Vegan Recipes: CHEESE SUBSTITUTES

VEGAN "CHEESE" SAUCE



1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup rice flour or all-purpose flour (rice flour blends very well)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup water (or 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup plain soy milk)
1 1/2 tablespoons soy margarine
1-2 tablespoons turmeric

Mix dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl, whisk water in to dry ingredients, mix together thoroughly to remove any lumps. Melt margarine in a medium saucepan, add nutritional yeast mixture, continue to whisk together to make sure mixture is smooth. Heat on medium, stir until desired thickness. If too thick, at additional water.

This "cheese" sauce is delicious poured over elbow pasta for 'mac and cheese' or as a sauce over vegetables.


VEGAN FETA "CHEESE"

Photo courtesy of gongar@flickr.com

1 LB extra firm tofu    
1 cup water
1/2 cup light miso
(found in health food stores and health sections of some grocery stores)
2 TBSP white wine vinegar
2 tsp salt

Cut tofu into small cubes and set aside. In a medium bowl, add water, miso, vinegar, and salt. Mix well. Add the tofu and mix to ensure that cubes are coated evenly. Cover and put in refrigerator for 2 to 7 days. Shake or stir occasionally so that cubes continue to marinate evenly. The longer it’s left in the refrigerator, the richer the taste. Drain the tofu to be used with a slotted spoon. Tofu will keep in refrigerator for about 2 weeks.


VEGAN PARMESAN "CHEESE"

Photo courtesy of celerrimus@flickr.com

½ cup blanched, skinless almonds
2 TBSP nutritional yeast
1 TBSP light miso (found in health food stores and health sections of some grocery stores)
¼ tsp salt

Put almonds and yeast in a blender or food processor and process into a fine powder. Scrap the sides of the blender into
the center as needed. With blender running, add miso and salt. Blend until thoroughly mixed. Keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator and it will last about a month. Can also be frozen.