Since celebrating my parents rawnniversary at the raw organic vegan Green Wave Cafe, my family has been into eating raw and enjoying it way more!
So I've been inspired to create a bunch of delicious raw foods every day now, and I will start by sharing the first thing I made and "miss" the most since being raw vegan; which is CHEESE!!!!
(Weirdly, even though I "miss" it... real cheese doesn't even smell nearly as appetizing as it use to 2 months ago!)
Almond Cheese Ball!
I haven't had much experience making any kind of cheese in the past and usually only really ever used coconut to try and make a sort of "grated cheese" with the left overs from the pulp when I made coconut milk. However this is the first time I made a RAW nut cheese!
The cheese I made for this post is made with an almond base!
So the first step (if not obvious already!) is to soak almonds for 8 hours!
Quality almonds make a difference! If possible, pesticide free, and optimally harvest your own or get some locally!
Once the almonds have finished soaking, you want to rinse them off and drain the water. Then you're going to peel the almonds which should be easy after soaking as the skins should pop right off, this will give the final product a more delicious texture and cheesy look!
For this recipe (to make one "ball of cheese") you will only need 1 cup of peeled almonds!
You can use a blender or food processor, depending on preference, I used a blender this time!
The recipe I was following looks pretty good though I didn't want to copy something and like to spice things up my own way; so I'll write the original here and then my version as I continue with the post!
- 1 cup almonds, soaked, drained, and peeled!
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 clover garlic
- And a pinch of himalayan salt
Very simple, with infinite room for switching it up to any flavor you like!
Once all the ingredients are ready, blend/process all the ingredients together until smooth; no need to rush it!!! ;)
Then you place the mixture into a nut-milk/cheesecloth bag or a colander lined with cheese cloth, give it a tight squeeze to drain the liquids a bit and leave it in the refrigerator over night. (Though you can skip this step with the way I did it! :)
That's it! Although if you'd like a more firm consistency you can dehydrate it for 6+ hours at 115º (to your preference, I use 105º to keep it more raw!) in order to form that delicious outer rind! Giving it a more firm cheese like appearance and making it less of a cream cheese!
You can flip it over after 6-10 hours if you want to make the rind all around the entire cheese, or leave it unturned so that it can have a soft side, infinite possibilities and variations! <3
This is a coconut water vinegar I made back when I was hardcore processing coconuts! <3
Since I'm not a big fan of dead filtered plain water, I decided to switch up the recipe and used about 1/2 cup of coconut water vinegar and a bit over 2 table spoons of lemon water! I diluted the lemon juice with water because the vinegar already had enough tanginess that pure lemon juice might've been too intense. Plus I love drinking lemon water so it was an more efficient way to do both, prepare the ingredient and a drink! ;)
Instead of plain olive oil I used 2 tablespoons of mildly infused truffle olive oil, though not everyone is a fan of the truffle taste, I think it really adds a lot of great flavor!
I added one garlic clove as the original recipe did, but instead of salt I used 1 teaspoon of organic brown miso, and 5 teaspoons of nutritional yeast!
Make sure you empty out ALL of the blender the best you can to not waste any valuable ingredients! <3
The steps I used are relatively similar though (even simpler!) because since I used significantly less liquids, I was able to actually skip the cheese cloth draining as it was totally unnecessary!
However, as I did not want just a cream cheese and was seeking that more firm texture with the rind texture, I poured the whole blob straight onto a dehydrator tray sheet!
Just like that, this "cream cheese" was ready to dehydrate into a "cheddar" haha!
In the dehydrator for 6 hours!
Then I flipped it over to dehydrate for another 10 hours!
You can already see the rind formed around the border, and since it's flipped you can see the creamy insides before finishing forming the rind all around!
And wa-la! It's ready! Though I chose to refrigerate it for a day in order for it to be even more firm and cheese-like! :)
Here is proof of me holding it so you know I made it. So you don't think I copied it off the internet! xD
Even wearing my boot leg ankle protector, while riding my scooter, haha!
This is only my second recipe I've shared on steemit so far, so tune in as there's many more to come as I explore and experiment with the dankness of raw vegan cuisine!!
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I hope you loved this as much as we did and follow us for more epic adventures, healing, and recipes!!
