Have you ever had 'vegan-cheese'? It's gunna rock your world!
This homemade version is 10x better than anything I've ever bought in store- try it out! 😉
I make vegan cheese like it's nobody's business. I used to eat cheese on everything and so I have a soft-spot for the taste, texture and overall flavor it brought to my meals before I changed up my diet to be plant-based/vegan.
My Italian chef poppa has been visiting and he LOVES cheese... I mean he has been trying to temp me and tease me the whole time he's been here so I decided to whip up my quickest (but so yummy) recipe so he could see not only how easy it can be but also how delicious!
My friend @deliciousplants happens to be hosting THE VEGAN CHEESE CHALLENGE this week so what a perfect time to drop this recipe!
Let me show you what we're workin' with!
What you need:
- 1/2 cup soaked almonds (see instructions)
- 1/2 lemon (juice only)
- 1-3 cloves garlic depending on your tastebuds (I use 3-5 because I LOVE garlic!)
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs filtered water
- 1 tsp sea salt
What to do:
- Soak almonds at least overnight before you want to make your cheese in filtered water.
- In the morning or after about 8-12 hours (ideal for almonds), drain the almonds and now you can either repeat this process or use them now if you're in a hurry! The more you let them soak, the cheesier taste you'll get!)
- If you're soaking again, repeat the last step, let them soak for another 8-12 hours, drain and now you're ready to go.
- Take the soaked almonds, lemon, garlic, oil, water, salt and blend together until smooth.
- Keep adding in water as needed until you get a nice, creamy spread!
TIPS:
- Add more lemon juice if you want a more intense flavor!
- Add nutritional yeast for more cheesy-ness!
- Add any seasoning you want: herbs, dried tomato, chillies, dried onion etc! Have fun with it!
- Once your mixture is smooth, it's best to have it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours before eating but you know me and I just eat mine straight up, right away because I am the worst at waiting! 😉
- Store in airtight container in the fridge!
That is really it! Can you believe it?!
So easy I can't even complain about it and so delicious it pulls me into the kitchen anytime I'm craving something 'cheesy'... of course, I always have a little bit on hand for emergencies! 😉 I have found that this will last for about a week but I always check it with the smell test to be sure!
Hope you enjoy it! It goes great on bread, crackers, potatoes, salad... hmmmm... I don't know anything it's not good on. Just flop it on anything you're eating! 😉
I truly believe we can heal ourselves through food and it is my mission in life to create and inspire delicious, mouth watering creations that are beneficial and packed full of plant based goodies to fuel our bodies, minds and lives!
Just a friendly reminder to all that I am hosting a very vegan contest click here to see the post explaining how to get involved! Anyone can enter and anyone can win as long as you follow the rules! 💖
Until next time!
Sending you love through food,
XO,
