Tangy vegan cheese that can be cut into soft cubes and placed on top of salad or spread on crackers.
Yield: about 2 cups
Time: 15 minutes hands on (plus time to drain, bake, and chill)
Tools
- Vitamix or other high-speed blender
- rubber spatula
- nut milk bag or cheesecloth
- colander
- bowl
- small baking dish or several ramekins
- aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 2 c soaked and blanched almonds, drained
- ½ c water
- ½ c lemon juice or ⅓ c cider vinegar
- 3 T olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2½ t salt
Directions
Purée everything for at least 5 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Add a little more water if needed.
Scrape into the nut milk bag or cheesecloth, close/wrap into a ball, and gently squeeze out some liquid.
Place the bag in the colander, set over a bowl to catch any drips, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.*
Preheat oven to 250F and lightly oil the baking dish.
Spread the almond feta evenly into the dish, cover with foil, and bake for about 40 minutes, until dry and firm.
Let cool, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Gently cut into cubes, or use as a spread or dip.
Notes
* If you don’t mind giving your blender a workout, you can save time by skipping the draining step: use half as much water for blending, then spread the almond paste in the baking dish and bake.
For a firmer, less tangy cheese, try Almondetta.
Adapted from the recipe for "Almond Feta Cheese with Herb Oil" in the April 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times – subscribe. I left out the final part of this recipe, which seems like overkill to me:
- Combine an extra ¼ c oil with 1 T fresh thyme and 1 t fresh rosemary in a small saucepan and heat for 2 minutes.
- Let cool, then drizzle over the feta.
More: Mock cheese recipes
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