Almond Cheese - The homemade vegan cow's cheese alternative

I am totally weirded out by the ingredient lists of most vegan and dairy free cheeses. While they could be totally safe and healthy, I just don't know what they are made of so I don't like to buy them. But I love cheese, and Brian's belly seems to dislike it, so here are a few examples of how to make dairy free cheese at home with almonds. 

Almond Cheese Recipe #1 

(Enzyme-packed, fermented dairy free cheese recipe I learned from my Healing Diets course. It came out creamy and more like a vegan cheese spread or dip).

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup almonds, soaked overnight (2 cups after soaking), then blanched and peeled

1 or more cups of water with 2 capsules probiotic powder or 2 tsp light mellow miso

Directions:

Place the almonds in a blender. Add the liquid and enzyme starter of choice. Blend until smooth, adding more liquid if necessary to form a smooth, creamy texture. Pour the mixture into a cheesecloth-lined strainer (or mesh bag), don’t squeeze the liquid out – just let it drain. (Bonus - You can reserve the liquid that drains out for almond milk!). 

Allow the almond mixture to drain and ferment in a warm (not hot) location for 7-10 hours.

For a firmer cheese, allow the cheese to remain in the cheesecloth-lined strainer after fermentation, and place it in the refrigerator for several more hours, adding a weight, such as a small glass jar filled with water, to force additional whey to drain. (I've only done the quick version so far but this is their recommendation).

Store the cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week or as long as it lasts - which is about 1 day around Brian. 

Variations: Flavor the cheese as desired by mixing in herbs and spices. Try green onion, garlic, basil, or hot peppers for a spicy kick. Or, try mixing in cinnamon and drizzling maple syrup or honey on top for a fruit slice dip. You could even use this as a filler for cheesy desserts like cheese cake.

Almond Cheese Recipe #2

This is more of a quick and speedy vegan cheese recipe that can be prepared in minutes in a food processor.

Ingredients

1 cup soaked almonds

1/2-1 cup water

Juice of one lemon

1 tbs nutritional yeast (optional)

Seasoning according to taste and use (tumeric is good for coloring and taste purposes)

Process in food processor until creamy and smooth! Add or reduce liquid for desired consistency. Replace almonds for sunflower seeds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, or other nuts and seeds for different versions. 

One day I will not eat the cheese up before I take a picture!

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