Much LOVE, THRIVAL, HAPPINESS, HEALING, APPRECIATION, FREEDOM, ABUNDANCE, HEALTH, GRATITUDE, and $TEEMING for ALL!!
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Mmmmmm that looks yummy!
SUUUPER YUMMY!!! 💚💛💚💛
It disappeared quite fast, so I made a bunch more, like 5x's as much as this for the 2nd batch, and it actually just finished today! Haha
So I'll be making a bunch more again soon! 💚💛💚💛
I love plant-based cheese. Usually make it with cashews, almonds sound great too. Really need to get my hands on a dehydrator. Wish I could get my parents on a plant-based diet... have been trying and they already started to incorporate Meatless Mondays... one step at a time I reckon.
Yeaaaaaah, I LOVE CHEESE!!! Hahaha <3
Though I find plant based cheeses don't taste too cheesy-like on their own, they make an incredible cheese substitute when mixed with anything cheese would normally be mixed with! :)
I haven't been using cashews too much since, even "raw" cashews are supposedly not technically fully raw...
However, I don't identify myself with labels... so even though I'm basically 100% raw vegan pretty much every single day, thats just the label I use to more simply describe my current situation.
NO RESTRICTIONS!!!! :)
Once I'm super fully healed, who knows what will happen, but being raw definitely feels divinely amazing!
As that is what feels best and especially most optimal in my current super healing process! :)
Hey, progress is progress!!! :) Do you live with your parents?
One step at a time is better than walking backwards :P Hahaha
Just keep being you and inspire your parents to want to transform!! :)
My parents have been vegetarian for years now, my mom was actually the first one in my family to stop eating meat while I still use to believe one of the biggest lies about needing meat for protein! x)
Yet now being and feeling the healthiest I've ever been, and having them see me be passionately and committed to being raw (and loving it!!!! <3) is greatly influencing in their relationship and perspective with food preferences, making them crave more smoothies, juices, and raw foods too!
Especially now that I'm getting super into "cooking" and sharing raw uber dank meal experiences, we are all learning so many more possibilities, opening their minds to new possibilities of foods instead of the same ones they grew up with and have been conditioned to eating routinely!
Like by using this fantastic dehydrator my mom had bought and pretty much never used and stored away... now being my "oven" hahaha!
I have a feeling you would definitely make epic use of a dehydrator!! You should definitely invest in one!
I feel like the best way to helping your parents stop eating meat would be by creating and sharing food they can enjoy even more than meat! :)
We live about 8000km apart but they are coming over for a few weeks in just a month ;) As for the dehydrator, not sure how I can get one. Never seen them for sale here in Cambodia and it is also hard to order anything online and get it delivered to you. Will see keep trying right... or be creative and make one myself! have a great day ;)
Hahahahah thats awesome!!!! I wouldn't have guessed you are in Cambodia!! I love it there! How did you manage to get to live there?? I heard it's difficult to live in that area of the world (paperwork-wise) but I loved it so much (especially DURIAAAAN!!!) while I was there and have been hoping to go back after my healing!
I wouldn't know how to get a dehydrator there, nor how the online/delivery systems would work there either, but I can totally get what you mean since I was fortunate enough to experience a bit of being there! :)
And of course, keep trying, not worth giving up! Keep on keeping on!💖
Have an awesome day too!
Which paperwork hehe. You just pay $300 a year for a visa and that's it really. If you work here you need to spend another $100-120 a year for a work permit. Kampot (only 20km for where we live) is well-known for its durians worldwide it seems. they are so yum indeed... too bad they are so expensive ;( Where did you go when you traveled through Cambodia. If you ever come back this way, def let us know and come feast on the fruits of our garden... no durians though ;)
Hahahah really?? O: The visa lasts for the entire year??? That sounds amazing!!!! Well, knowing this changes everything!!
WE LOVE DURIAN!!! Though we noticed the durian in Cambodia is a lot more expensive than it was in Thailand and Malaysia... though it's not that expensive if you can get free coconuts, and durian's the main other food you eat xD hehe
In Cambodia it was pretty much impossible to get free coconuts though, so because of that we ate a lot more dragon fruits and whatever local cuisine we had the opportunity to try.
