The Happy Gluten Free Vegan

Vegan and gluten-free cheese has come a long way. Gone are the days of unpalatable soy cheeses with crumbly or rubbery textures. Not only are delicious every day vegan cheeses available, but so are artisan vegan cheeses such as those made by vegan cheese company Kite Hill.

Kite Hill artisan non-dairy cheeses are the first vegan cheeses to ever be featured in Whole Foods Market’s cheese department. Kite Hill makes their vegan artisanal cheeses in the same way that traditional dairy cheese is made. All of their cheeses are made from a proprietary nut milk blend, after which it is pasteurized and blended with lactose-free culture and naturally occurring enzymes. As the mixture curds, the curd is distributed into cheese molds and aged.

The Kite Hill cheese we sampled is their White Alder cheese, a soft ripened cheese, similar to brie. The cheese came in a round wooden box, and was carefully wrapped to preserve it. It has a soft rind, in which there is very creamy cheese. The taste of the cheese is soft, which is perfect for those who don’t like a strung cheese. Because it is such a soft taste, it pairs really well with seasoned, gluten free crackers, taking on any flavor that it may have. It would also be delicious spread on tortilla chips and carrot chips. While Kite Hill recommends pairing it with white grapes, we paired it with strawberry, apple slices, dried cherries and dark chocolate, and it was an absolutely delicious offering. We can also see this tasting delicious as grilled cheese, with some gluten-free bread and perhaps some tomato or pesto.

Kite Hill recommends pairing this vegan cheese with a dry white wine or champagne, but if you’re a non-drinker, it would taste delicious with sparkling cider.

Kite Hill vegan artisanal cheeses are available at Whole Foods markets everywhere, or check their store locator for the store nearest you.

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We love our vegan and gluten-free cheese, especially when it’s non-GMO. Parmela’s Creamery, which started out with their signature product, parmesan-style cheese, will not disappoint. Their vegan cheeses are fermented like regular dairy cheese, offering a whole new vegan cheese experience.

Parmela’s nut-based cheeses are fermented and aged to offer a rich, tangy flavor, just like dairy cheese. The almond and cashew-based cheeses include soy, which is in a more digestiable form due to breaking down during the fermentation process.

Parmela’s also just released their creamy vegan cream cheese. Also nut based, these spreads include rich coconut oil to bring a full flavor to the cream cheese. Parmela Creamery vegan cream cheese comes in 3 flavors: original, black pepper and kalamata olive. Like the parmesan-style vegan cheese, the cream cheese is fermented and aged.

There’s more exciting news: Parmela’s will be expanding their line even further, to include sauces. The sauce flavors are Tomato Vodka, Alfredo and Artichoke. All are vegan, gluten-free and nut-based, and perfect on gluten free pasta, gluten free lasagna, or over veggies.

You can order all existing Parmela products, and get on a waiting list to be notified when the sauces are available, at Vegan Essentials.

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We’ve been having fun with Miyoko Schinner’s cookbook, Artisan Vegan Cheese. So far we’ve made vegan and gluten-free sour cream, from a base of vegan and gluten-free rejuvelac. One of the things we love so much about this next recipe is how quick and easy it is. This is the perfect option for when you’re running late starting dinner, or just want something quick and easy so that you can relax the rest of the evening.

Vegan and Gluten-Free Low-Fat Chipotle Cheese Sauce

1 cup butternut squash, cooked and mashed
3/4 cup plain, unsweetened vegan yogurt
3/4 cup water
1/2 onion, quartered
5 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 cup raw cashews
3 tbsp tapioca flour
1/2 chipotle chili in adobo sauce
1 tsp salt

Put all of the ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth. Pour into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently for 2 to 5 minutes, until thick. If you’d like it a little spicier, you can add more minced chipotle chili.

This chipotle cheese sauce would be a delicious addition to broccoli, nachos, or over rice noodles for a delicious and easy macaroni and cheese.

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Last week we brought you a recipe for vegan and gluten free rejuvelac from the recipe book Artisan Vegan Cheese Cookbook by Miyoko Schinner. Rejuvelac is the base of many of the recipes in Schinner’s book, which cultures the dishes.

