Saturday, March 9, 2013

Vegan Parmesan

In my quest for delicious homemade vegan cheese, I have tried vegan parmesan before but only in a pre-grated form and quickly made with brazil nuts. This version takes five minutes to prepare but need to freeze solid before using. The wait is worth it because the end result is delicious! I especially love the versatility of this product because it can get grated right on top of your food, broken off into chunks for eating or thinly shredded into big shavings.

Vegan Parmesan
1 square
1/2 cup softened coconut butter*
1/2 cup melted regular coconut oil*
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbl fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp vitamin c crystals*

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Use a spatula to push down the sides to make sure everything is mixed.
Pour into a container and freeze until solid.
Cut off chunks, large shavings or grate when ready to eat. Store in the freezer.

*Coconut butter is unlike coconut oil because it is made up of both the fat and the oil of the coconut, not just the oil. It can be found next to coconut oil in health food stores.
*I mentioned "regular" coconut oil because there are two kinds: Coconut Oil & Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. The main difference is taste. Extra virgin coconut oil tastes like coconuts (surprise!) and the regular kind has much more of a neutral flavor which works great for this cheese.
*vitamin C crystals can be found easily at any natural foods store in the vitamin aisle or online.

4 comments:

  1. By coconut butter do you mean the buttery coconut spread that comes in a refrigerated tub (made by Earth Balance I think), or do you mean the stuff in a glass jar that actually says coconut butter on it(made by Artisana I think)?
    Thanks!

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  2. How much does this taste like the dairy version? I'm trying to convince my grown kids to go vegan, but as usual, cheese is a stumbling block, literally in this case- this is the first recipe I've come across for Parmesan in block form, and my son is addicted to a similar cheese called Piavé.

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    Replies
    1. I haven't had real parmesan in over 15 years but my friend who eats cheese loved it. It is salty and tangy and shreds really well. It is better to not use this for something you'd want melted, the high oil content melts very fast and you lose the flavor.

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