Homemade Vegan Parmesan Cheese

Recipe from Minimalist Baker  
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
Makes 16 (1 Tablespoon) servings

This vegan parmesan cheese is mighty tasty and a cinch to make.  Use it to sprinkle on soups, pasta dishes and/or salads.

¾ cup raw cashews
3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
¾ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and mix/pulse until a fine meal is achieved. Be careful not to over blend or it will become paste. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container to keep it fresh.  This will last for several weeks.

Nutritional Information: (1 Tablespoon) 44 calories; 3 carbohydrates; 1.8 g protein; 3 g fat; 0.6 saturated fat; 0 g trans-fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 92 mg sodium; 0.7 g fiber

Cheesy Chili Oil-Free French Fries (Vegan)

 

Recipe from Minimalist Baker

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

Serves 6

In an effort to reduce the amount of oil we consume on a daily basis, I'm playing with sautéing and roasting without oil.  I tested this recipe by one of my favorite bloggers, Minimalist Baker.  It's a keeper for sure.  I honestly don't see why I need to use oil to make roasted potato fries anymore.  These came out VERY crispy and flavorful, worthy of company.  

2 1/2 - 3 lbs. yellow potatoes (I used fingerling potatoes.)

Water (for steaming)

3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon chili powder (I used Trader Joe's Chili Seasoning Blend.)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Dash cayenne pepper, optional

Preheat the oven to 425 F.  Rinse the potatoes clean.  Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone liner.  Slice potatoes lengthwise into small wedges (about 1/4 - 1/2 inch wide.) Place a steamer basket into a pot with about 1-inch boiling water.  Cover and steam for 5 minutes or until the potatoes are slightly tender, but not cooked.  Transfer the potatoes to the baking sheet.  Top with the spice mixture.  Toss gently to coat.  Spread out the potatoes in a single layer so that they do not touch one another.  (You may need to use a second sheet pan to do this.  It's very important to keep space between the potato wedges for them to become crispy.) Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven.  Set the oven to 450 F.  Flip the potatoes over to ensure even baking.  Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.  Serve hot!  Store any leftovers covered in the fridge up to 4 days reheating at 375 F until hot.

**Note:  According to the original recipe, these potato fries were only 64 calories per serving, but when I checked on Very Well Fit's Nutritional Recipe Calculator, the calorie amount for 1 of 6 servings was 171.  

Peanut (or Almond) Coated Tofu (vegan)

Recipe from Avant Garde Vegan

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes 3-4 servings

This is actually one component of a recipe from Avant Garde Vegan, but it was so darn good that I thought I should make a record of it to use for lots of other dishes. The original recipe did not include any marinating time at all.  It just called for coating the tofu with the sauce and crumbs and baking the tofu right away, but when I prepared this it was in the morning and so I let the sauce covered tofu hang out in the fridge until dinner time, coated it with the nut crumbs and then baked it. And it was delish.  By the way, the husband asked after tasting it, “Is this chicken?”  Ha!  I didn’t think it tasted so much like chicken, but it certainly had a “meaty” quality to it.  Make up a batch and serve it in your favorite Buddha bowl.  I think it would make a mean sandwich when the local tomatoes are ripe.

1 block extra firm tofu

1 Tablespoon peanut butter or almond butter

2 Tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

Juice of 1 lime

Pinch of dried red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¾ cup toasted* peanuts or almonds

Tamari or soy sauce, for serving

Drain the tofu and then cut it into 4 slabs.  Place them on one end of a clean towel and fold the other end of the towel over the tofu to cover.  Place a baking sheet on top of the towel-covered tofu and place a heavy pot or book on top of that.  Set aside to dry while you make the sauce. In a bowl, whisk together the peanut (or almond) butter, 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, lime juice, red pepper flakes and garlic powder until smooth. Set aside.  Remove the tofu from the towel and cut the tofu slabs in half so that you now have 8 pieces.  Place the pieces into a shallow dish and pour the sauce over the tofu.  Flip the tofu pieces over to coat all the sides.  Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Meanwhile, roast the peanuts (or almonds) and process in a blender or food processor until you have fine crumbs.  (Do not over process or you will end up with peanut (or almond) butter!) Place the nut crumbs in a shallow dish. 

