We’re all very well aware of the cruelty that entails in the dairy industry. So much so that it’s perhaps far more torturous than that of the livestock industry. The white lies that the biggest dairy & FMCG companies endorse everyday simply can’t be ignored. I’m sure many of you just like myself, may have considered turning vegan after realising or learning about the vicious cycle of consuming dairy products. To be really honest, I still haven’t given up as i’ve been trying my best to avoid dairy products as much as possible. But it’s just so difficult to give up on some of the most blissful & tasty dairy products like paneer, desserts, cream, yogurt and most importantly CHEESE!
No matter how hard I try to resist myself from having these items, cheese is something that I find most difficult. But it’s never too late and you never stop trying, so with that in mind, I’ve managed to replace my need for regular cheese with a better vegan option of almond cheese for now. It took about 15 days for the right texture to develop but it was worth waiting for. Those of you who would like to try this vegan alternative to cheese, please do try this recipe and let me know how it turns out!
Almond Cheese
Here's the ideal alternative to having dairy cheese
Ingredients
- Almonds - 150 gms
- Probiotic Powder (Acidophilus capsule) - 1
- Nutritional Yeast
- Lemon Juice
- Himalayan Salt
- Garlic
- Basil
Directions
- Step 1 Soak the almonds overnight.
- Step 2 Next day, peal them and crush them in a food processor using approx. 4 Tbps of water. (Use as little water as you can)
- Step 3 Make a smooth paste.
- Step 4 Add the probiotic powder and give the paste a whisk.
- Step 5 Pour this mix in a cheese cloth and tie up the ends. Place it in a strainer & let it set over a container to drain out the excess liquid.
- Step 6 Let it ferment over 24-48 hours, depending on how sour you like it.
- Step 7 Open the cheese cloth and you should have finely fermented nut cheese.
- Step 8 Transfer the soft cheese in a clean bowl.
- Step 9 A thin crust would be formed on the cheese which you may remove. I preferred to keep mine.
- Step 10 Add the flavour ingredients as per your taste.
- Step 11 Add a pinch or two of salt, nutritional yeast, a clove of pounded garlic & 1-2 leaves of finely chopped basil.
- Step 12 Mix them all well.
- Step 13 Transfer the cheese now on a parchment paper. Roll it or press it in a bowl.
- Step 14 The hardest part: To achieve good consistency the cheese should be refrigerated for at least a week. It will dehydrate and harden during this time.
- Step 15 After a week or 10 days, you shall find it ready to consume.
- Step 16 You may bake it or use it in salads.
Although, home made almond cheese doesn’t really taste like the ones made from cow milk. But it is sweet, creamy and a perfect diary free substitute.
Just the way slave trading was abolished, I believe that the ill-treatment of animals will also be. there is soon going to be a world of “no-blood, no-bone” meals.
Thanks John for your feedback! Yes, it surely doesn’t taste as good as cow’s milk but it surely tasted fine especially considering it was my first attempt! Anyway, yes I do hope that day comes when such cruelty and brutality to animals is completely stopped as such acts simply defy humanity!