy weeknight dinners.

I think this calls for a celebrations, so might as well whip up a batch of margaritas while you are at it, and cheers to being able to eat the best chip dip on the planet once more!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup cashews soaked in hot water for one hour or microwaved for three minutes

  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

  • 2 teaspoons of miso paste, or 2 tablespoons sauerkraut without the juice

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 5 tablespoons of tapioca starch, corn starch, or arrow root powder

  • 2 cups of water

  • 1 small can of chili peppers

  • A few shakes of your favorite hot sauce

A bowl of cashew queso

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Add all ingredients, except the chilis and hot sauce, to a high speed blender or food processor.

  2. Process and blend on high until the mixture is completely smooth (no lumps at all).

  3. Transfer the mixture to a medium size pot and cook on medium heat, stirring with a whisk continually until the mixture thickens.

  4. Once the queso gets to a pudding like texture, remove it from the heat, and mix in the chilis and hot sauce.

  5. Store in the fridge for up to a week.

My favorite vegan cookbook is “Veganize It!” by Robin Robertson. I adapted her recipe for cashew “cheese” sauce and created this queso. If you omit the hot sauce and chiles, you will be left with a very versatile white “cheese” sauce.

A bowl of cashew queso surrounded by yellow corn chips.