Vegan Blue "Cheese"
This week I am trying to eat a vegan diet. If you know me, or have followed my blog for a while, then you know that I eat 80% vegetarian, and enjoy seafood or poultry every now and then. I love a good steak too, but that is usually a once-every-few-months treat.
Now as a "Mostly Vegetarian", I have felt justified in leaving the dairy in my diet. After all, dairy products are an excellent source of protein, calcium, and yadda yadda yadda...Thus making the leap to veganism is not as easy as one might think. I love cheese. No, seriously, I really LOVE and ADORE cheese. I have been known to tell people that cheese is proof the Universe wants us to be happy! So, going Vegan was not even on my radar until I stumbled across a recipe for Vegan Blue Cheese and Vegan Cheddar spread. Naturally I altered both recipes a bit, and with very good results. They are both actually pretty delicious, and I'll be darned if they don't actually come frighteningly close to the real deal!
Here is my new recipe for Vegan Blue Cheese. Don't let the ingredients list frighten you. Everything you need can be gotten at your local Whole Foods.
Vega Blue "Cheese"
1 cup raw cashews soaked for 2-3 hours in warm water
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. white miso
1 Tbs. unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tsp. nutritional yeast *(see note below)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. kelp granuals
1/8 tsp. spirulina powder
Combine the first 7 ingredients in a food processor. Purée until very smooth. Scrape into a plastic container
-reserving 2 Tbs. in a different bowl-and smooth out the mixture so that it lays flat. Add the spirulina to the smaller bowl of cheese mix and stir until homogenized and you have a dark green color throughout.
Spread the green cheese mix over the top of the rest of the cheese mix. swirl a knife around a few times just to get a marbled effect.
DO NOT COVER, and chill open 12-24 hours to let the cheese dry out and harden a bit. This will still not be a "crumbly" blue cheese, but more of a creamy style. Scoop out in small spoonfuls to use as a topping for burgers, fruit, or crackers.
Now as a "Mostly Vegetarian", I have felt justified in leaving the dairy in my diet. After all, dairy products are an excellent source of protein, calcium, and yadda yadda yadda...Thus making the leap to veganism is not as easy as one might think. I love cheese. No, seriously, I really LOVE and ADORE cheese. I have been known to tell people that cheese is proof the Universe wants us to be happy! So, going Vegan was not even on my radar until I stumbled across a recipe for Vegan Blue Cheese and Vegan Cheddar spread. Naturally I altered both recipes a bit, and with very good results. They are both actually pretty delicious, and I'll be darned if they don't actually come frighteningly close to the real deal!
Here is my new recipe for Vegan Blue Cheese. Don't let the ingredients list frighten you. Everything you need can be gotten at your local Whole Foods.
Vega Blue "Cheese"
1 cup raw cashews soaked for 2-3 hours in warm water
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. white miso
1 Tbs. unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tsp. nutritional yeast *(see note below)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. kelp granuals
1/8 tsp. spirulina powder
-reserving 2 Tbs. in a different bowl-and smooth out the mixture so that it lays flat. Add the spirulina to the smaller bowl of cheese mix and stir until homogenized and you have a dark green color throughout.
Spread the green cheese mix over the top of the rest of the cheese mix. swirl a knife around a few times just to get a marbled effect.
DO NOT COVER, and chill open 12-24 hours to let the cheese dry out and harden a bit. This will still not be a "crumbly" blue cheese, but more of a creamy style. Scoop out in small spoonfuls to use as a topping for burgers, fruit, or crackers.
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