I know from personal experience that maybe the hardest part about turning vegan is the lack of cheese as we know it in our meals. Sure, there are many vegan options out there, enough to cover the void, but as you may know, most of them are very processed and in the end unhealthy as a part of a nutritious, balanced vegan diet. So if you’re following a plant-based diet, there’s no room for processed foods. But how can you have cheese and avoid all the processed options out there? Make your own!
This is what I attempted to do with this vegan version of mozzarella, the famous Italian semi-hard cheese with the mild taste. I used protein-rich cashews, nutritional yeast rich in B12, apple cider vinegar and tamari sauce.
I love apple cider vinegar for many reasons, but most of all because it’s healthy, it helps lower blood sugar while it’s antibacterial and according to researches it can help lower blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides.
My other favorite ingredient is tamari sauce, a Japanese soy sauce which adds probiotics in the cheese, as it’s fermented and much smoother with less sodium than the classic soy sauce. Perfect for establishing health and balance in gut microbiota and thus our overall health.
Ingredients
100gr soaked cashews (make sure you soak them all night long)
200ml water
½ tsp tamari
¼ tsp garlic powder
3 tsp tapioca flour
1,5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
Method
Place your soaked cashews with the water you used to soak them in your blender and mix them until they become smooth. Add the apple cider vinegar, the nutritional yeast, the garlic powder, the salt, the flour and blend again.
Remove your mixture from the blender and place it in a saucepan in high heat. Don’t forget to stir until it becomes thick –it will take a few minutes.
Now that your mixture is thick, put it in a plate, wet your fingers and cut small pieces you can form into little balls, just like mozzarella. Ain’t it delicious?
Tip
If apple cider vinegar wasn’t in your super-market list so far, maybe now it’s time. Apart from being antibacterial and really healthy, it seems to be helpful in weight control, as it raises the feeling of satisfaction and lowers the feeling of hunger. You can add it in your salad dressings, in your home-made mayonnaise, in sauces or you can even dilute it in water and enjoy it (use 1-2 tsp in 5-10ml of water).