Anyone who eats vegan knows that it is hard to find a good vegan sour cream. The “sour” in sour cream comes from the way it is cultured, and many commercially available sour creams aim for texture, seeming to ignore taste. Schinner’s recipe cultures the sour cream, just like real sour cream and, unlike most commercially available vegan sour cream, doesn’t contain soy, which many vegans like to avoid.

Vegan and Gluten Free Sour Cream

1 cup raw, soaked cashews (soaked 3 to 8 hours)
1 cup gluten free rejuvelac
Pinch of salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a clean glass bowl, cover, and let sit at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours, until a bit thicker and sour to your liking. Line a colander or sieve with a double layer of cheesecloth. Rest the colander over a bowl and pour in the sour cream. Allow the sour cream to drain for at least 3 hours, until thick. Transfer to a container with an airtight lid, discarding the liquid, and place in the fridge. The longer it sits, the thicker it will get. It will keep for 2 weeks.

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Miyoko Schinner, author of the book Artisan Vegan Cheese, is being hailed as the queen of vegan cheese. In addition to being vegan, her recipes can easily be made gluten-free, and are delicious. These recipes are for vegan food-lovers who are looking to take their vegan culinary experiences to the next level. Schinner’s mouth-watering recipes make a slew of cheeses, including gouda, cheddar, parmesan, monterey jack, mozzarella and smoked provolone.

The foundation of the majority of Schinner’s recipes is rejuvelac. Rejuvelac is a fermented beverage that is full of probiotics, and is the perfect culturing agent to make vegan cheeses. Rejuvelac is made from a variety of grains such as oat groat, wheat berries, kamut berries, millet and, for gluten-free options, rice and quinoa. Here we will post Schinner’s recipe using rice, but the same recipe can be made using any of the other grains.

Vegan and Gluten Free Rejuvelac

1 cup brown rice
6 cups of filtered water

Place the rice in a glass jar and add enough water to cover the rice. Put a double-layer of cheesecloth over the jar, and secure it by winding a rubber band around the mouth of the jar. Let the mixture sit for 1 to 3 days in a warm place (but out of direct sunlight), draining the water twice a day, and replacing it with fresh water. Each time you replace the water, add just enough so that the rice is moist, but not so much that the rice grains are immersed. You will repeat this process until you see the rice sprout, which will look like very tiny little tails coming out of the end of the rice. Once this happens, divide the rice into two equal portions and place each portion into a 1-quart jar. Pour 3 cups of filtered water into each jar, and put a new piece of cheesecloth over the jars, securing with rubber bands. Place the jars back in a warm spot and let them sit until the water turns a milky white, and has a tart flavor, similar to lemon. This can take anywhere from 1-3 days. Once it is finished, strain the water into a clean jar, and throw away the rice. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

You can drink the rejuvelac, as it has many health properties. You can also use it to make some of Schinner’s delicious recipes, which will be featured on the Happy Gluten Free Vegan next.

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Gluten-Free Vegan Macaroni and Cheese #3

One package gluten-free macaroni (we like Ancient Harvest Organic Quinoa Pasta)
2 cups raw cashews
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) Earth Balance or other vegan margarine
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

OPTIONAL: handful organic potato chips for topping

Place cashews in a bowl and cover with filtered water. Let stand at room temperature for 3 to 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook the macaroni according to directions.

(NOTE: We like to cook this in our enamel-coated cast iron dutch oven, which can go from cooking the macaroni on the stove top to baking the finished product in the oven.)

While the macaroni is cooking, drain cashews and place in food processor with ‘S’ blade, or in heavy duty blender such as a Vitamix.

Process cashews until finely ground, and then slowly drizzle in some filtered water until the mixture takes on the consistency of thick cheese sauce.

Add mustard, lemon juice, salt, and nutritional yeast, and process until well-blended.

Drain cooked macaroni and place in greased (or oiled) oven-proof casserole dish.

Mix the cheese sauce into the macaroni until well-mixed.

If you choose to top the macaroni and cheese with crushed up potato chips, this is the time to do it.

Place macaroni and cheese in oven. Bake for 1/2 hour and then, if desired, switch the oven to ‘broil’ and broil until top browns.

Remove from oven and serve.

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