Veganuary Inspired Nut Cheese
Words by Blanka Priddle
Trying out Vegnuary but missing cheese? Blanka Priddle comes to your rescue with this delicious, creamy, nut-based alternative.
Every year, as we collectively wake up from the indulgences of the festive season, it has become a tradition for thousands of people from all over the world to lighten up their plates for the benefit of their bodies. In recent years, there has also been a movement that attempts to lighten the load on the planet by partaking in Veganuary and eating plant-based meals during the first month of the new year. I think the concept of eating plant-based food in January is a fun and accessible one; there is a lot of support online, with ideas and recipes, helping you to plan your meals and make your mealtimes delicious. You can read more about how it all started here [https://uk.veganuary.com/blog/behind-the-scenes-at-veganuary/].
Today I’m sharing a recipe for a cream cheese alternative made from nuts. I am in no way saying that this will taste exactly like dairy cheese, it’s similar to whipped seasoned ricotta and is delicious in its own right. It’s been a great success at my seasonal retreats.
Soft nut cheese
Ingredients
1 cup cashews
¼ cup macadamias
¼ cup pine nuts
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp white miso paste (for that yummy umami flavour!)
1 tsp nutritional yeast flakes (or more but be careful as it can become quite overpowering)
1 tbsp olive oil, use the best you have
1 tsp salt
Juice of 1 lemon, add gradually to your own taste
¼ cup of water – you may not need all, just enough to achieve a soft spreadable consistency
1 probiotic capsule, or 1/8 tsp probiotic powder
Chives, or your favourite herbs, cracked black pepper, chilli flakes etc
Method:
Soak the nuts for 8 hours, or overnight.
Discard the water. Then add the soaked nuts to a food processor together with all other ingredients apart from the probiotics. Use lemon juice and water sparingly and add as you process it all together, to achieve both taste and consistency to your liking.
When the mixture is super smooth, add the probiotic powder and mix it in. Please note that because of the macadamias, the mixture will not be completely silky, it will feel just a tad grainy. I actually prefer it this way, I like to feel a little bit of texture, but if you are looking for completely smooth cheese, replace the macadamias with more cashews, or with more pine nuts for a very indulgent experience.
Place the mix into a clean sterilised jar and leave at room temperature for 4 to 8 hours. The length will depend on how warm your kitchen is, and also how much you want your cheese to ferment; it will become tangier and fluffier the longer you leave it. Once you are happy, to stop the fermentation process, put your cheese to the fridge.
To serve, stir in a handful of chopped chives, or decorate with other finely chopped herbs such as thyme, parsley or even finely chopped spring onion. Tastes wonderful on raw crackers, Ryvita or fresh rye sourdough bread. You can also serve it with a selection of vegetable crudités such as celery, carrots, radishes or chicory leaves.
If you would like a firmer cheese: once fermented to your liking, you can wrap the mixture in a cheese-cloth and leave it overnight in the fridge, sitting in a sieve over a bowl, weighted down with a jar filled with water or something else heavy. The weight helps the cheese release liquid and firm up so you can slice it, pat it into a shape and roll it in cracked black pepper, any of aforementioned fresh herbs or even chilli flakes for some heat, or crumble it over a salad or some Veganuary inspired pasta.
Last taste note – unless you are also doing a dry January – dare I say it – any version of this goes rather well with a well-chilled glass of Pinot Gris.
Enjoy!
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February 22nd 2020
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