Easy Vegan Almond Cheese
I was many times able to convince myself that vegan food too can be delicious and diverse. You just need a little information and the courage to try combinations which are bit different. As it is the case with this almond cheese. It's completely vegan, but I guarantee that its taste will surprise you and you'll surely prepare it many more times.
Besides the fact that this cheese is suitable for Lent, you must definitely notice its content full of nutrients and vitamins - thanks to the almonds and the nutritional yeast flakes (my favorites). You can use it in various sandwiches and combinations with pita bread, vegetables, Lenten meatballs etc.
Pour hot water over the raw almonds and leave for 3-5 minutes.
Skip steps 1-2 if you are using blanched almonds or if you prefer to use unpeeled almonds in the recipe (it's possible, only the cheese will be browner).
Drain the hot water and peel quickly by pressing lightly.
Place the peeled almonds in a bowl and pour over cold water.
Cover with foil and refrigerate for 24 hours.
After this time, drain the water and put the almonds in a kitchen blender.
Add 2-3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes and the juice from a lemon.
Inactive yeast flakes will give a more specific and very close taste to that of the classic cheese. It would be preferable not to omit this ingredient.
Add here 1 teaspoon of salt , 2 cloves of garlic, half a glass of water and a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
Blend well until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy.
Place a sieve in a pan or a bowl and line with a kitchen towel.
Pour the cheese mixture in here. You'll notice it's kind of creamy and runny.
If you like it this way, you can skip the steps where you drain it in the sieve.
Refrigerate the cheese in the sieve for 8-10 hours.
During this time, the excess liquid will drain and the mixture will be somewhat firmer.
This is what almond cheese looks like after draining.
I split it into 3 bowls and I will season each one differently.
1. I leave one simple - adjust with salt, lemon juice, olive oil and a few more yeast flakes. To be honest, this one is my favorite.
2. In another, I put turmeric.
3. I added chopped greens to the other one - oregano, parsley, dill.
You can season the base mixture to your liking and with your favorite spices - onion, garlic, paprika, turmeric, lemon etc.
Serve on bread, pita bread or rice bread, next to some meatballs or vegetables, it's delicious!
Enjoy!