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Carefully place each piece of sauce-covered tofu into the crumbs and flip to coat all the sides.  Put the crumb-coated tofu pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet.  (The original recipe suggested placing the tofu in a dry non-stick pan over medium heat on the stove top for 2 minutes on each side to lightly color them before baking, but I didn’t follow the directions and they turned out just fine.) Bake for 15 to 25 minutes or so until toasty brown, flipping halfway through the cooking time.  Drizzle with a little tamari before serving.

*To toast the peanuts or almonds: Preheat the oven to 325F.  Spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Notes:  You can make this dish even easier on a weeknight if you make a double batch of the peanut/almond crumbs.  Store them in the fridge and then all that needs to be done is prep the tofu and bake.

Homemade Vegan Parmesan Cheese (Two Ways)

Homemade Vegan Parmesan Cheese made with Cashews

Homemade Vegan Parmesan Cheese made with Pepitas

Recipe from Oh She Glows Everyday by Angela Liddon

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Yield:  ¾ cup

Well, I’ll be.  This “cheese” is downright delicious.  My husband and I are not vegans, however, we are making efforts to eat a more plant based diet.  I’m having tremendous fun trying out vegan recipes.  It’s been a revelation, sort of like finding a brand a new section of great books at the library or a learning about a binge-worthy series on Netflix.  Nutritional yeast is a powder harvested from inactive yeast that has been grown on molasses.  It is nutrient dense.  It tastes a bit nutty and cheesy.  In fact, I love sprinkling it on my popcorn. You can find nutritional yeast in packages or in the bulk section of your grocery store. Keep it stored in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year.  Try this cheese on Spiraled Zucchini Summer Salad. 

For a single batch:

½ cup raw cashews or raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

¼ to ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste

1 clove garlic OR ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

If using fresh garlic, mince it in a mini food processor.  Add the cashews or pepita seeds, nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder (if not using fresh garlic.) Process until a coarse meal forms.  The parmesan will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

For a triple batch:

(Follow the directions above.)

1 ½ cups raw pepitas or cashews

¼ cup plus 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

¾ to 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt

3 cloves fresh garlic OR ¾ teaspoon garlic powder

Nutritional Info: (1 Tablespoon serving)

Cashew Parmesan 62 calories; 0.9 g fiber; 4.4 mg calcium; 2.9 g protein

Pepita Parmesan 61 calories; 1.0 g fiber; 5.0 mg calcium; 3.5 g protein

Vegan Parmesan Cheese (Two Ways)

Vegan Parmesan Cheese made with Cashews

Vegan Parmesan Cheese made with Pepitas (nut free version)

Recipe from Oh She Glows Everyday by Angela Liddon

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Yield:  ¾ cup

Well, I’ll be.  This “cheese” is downright delicious.  My husband and I are not vegans, however, we are making efforts to eat a more plant based diet.  I’m having tremendous fun trying out vegan recipes.  It’s been a revelation, sort of like finding a brand a new section of great books at the library or a learning about a binge-worthy series on Netflix.  Nutritional yeast is a powder harvested from inactive yeast that has been grown on molasses.  It is nutrient dense.  It tastes a bit nutty and cheesy.  In fact, I love sprinkling it on my popcorn. You can find nutritional yeast in packages or in the bulk section of your grocery store. Keep it stored in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year.

For a single batch:

½ cup raw cashews or raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

¼ to ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste

1 clove garlic OR ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

If using fresh garlic, mince it in a mini food processor.  Add the cashews or pepita seeds, nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder (if not using fresh garlic.) Process until a coarse meal forms.  The parmesan will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

For a triple batch:

(Follow the directions above.)

1 ½ cups raw pepitas or cashews

¼ cup plus 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

¾ to 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt

3 cloves fresh garlic OR ¾ teaspoon garlic powder