We started in Phnom Penh, then went to Krong Kampot, and basically drove aaaaaaall the way around back to Phnom Penh stopping in as many waterfalls as possible along the way! As our usual priority while traveling is to play at all the waterfalls possible! :) <3
I'll definitely let you know if I go back as I really loved the part of the world so much! Fruits are life!
Out of curiosity though, why don't you grow durian?? Hehe
We never stay long enough to see trees grow up... but my friend has 2 so I get some from her ;) Kampot is really known for its Durian and when they are out of season they can be very pricey indeed... they even caught people here selling imported ones from Thailand stating they are from Kampot because they are cheaper indeed.... but you taste the difference straight away ;) Discovered a soursop tree in the garden yesterday and that still remains my fav tropical fruits.... and please Yes let us know if you come. Found a secret waterfall near Kampot city ;)
Now that is something to celebrate!
OOHH YYEEAAAAAAAHH!!!!!
It's so delicious too! :)
I'm gonna be making a lot more cheeses of all different kinds of nuts now!!! <3
This staff is soo crazy. How could you peel of all these almonds, I would probably end it right there. This is first time I’ve heard you could make a cheese this way. Anyway with all these ingredients it must be delicious. So much work and time. I always wonder when I buy piece of cheese or bread for a few bucks how much work has to be put in, from milk,seeds, flower, bake, delivery...
Hahahahahaha <3 Peeling the almonds is a lot easier than it looks! You could actually skip that step entirely though if you take a few extra minutes to blend it more thoroughly! :)
I am grateful you could learn something new about (vegan) cheese! <3 Cheese has been one of my favorite "addictions" my whole life, so making healthier alternatives is something I've always been wanting to master! :)
Compared to dairy cheese this is actually way less work and way less time!!!
It took me barely an hour to peel the almonds, gather all the ingredients, blend them to a smooth consistency and begin dehydrating! After that I just set the timer on the dehydrator until it was ready to flip, then flipped it and set the timer again until it was ready to refrigerate! :)
Mmm that sounds so good right now. I used to work at a raw vegan restaurant, and I miss having a dehydrator on hand. Have you considered adding nutritional yeast to your cheeses, since it already tastes like cheese, and is in fact, nutritional? Cheers ^.^
It was so delicious it disappeared quite fast, and I already made WAY MORE in a new and improved second batch!💖
Working at a raw vegan restaurant sounds like fun! I've been considering it temporarily to learn how to make more dank raw foods and raw cuisines! :) Especially if I can eat the food there and bring some home! Hehe!
I love nutritional yeast!💖 I guess my post may be too long, hehe, but I did add nutritional yeast to my version of the recipe as well as with all the cheeses I've ever made before and after!
I listed the ingredients I used after the recipe I was getting my idea for this from.
Cheers! ^_^
Oh you did!! And miso! How could I forget about miso? One thing we also always had on hand at the restaurant was a magical substance called "rejuvelac". It's a fermented sprout soaking byproduct, used instead of plain water, which really adds to the taste and nutritional value. https://www.superfoods-for-superhealth.com/rejuvelac.html
But coconut water vinegar!? That sounds divine.
I did!! :D Hahaha. I never knew about miso until after visiting Japan but I love it and it's so salty I usually don't have to add any if I use miso!
I never heard of rejuvelac before though! That sounds like making vinegar with sprouts instead of fruits! Hahaha. I guess I've done that by accident before, though I never used it as an ingredient though!! O:
Mmmm I LOVE COCONUTS!! <3 Hehe. Before the surgery I was still climbing coconut trees and processing them daily. So I made some coconut water vinegar with the coconuts that were fermenting naturally, and I still have yet to render a couple gallons of coconut meat vinegar!! :))
Coconut water vinegar is probably one of the most delicious vinegars in my opinion! <3
Another lovely food here I see! thanks for shareing @fmatinata
Glad you can appreciate it!
My pleasure making this post to share, and the cheese, as well as eating it! Hehe!
Looks really good
And tastes really good, thing about vegan cheeses though is that they taste more like cheese when combined with other foods compared to if you eat it by itself haha
new food see first.thanks for shearing.
Grateful you got to see something new! <3
My pleasure! <3
It's very easy to make and it looks like it has an incredible taste that I have to try
Indeed! Simple, easy, fun, and delicious!! :)
I hope you do try it out and enjoy!!