A Week with Lots of Cashew Cheese
also happy valentines day !
Good Morning,
I hope we are all doing well and making the most of a fresh new week. You know I am here sipping on my *hot* bustelo latte with foamy oat milk *pure delight* and I am ready to get into it all - I have made so much cheese this week - honestly the last 2 weeks and that has been a very fun project and also rewarding as we have had endless charcuterie boards. As I have made more than a couple for the plant-based cheese series as well as for our Valentines day get together with friends. This was a big project as with anything cultured, it takes at least a day to quire that flavor as it needs to sit out. While it was very rewarding - it was a lot to accomplish and I am ready to focus on maybe some recipes that could be done in 30 minutes. All that being said, I would love your guys input on the series as its the second time I have done a series of videos and recipes so I would love to know which was your favorite.
Last thing, I have been contemplating the idea of transferring all my recipes from my site to Substack for a couple of reasons. One, to have everything all in one place making it honestly easier for everyone, including myself. My worry with this that it may make it harder for people to find my recipes if they don’t know what Substack is. Having everything here on Substack does make it more concise and also extends more opportunity to create an online community and has opportunities receive support from my paid subscribers. All in all, I am curious to hear from you guys, how do you feel about having all the recipes here on Substack and doing away with the site ?
This Weeks Round Up
This baked brie was so fun to make in a creative sense. It was pleasantly tangy like an authentic brie and had such a nice creamy texture.
Uffff - this marinated cashew mozzarella was just so nice. It lasts well in the olive oil so its been a nice snack to have with crackers. Making your own plant-based cheese is also much more of a bang for your buck which is an added bonus.
For valentines day we were having a little gathering and I wanted to do a variety of mini charcuterie boards and with that did some cute mini brie’s made from a cultured cashew base. This recipe took some work to get it to where it is so it was very rewarding that it ended up being the crowd favorite.
Our starter is alive and well, this has been another culinary area or hobby that I have picked up again and its been really nice to play around with different techniques and see the varying results. As our starter has been maturing, the flavor has also been more pronounced making for even better tasting sourdough bread which has been so rewarding.
So I have been testing this recipe that I was inspired to make from the New York Times as on IG they shared a recipe for black sesame rice crispy treats. I was hooked when I saw them and made these mouth watering black sesame rice crispies. I used Dandies marshmallows, plant-based butter, black sesame seeds, sesame oil and a combination of rice crispy cereal with frosted flakes - just 10/10 amazing.
Nothing beats the week end when my partner makes breakfast on Sunday mornings - arepas are a classic go to in this household as Lina is from Colombia so you know we take our arepa making very seriously and with lots of love.
The Weekly Recipe Round Up
Cashew Brie
This is a plant-based rendition of the famous tangy cheese called brie that can be eaten hot or cold. I can see if some people found this recipe maybe a tad daunting as it requires leaving it out for 48 hours to culture to acquire that sharp tangy flavor but let me just say its so worth it and it lasts a long time in the fridge if you wrap it in waxed parchment paper. Making your own cashew cheese is so fun and it will honestly make you want to stop buying it as it tastes better home made and you end up with more for less.
Cashew Mozzarella
Cashews are a vegans best friend honestly, they just make the best base. After soaking and blending them to a smooth consistency to make a sort of cashew cream it becomes perfect for using in all kinds of recipes from creamy sauces to firm plant-based cheeses like this one. As a thickener and stabilizer I used a combination of agar agar powder and tapioca starch. The mozzarella balls firm up in a salt water brine giving them a more firm bounciness to them and then from there I marinated them with olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, lemon and some spices and wow - truly amazing and delicious.
Recipe Throw Back
Strawberry Milk Chia Pudding
The overnight breakfast meal prep that will have you excited to wake up and have breakfast day after day. If there is one thing I know you could make time to meal prep - it has got to be chia pudding as it literally doesn’t get any easier than that.
I like to make a different flavor each week to keep it fun but this strawberry milk chia pudding is my favorite that I always go back to time and time again. Topping it with this brown butter streusel and strawberry compote kind of turns it into a sweet treat that tastes like strawberry shortcake. Making it perfect for breakfast or for when I want something sweet but don’t wanna do anything to involved
That is all I have for now friends, I am wishing you all the best week. Remember to drink water, take a breather and to reset when needed. If you have read this far let me know you think about my recipes all being here on Substack and doing away from the website or if you think I should keep it.
As always If you make any of my recipes, please tag me on Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
Till next time guys,
-Delanie