Archive for the ‘vegan cheese’ Category

• Herb Vegan Goat Cheese

  Date: 2012.05.07 | Category: food and recipes, French cuisine, non-dairy products, Salads, vegan cheese | Response: 0

  

  Vegan Goat Cheese

  Sorry for not having posted for a while. I am taking advantage of being in the South of France visiting my parents to try out some new French inspired dishes. While I do not miss any of the cow cheese I used to enjoy when I was a carnivore, goat cheese, on the other hand, was more delicate, naturally low fat and milder in flavor. So I attempted to recreate a dairy-free version from scratch. It turns out that organic firm tofu lends itself really well to the recipe. Truth be told, I wasn’t able to get the exact consistency of goat cheese, but obtained something in between what could be used as ricotta (if kept more moist) and soft goat cheese. Not bad at all! The taste is quite nice and the result is great addition to a vegan caesar salad or on top of spring mix. I can’t wait to harvest the tomatoes in my garden and make this stunning vegan goat cheese with homemade rosemary crackers!

  

  Homemade Vegan goat cheese

  INGREDIENTS: 

  2 cup of organic firm tofu
   2 tsp nutritional yeast
  2 Tbl light miso paste
  2 tsp onion powder
  2 medium roasted garlic cloves
   4 Tbl lemon juice
  2 Tbl virgin olive oil
  Salt & pepper to taste 
  1 cup fresh basil leaves

   

   

  PREPARATION:

  1. Cube the tofu and place in medium pan. Cover with some water with a little salt and bring to boil. Let it simmer for 4-5 minutes without a lid. Drain and let it cool of. This step will make the tofu more firm.

  2. Process the remaining ingredients minus the fresh basil until pureed.

  3. Pour into a bowl and add the fine strips of fresh basil, mix again.
  Taste, add salt and pepper if needed.

  4. Line a ramequin or a small glass container with some ceranwrap.

  

  Vegan goat cheese

  5. Spoon the tofu mixture making sure that it is pushed evenly all the way to the top. Refrigerate for a few hours.

  6. When it is time to serve, flip the dish and remove the plastic film preserving the shape and place on a salad or serve with crackers.

  NOTE: If you don’t eat soy products, no worry, you can use pine nuts, see recipe at  the Vegenista.

  Bon appétit everyone

• Vegan Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich

  Date: 2012.02.17 | Category: American, Dairy free, Entrees, food and recipes, vegan cheese | Response: 0

  

  Low fat, guilt-free cheese steak sandwich!

  Now, why would a vegan, ever care to create a veganized version of a Philly cheese steak sandwich? Even though I have had my fair share of food containing animal parts and by-products while growing up in France, I must confess that I have never tasted a steak sandwich during my carnivorous years in the US. For some reason, it didn’t appeal to me! But yesterday, my girl friend suggested I made one for lunch using some Tofurky deli slices she had bought. I thought why not? I did a little research online since I was a neophyte in the art of steak sandwich! But how complicated could it be?

  Turns out, it is fairly simple and doesn’t require a lot
  ingredients. So I was able to whip out a really delicious, low fat
  counterfit thereof!  That was pretty cool! I didn’t have French
  rolls on hand, so I decided to go for an open sandwich. It is less
  bread that way. We were good to go!

  

  Roast beef Style Tofurky - Yum!

  INGREDIENTS for 2 people:

  4 slices of good French bread (toasted or not)
  1/2 package of tofurkey roastbeef style
  1-2 medium white or yellow onions sliced
  1 Tbl balsamic vinegar
  1 Tbl soy sauce
  4-7 peperoncinis per person
  1/2 red pepper (if you digest them)

  

  daiya pepperjack shreds

  1/3 cup Daiya cheese Pepperjack Style shreds*

  PUTTING IT TOGETHER:

  1. Start slicing the onion.
  2. Put a little vegetable oil in a frying pan and cook the onions over medium heat.
  3. Sprinkle some balsamic vinegar and mix with the onion, then add the soy sauce. Cover and mix from time to time. Add a little water if needed until the onions are translucent.
  4. Open the Tofurky package and separate the slices. Slice in strips.
  5. If you can digest bell peppers, take a half red or green pepper, remove the stem, the seeds and slice in thin strips.
  6. We used pickled pepperoncini  instead and it worked out even better because they were pickled and didn’t need much cooking.
  7. Mix the peppers or pepperoncini to the onion mixture. Cook the peppers for a few minutes or until they are more tender.
  8. Toast the bread if you would like, not if you are using French rolls.
  9. In the frying pan, create 4 separate portions and sprinkle some of the daiya pepperjack shreds and cover to melt in.
  10. Place the bread on plates and quickly serve the steak mixture being careful to keep the melted cheese on top. It may require a spatula and a spoon to transfer successfully.

  *if you can’t find daiya pepperjack style shreds, don’t worry, if you only have regular daiya cheese, just add some sea salt, black pepper, paprika and a touch of chili powder.

  

  Your Vegan philly cheese steak sandwich is served!

   

  Bon appétit !

  By the way, this sandwich is cholesterol free (only animal products and by-products contain cholesterol), low fat (just the oil for stir-frying the onions and what’s in the cheese on top!) I used no mayonnaise or dressing for the bread because it doesn’t need it! You actually could lose weight on this! Un-believable!

  So enjoy and indulge because there is nothing to be guilty about!
  You saved a cow, made a great sandwich in the process, discovered a delicious new lunch dish… Life is sweet! 

• Vegan Cheese Ball

  Date: 2011.12.12 | Category: appetizer, Dairy free, food and recipes, gluten free recipes, Holidays, non-dairy products, vegan cheese, wheat free | Response: 0

  

  Vegan Cheese Ball

  Here is a great appetizer everyone will enjoy around the holidays and for any party. Who knew that you could make a dairy-free cheese ball? Warning!  This ‘cheese’ ball disappears as soon as it is served so make sure to make a double batch if you have a big crowd! You get all the flavor and none of the guilt because this version has no saturated fat or cholesterol. So you can have your cheese ball and eat it too!

  Ingredients:
  1 cup blanched almonds
  1/2 cup pine nuts
  1/2 cup of firm tofu well drained
  1 Tbl nutritional yeast (optional)
  1 tsp red wine vinegar
  1 tsp vegetable oil
  2 drops of liquid smoke
  2 tsp onion powder
  1/2 tsp salt
  2 Tbl fresh chives

  Preparation:

  1. Place the almonds, the pine nuts and process quickly.
  2. Squeeze as much water from the tofu.
  3. Add the tofu, the olive oil, the liquid smoke, the onion powder and salt and blend.
  4. You may need to stop and mix with a spoon.
  5. Pour the mix in a bowl and fold in the chives.
  6. Make a ball and wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate overnight.
  7. The next day, crunch 1 cup of walnuts into small pieces and roll the ball to cover it completely.
  8. Serve with crackers, celery sticks or bread slices.

  Notes:
  You can make a garlicky version or use fine herbs of your choice.
  Be creative and let me know how it turned out.

  Bon appetit !