Minimalist Baker is one of my very favorite food blogs in the universe. Dana, the chick that runs it puts in some serious work. I am often searching for some sort of vegan version of a recipe, and often settle on her versions because she keeps all of her recipes super simple. natural, and yummy.
I'm not going to list out all the details of this Vegan Parmesan Cheese Recipe, because you can head right over to Minimalist Baker yourself and check it out. But I am going to tell you just how easy it was to make it, and what I thought of the end product.
This recipe starts being easy by the ingredients. When it come to veganizing recipes, I often have to wade through specialty ingredients. Arrowroot what? Tapioca powder? Carob? Soy Lecithin? This recipe is easy, raw cashews, salt, garlic powder and nutritional yeast. The only slightly weird ingredient is the nutritional yeast. If you don't know what that is, look it up. Not only is it a pantry staple if you are going to live a dairy free or vegan lifestyle, but its pretty devious on random things even if you aren't dealing with a food sensitivity. Popcorn especially. Oh dang, now I want popcorn.
On a scale of one to ten, one being the easiest, and ten being the easiest, this recipe is a two. Only because you have to use the blender, so you have to get that out and wash it afterwards. This recipe couldn't be easier, you literally just put everything in the pitcher and blend until coarse breadcrumb sized parmesan-ish cheese sprinkles are achieved.
As for the tastiness- I have tried a lot of different vegan cheezes. I can tell you, they don't ever taste like the cheese you are used to. But this recipe is nutty, salty and cheezy, and that's all I can really ask for. The other perk is that vegan cheese is usually expensive, but this recipe can be made on a budget, and goes a long way.
I just want to say again how great Minimalist Baker is. Dana, thanks for all you do, and keep up the good work!
