Almond Feta Cheese Spread With Herb Oil Vegan Recipes

ALMOND FETA CHEESE WITH HERB OIL

Steps:

• 1. Place almonds in medium bowl, and cover with 3 inches cold water. Let soak 24 hours. Drain soaking liquid, rinse almonds under cold running water, and drain again. 2. Purée almonds, lemon juice, 3 Tbs. oil, garlic, salt, and 1/2 cup cold water in food processor 6 minutes, or until very smooth and creamy. 3. Place large strainer over bowl, and line with triple layer of cheesecloth. Spoon almond mixture into cheesecloth. Bring corners and sides of cloth together, and twist around cheese, forming into orange-size ball and squeezing to help extract moisture. Secure with rubber band or kitchen twine. Chill 12 hours, or overnight. Discard excess liquid. 4. Preheat oven to 200°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Unwrap cheese (it will be soft), and transfer from cheesecloth to prepared baking sheet. Flatten to form 6-inch round about 3/4-inch thick. Bake 40 minutes, or until top is slightly firm. Cool, then chill. (Cheese can be made up to this point 2 days ahead; keep refrigerated.) 5. Combine remaining 1/4 cup oil, thyme, and rosemary in small saucepan. Warm oil over medium-low heat 2 minutes, or until very hot but not simmering. Cool to room temperature. Drizzle herb oil over cheese just before serving.

HOMEMADE VEGAN AND DAIRY-FREE ALMOND CHEESE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Blanched almonds are almonds that have their skins removed; you can have someone else do it for you or do it yourself. First, start by boiling water over the almonds and let the almonds soak for a few minutes.
• Drain and rinse the almonds, and then rub the almonds with a towel or just use your fingers to peel and pop the skin off.
• Removing the skin before making almond cheese gives the cheese a smoother texture and lighter color that looks like cheese. You can make the cheese with the skin on if you prefer.
• Soak the blanched almonds in cold water for 24 hours before making the cheese. Cover and place in refrigerator.
• Drain and rinse the almonds well.
• Put the blanched almonds in a food processor or high-powered blender with the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and water.
• Blend until smooth, about 5 minutes.
• Scrape the mixture into double-layered cheesecloth lining a colander.
• Gather the cheesecloth tightly around the almond mixture and secure into a bundle by using a rubber band or string to tie the top. Give the bundle a few gentle squeezes to remove liquid. Leave the bundle in the colander and place in the refrigerator overnight over a bowl or rimmed plate to catch any liquid that might drain. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours. This helps the texture of the cheese become firmer.
• Discard any liquid that drains out. Carefully peel the cheesecloth off of the almond "cheese." The "cheese" will have a consistency similar to cookie dough. At this point, the almond cheese can be eaten immediately as a spread or refrigerated for up to two weeks.

ALMOND "FETA" WITH HERB OIL

Steps:

• Rinse almonds in cold water. Place in a large bowl; add water to cover by 3 in. Cover and let stand overnight., Drain and rinse almonds, discarding liquid. Transfer to a food processor. Add 1/2 cup water, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons oil, garlic and salt; cover and process for 5-6 minutes or until pureed., Line a large strainer with 4 layers of cheesecloth and place over a large bowl. Pour almond mixture into prepared strainer; bring up corners of cloth and tie with string to form a bag. Refrigerate overnight., Squeeze out any liquid; remove cheesecloth and discard liquid from bowl. Transfer ball to a parchment-lined baking sheet; flatten slightly into a 6-in. circle., Bake at 200° for 35-40 minutes or until firm. Cool. Refrigerate until chilled., In a small skillet, heat the thyme, rosemary and remaining oil over medium heat for 2 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Drizzle over almond mixture. Serve with crackers.

ALMOND 'FETA CHEESE' SPREAD WITH HERB OIL (VEGAN)

Steps:

• Place almonds in medium bowl and cover with 3 inches of water. Let soak 24 hours. Drain and rinse.
• Puree almonds, lemon juice, 3 T olive oil, garlic, salt and 1/2 cup water in blender or food processor for 6 minutes or until really creamy.
• Place a triple layer of cheesecloth in strainer and spoon almond mixture onto cheesecloth. Bring sides together twist into an orange-sized ball and secure with a twist tie. Chill for 12 hours.
• Line baking sheet with parchment and transfer almond ball from cheesecloth. Shape to look like a 6" round of brie (about 3/4" thick). (Note, I just put it into a pretty pottery bowl and baked it. Then I could pour the oil on top and serve it. No parchment needed.).
• Bake 40 minutes or until top is slightly firm. Cool. Then chill.
• Combine 1/4 cup olive oil with herbs and heat over medium low heat until heated through but not simmering. Cool to room temperature and drizzle over almond spread just before serving.
• Spread on crusty bread or crakers. You'll love it!

GARLIC HERB VEGAN ALMOND CHEESE SPREAD

Steps:

• Place the raw almonds into a glass container and cover with water. Cover, and place in the refrigerator. Soak for 24 hours.
• Drain and rinse the soaked almonds after the 24 hours have passed.
• Place the soaked almonds, water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, olive oil, garlic powder, and salt into a high speed blender. Blend until smooth.
• Empty mixture into a bowl, add chopped herbs and mix until everything is combined.
• Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for a few hours so the flavour can develop.
• Store unused spread in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4-5 days.