How about some vegan Garden veggie Cheese Spread? Sounds good right, or does it turn you off when you hear its vegan? Well although it is vegan, this one is creamy, and bursting with flavor that you will not realize it’s vegan.
No Dairy for me
I am a cheese lover, and the hardest part of going paleo was giving up cheese. Cheese is so delicious in every form and offers so much variety in flavor, texture and taste. The reason I stopped with dairy products was because they just didn’t agree with me, they left me feeling bloated. I am not lactose intolerant, however once I quit dairy I realized the difference. Many people don’t realize the havoc dairy may cause their bodies as it is hard to digest, and can cause inflammation.
This does not mean dairy of cheese it bad, as there are different kinds and qualities. Now that I have been off dairy for a while, my body has repaired and I can tolerate it a little. Therefore if I do eat cheese or dairy I look for top quality grass fed, clean cheesed that are aged and preferably goat or sheep milk. That being said, life without cheese is no fun, so I have experimented a lot with vegan cheese.
Vegan Cheese
Vegan cheese can vary in taste, texture and quality. It is key to read ingredients as just because it is vegan doesn’t mean it’s healthy. My rule is if you don’t understand or can’t pronounce the ingredients you do not want to eat it. I have found a few brands out there that are delicious like Kitehill and Forager. These are nut based and are clean and delicious.
I have also started getting into the vegan cheese making thing. I have experimented with many recipes and came up with some new and delicious additions to my diet. Vegan cheese is not that hard to make, you can be creative with flavors and save money too.
I am still new to this cheese making thing and will keep you posted with my progress, however today I will share a super easy and delicious one, Garden Veggie Cheese Spread
Homemade cheese
This recipe is a nut based one, so if you are allergic to nuts stay away from this one. It is like a cashew cream cheese but it has been fermented to give a richer, tangy flavor. Also as you may know fermented foods are great for the gut, so we have added benefits to this cheese.
The recipe is pretty simple, you just need some time as cashews need to be soaked overnight to get them hydrated and soft. By doing this you get an extra creamy cheese spread. Then once you make you mixture you need to leave it to sit out and ferment for 24 hrs. Lots of waiting but very little work, my kind of recipe. Hope you try this Garden Veggie cheese spread and let me know in the comments how you liked it.
Be sure to check out more recipes from my blog that go great with this Garden veggie Cheese:
Best Every Grain Free Vegan Bread
Recipe: Garden Veggie Cheese
Garden Veggie Cheese Spread
Creamy and delicious vegan garden veggie cheese spread. It's so delicious you will not notice its plant based!
Ingredients
- 2 cups of cashews
- 1 acidophilus probiotic
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 radishes
- 1 persian cucumber
- 1 carrot
- 1 scallion onion
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place cashews in a bowl with water and let soak overnight
- The next day, dump all the water out from the cashews and place them in a high speed blender.
- Mix until smooth, add water to help mix it up. You will also need to scrape down sides of blender to help get it smooth and creamy.
- Once smooth add break open the probiotic capsule and pour the powder in. Mix again so it gets incorporated.
- Place creamy mixture in a bowl and cover. Leave on counter for 24 hrs to ferment.
- Once it has fermented you can finish off cheese with flavoring.
- Chop up veggies into very small pieces and mix into cheese.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
You can use this cheese spread plain or add sweet or savory toppings and flavors into it.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 20 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 84Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 0mgSodium 105mgCarbohydrates 6gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 2g
Nutrition calculator is not 100% accurate as it is computer generated.