Homemade "Cheese" (Low Dairy, Made with Nut and Squash)

Cheese with pecans on top (red pepper and parsley flavor)

I finally made a homemade cheese that brings me total excitement!  I tried earlier this Spring, and I like how the finished product turned out, but I had a reaction to the gelatin in it.  It was made with gelatin and zucchini squash.  At that point, I realized that gelatin is just not for me.  So I gave up the idea that I would be able to make a cheese that would work for my weight loss diet.  I actually am not sensitive to most cheeses.  Maybe a little to blue cheese if I eat it too regularly, and dairy (mainly milk) does seem to cause me some hormonal issues.  My goal was to make a cheese that I can snack on and still drop some pounds. 

A few weeks ago, I started reading about how cheese could be made from nuts.  I was intrigued, but knew the only nut that works for me are pecans.  I tried searching on numerous sites, and I never found anyone that had a picture of cheese made from pecans.  It was more popular to use cashews and almonds.  I finally found one blog that mentioned making pecan milk, and said that it was really tasty.  That was encouraging.  I also read that it was possible to make cheese and milk from seeds like sunflower seeds.  However, I was nervous about making it from sunflower seeds.  I know in concentrated forms like sunbutter, my body starts having reactions.  Especially if it is really tasty and the texture is amazing like sunbutter cookies, then I will over indulge. 

So, I started giving up hope.  Thinking this is something that just is not for me.  Then, last night I was roaming on Pinterest to wind down and go to bed.  I didn't even put in a search topic.  I was just reviewing what the system had selected for me.  I clicked on a picture, and the recipe sounded like what I had been considering.  It combined nut cheese method with the squash cheese method, and it didn't contain gelatin.  Also, it was not fermented (sensitive to most) and no long soaking method (hate long processes!).  This recipe sounded like a dream, and should require just a little editing to work for me.  I was so excited that I jumped out of the bed, and began boiling some pecans to start the recipe!       

It taste so delicious.  I am already brainstorming how I can make other things with it.  Definitely, I will be using it for pasta dishes, and I am also thinking it will make a really cool spinach like dip with kale.

PECAN AND SQUASH CHEESE

1/3 cup pecans

1 1/2 cups water, divided (additional water is used to boil the pecans and squash)

3 TBS cornstarch

2 TBS parmesan cheese (or use nutritional yeast flakes)

1/4 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

3/4 tsp. sea salt

1/4 cup cooked winter squash, sweet potato, or pumpkin (I used acorn squash)

dash of dried red pepper flakes (optional - I wanted something like pepper jack cheese!)

dash of dried parsley (optional)

1. Add a couple of inches of water to a sauce pan, and bring the water to a boil.  Add the pecans and let them cook for about 2 minutes.  Remove the pecans from the heat and let them sit in the heated water while prepping the other items.

2. Add a couple of inches of water to another sauce pan, and bring the water to a boil. Peel the acorn squash or vegetable that you decide to use.  Chop it into cubes.  Place the squash or vegetable in the boiling water, and allow it to boil until soft (test with a fork).  Drain the squash.

Acorn squash sliced in half

Cubed and cooked acorn squash

3. Drain the pecans and dry them and place them in the food processor for 1-2 minutes until they are finely grinded.  Scrape down the sides of the food processor, and add 1/2 cup water and mix for 1 minute.  The mixture should start looking milky.  Add the remaining ingredients (1 cup water, cornstarch, parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, and squash or vegetable used).  Mix for about 2 minutes or until the mixture is very smooth and creamy.

4.  Transfer the mixture from the food processor to a small saucepan.  Using a whisk to stir the mixture, cook on medium heat until thick - for about 3-5 minutes.

5.  Pour the cheese mixture into a 2 cup container that will nicely mold its shape.  I used a small round glass bowl. Chill for several hours, until firm.

2 cup glass bowl used to mold the cheese

Cooked ingredients added to the bowl

6.  Remove the cheese from the mold.  It now can be sliced and used like regular cheese! It can be stored in a container in the refrigerator up to a week.  Enjoy.



Cheese after refrigerated and removed from mold

Linked is the recipe that inspired me, click here.  I didn't use the lemon mainly because I am sensitive, and I didn't have a lime handy either. I was nervous leaving it out, but I thought it tasted great without it.  I used pecans instead of almonds.  I also used a lot less curry, because I thought it may be a little over powering for the cheese flavor I wanted. I like curry, and normally a little doesn't irritate me.  However, the larger amount will help with coloring too if you want to try it. Instead of pepper sauce, I used red pepper flakes and parsley to give it sort of a green and red, pepper jack cheese appearance.  Play with the recipe and make it yours, by adding things that you enjoy. 

If interested in making pecan milk, here is a recipe.  The cheese recipe above helped me to see how nuts can be transformed into milk. I appreciated gaining that knowledge. I may try the boiling method in the future with the pecans once I purchase a nut bag for straining the mixture. 

Sincerely,

Fanuppa