Vegan Cheese Recipe
Here is one of my favourite cheese recipes of all time!
Equipment
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Cheesecloth
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw sunflower seeds (or any nut of your choice)
- 1 small Fresh Ginger, minced (~1/2 tbsp)
- 1/4 tsp Ginger Powder
- 1/2 lemon or lime (zested)
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1/4 tsp Sea salt
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/4 tsp Mix of spices: cumin-corinader-fennel grinded (Optional)
- 2 tbsp Finely minced fresh dill, parsley, mint (Serving)
Instructions
- Place seeds or nuts in a bowl and cover with cool water. Cover with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator to soak for 12 hours. Drain seeds/nuts thoroughly and add to food processor. Add all ingredients. Process until very creamy and smooth, scraping down sides and adding additional water as needed. Then taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more lemon zest for tartness, nutritional yeast for cheesiness, ginger for zing, or salt for flavor + balance
- Place a fine mesh strainer (or colander) over a large mixing bowl, and lay down two layers of cheesecloth (or a clean, fine, absorbent towel)
- Use a spatula to scoop all cheese over the cheesecloth, then gather the corners and twist the top gently to form the cheese into a “disc.” Secure with a rubber band
- Place in refrigerator to set for at least 6 hours, preferably 12, or until excess moisture has been wicked away, and it holds its form when released from the cheesecloth. The longer it sits in the fridge the more it will firm up
- To serve, unwrap from cheesecloth and gently invert onto a serving platter. Reform with hands or cheesecloth as needed, then coat with chopped herbs and a bit more lemon zest (optional). It is fragile, so handle gently
- Enjoy chilled with seed crackers or vegetables. Cheese will hold its form for 1-2 hours out of the refrigerator, but best when chilled
- Leftovers keep well covered in the refrigerator up to 5 days