Vegan parmesan cheese

By Sari Huhtala

This crazy easy recipe for homemade parmesan vegan cheese can fool even the most parm-obsessed person. I recently tested it on a friend who didn’t even realize it wasn’t parmesan, and when I told him as he ate his pasta, he said, “Geez, you shouldn’t have even told me.”

Its two main ingredients are raw cashews and nutritional yeast, both super nutritious. Just two tablespoons of nutritional yeast provides about 8 grams of protein, up to 700 per cent of your daily B12 vitamin needs, and is high in riboflavin, niacin, folate and B6, as well as zinc and selenium. Using fortified nutritional yeast boosts the nutritional content.

Raw cashews add protein, along with a boost of copper, magnesium, manganese, iron and zinc, plus hearth-healthy fats.

Vegan parmesan cheese

• ½ cup raw cashews
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp salt

Place ingredients in a Magic Bullet, blender or grinder. Grind to a desired texture, being careful not to grind too fine as it will turn into a paste. Place in a sealed jar and store in the refrigerator for up to several months. Sprinkle on pasta, pizza, meatballs, Caesar salad, or any other dish where you’d like to add cheesy flavour.

Sari Huhtala is the creator, publisher and editor of Alive and Fit Magazine, which was created in 2007.  She has over 25 years of experience in journalism and over 15 years of experience as a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor, and is a holistic chef, offering holistic cooking and edible wilds workshop, and My Farmacy workshops. She is an organic farmer, wild-crafter and grandmother, who has spent over 20 plus years navigating a holistic, healthy path for her family. Reach her at friends@thelaughingforest.ca