Bubba's Bar 'n' Grill

I never really liked cheese before I was vegan but sometimes I get the urge to make food a little more interesting...

For hard cheese, I use the cashew one from Real Food Daily. I make up a batch once a month, grate it, and freeze it. It is always available to throw in sauces or on pizzas. My local supermarket has also started stocking a dairy-free parmesan-type grated cheese that I now put on pasta. It doesn't taste like what I remember it to taste like... it's just kind of savoury...

I have spent the last few years trying to perfect a cream cheese recipe, though. I worked my way through numerous tofu-based ones and I just couldn't stand them (not a fan of tofu at the best of times...). I then switched to cashew-based recipes. I, again, tried various ones but they were always much too strong for me. This morning, I finally found my perfect recipe - and I made it all up myself...

2 cups of soaked cashew nuts (water discarded)
1 cup of filtered water
1 medium size tomato
10 Kalamata olives
20 fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon of nutritional yeast
Salt and pepper to taste

Throw the lot in a blender, whizz to the desired consistency. Done.

I had it with Ryvita and a sliced olive. Then I had it with fresh baked bread... Later I will have it mixed in with hot pasta...

Does anyone have any other recipes, though? I am always open to try new things.

(05-26-2010 03:34 AM)Irezumi_Muzan Wrote: [ -> ]I never really liked cheese before I was vegan but sometimes I get the urge to make food a little more interesting...

For hard cheese, I use the cashew one from Real Food Daily. I make up a batch once a month, grate it, and freeze it. It is always available to throw in sauces or on pizzas. My local supermarket has also started stocking a dairy-free parmesan-type grated cheese that I now put on pasta. It doesn't taste like what I remember it to taste like... it's just kind of savoury...

I have spent the last few years trying to perfect a cream cheese recipe, though. I worked my way through numerous tofu-based ones and I just couldn't stand them (not a fan of tofu at the best of times...). I then switched to cashew-based recipes. I, again, tried various ones but they were always much too strong for me. This morning, I finally found my perfect recipe - and I made it all up myself...

2 cups of soaked cashew nuts (water discarded)
1 cup of filtered water
1 medium size tomato
10 Kalamata olives
20 fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon of nutritional yeast
Salt and pepper to taste

Throw the lot in a blender, whizz to the desired consistency. Done.

I had it with Ryvita and a sliced olive. Then I had it with fresh baked bread... Later I will have it mixed in with hot pasta...

Does anyone have any other recipes, though? I am always open to try new things.

It's interesting that you were able to make your own cheese. I haven't been able to find a non dairy version that I like, and I'm allergic to nuts, so this won't work for me... but it's great that you can make a cheese substitute that you like!

I find most mass-produced fake cheeses absolutely disgusting so I had to get to work... Have you thought of making a tofu-based one? There are quite a few on the Recipezaar website. Admittedly, I don't like them but then I am a bit funny...

This is an easy one -

1 pack firm tofu
1 teaspoon tamari
2 teaspoons brown rice wine vinegar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed

It ends up kind of like cottage cheese. I have to adapt things too much (I am allergic to rice, I can't have sugar, I currently can't even look at garlic...) so it never worked for me but my mom loved it.

I'm vegan, and I use Daiya--IMHO, it's delicious, and its meltability and mouthfeel are great. I think it is only available in the US, though!

I'm going to have to try some as we've been looking for a decent substitute for cheese. I went to their website and found two stores in my town that carry it.

(07-17-2012 12:50 PM)Bageleth Wrote: [ -> ]I'm going to have to try some as we've been looking for a decent substitute for cheese. I went to their website and found two stores in my town that carry it.

I hope you like it---please let me know what you think.

We have tried the Daiya cheese. The "mozzarella shreds" are great on pizza, however I wasn't too crazy about the flavor when I topped my veggies with it. The "Cheddar" is really tasty though. My husby likened it to the cheese spread that comes in the Cheese & Crackers snacks. Have you tried the Monterey Jack version? We were told that it really wasn't that good.

"My husby likened it to the cheese spread that comes in the Cheese & Crackers snacks." After being gone all night, chased by cops, shot at with a rocket launcher, Elwood still remembered!...one of my favorite lines:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXwvL7n7NCQ

Sorry Bagel, I never liked the stuff either!