When I became a vegan 7 years ago, I thought the most difficult part would be giving up cheese because cheese and wine used to be my favorite things. But then I started experimenting with various nuts and seeds to create my mouth watering cheese. This is an excerpt from my brand new cookbook “Live Love Light and Fruits from Olenko’s Kitchen and Friends” which can be purchased on Amazon here: http://a.co/0Co4BAw or you can purchase the e-book here: https://gum.co/Nbixd
That’s So Cheesy Vegan Macadamia Cheese
Serves 2-4
2 cups macadamia nuts or cashews,
soaked for 2 hours
1 teaspoon vegan probiotic
1 teaspoon dried onion flakes
1/3 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1/3 teaspoon salt
dried rosemary or thyme (optional)
TIp: When you make vegan cheese, raw
or cooked, you can add agar agar, Irish moss, tapioca, or arrowroot flour if you want a denser,
cheesier, and gooier texture. Just experiment
with adding a little bit of each to the cheese recipes in this chapter.
Directions:
- Process soaked nuts in a high-speed blender with enough water to cover the nuts.
- Using a nut milk bag, strain the mixture (save the strained milk for desserts, smoothies, or a coffee creamer).
- Place the pulp and the remaining ingredients in a blender and mix until well combined.
- Form mixture into a shape—you can use a stainless steel circle—and place on a Teflon sheet.
- Dehydrate at 110°F for 12 hours or longer. Flip cheese over halfway through. You will get a crust on the outside, but the cheese will be soft inside. (The longer you dehydrate it, the crunchier it will be.)
- Keep in a refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Variations: For the look of blue cheese, add a pinch of spirulina powder.
- To make fermented cheese, add 1/3 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vegan probiotic, 1 teaspoon dried onion flakes, 1/3 teaspoon nutritional yeast, and spices of your choice.
- You can also use Brazil nuts or walnuts.
- If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can still make this cheese, but it won’t be raw. Use the lowest setting on the oven and bake it for about 45–60 minutes.
