Janice Buckingham - Super Easy Vegan Cheese Cookbook: 70 Delicious Plant-Based Cheeses

Copyright 2018 by Rockridge Press, Emeryville, California

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ISBN: Print 978-1-64152-228-1 | eBook 978-1-64152-229-8

To my husband and daughter: We can have it all. And to my teenage self: Every little thing is gonna be alright.

CONTENTS

My personal interest in vegan cheese was sparked when health issues, specifically with poor digestion and skin, caused me to reduce my dairy intake. I was experiencing digestive upsets, anxiety, and skin concerns, and realized I felt much better when I avoided dairy. I started looking into nut cheese and was HOOKED from the very first time I made cashew cheese. It really wowed me, and my passion for wowing others cant be tamed.

I personally do not identity as vegan. I just really find the challenge in vegan preparations invigorating and I do feel my best when I try to eat a whole-food, plant-based diet. So adding vegan cheese into my repertoire was a no-brainer, and I can honestly say that I dont miss dairy!

But thats also the wonderful thing about this cookbook! You dont have to be vegan to enjoy any of these recipes! These recipes are meant to be enjoyed by all.

When I first began my cheesemaking journey, I had to begin collecting the appropriate equipment. Although the beginner cheeses are quite simple, I wanted to advance quickly, so I sourced everything I could possibly need right away. Im so glad I did because when I get the itch to experiment, I have to go full speed ahead. So now I always have everything I need right in my cheese drawer!

Now, of course, I made mistakes along the way. Sometimes I purchased probiotics that didnt have Lactobacillus, and sometime I didnt soak the nuts long enough. But the funniest blooper was when I experimented with walnut cheese. It totally slipped my mind that I wouldnt be able to remove the skins from walnuts (they are super tedious with all the nooks and crannies) so I blended them right in. The cheese turned out purple! It also tasted quite bitter and too earthy for my taste, but my in-laws said it was delicious and stand by that to this day. I cant say I totally believe them though.

Incorporate cheesemaking into your normal meal prep routine and you will elevate your flavors to new heights. A dollop of on a scone... wow, life just got a whole lot better, didnt it?

Some of the benefits of this book include:

The recipes dont require a laundry list of strange ingredients or additives.

These recipes are not limited to just nut cheeses. There are many alternatives, like cheeses that use coconut or cauliflower!

While some recipes do benefit from using a high-performance blender, many of these recipes can be made with a food processor or other high-speed blender, so you dont need a lot of expensive equipment to get started.

Its all from the mind of a chef! Having a fine-tuned food intuition helps me develop recipes that really have flavor at the forefront of everything.

Cheese. The eighth wonder of the world. A natural phenomenon that occurs when sugar from milk and bacteria collide to create an umami bomb of flavor that is ripe and tangy or soft and salty. The first evidence of cheesemaking dates back to 5500 BC, which was the same time that humans began to write and record history. Cheese is at least as old as the art of record keeping.

Recently there has been a shift taking place among some health-conscious people to move away from cows milk and toward a plant-based alternative. More people are searching for a substitute for one reason or another. Maybe its lactose intolerance, which is estimated to impact a majority of the global population after infancy. Or maybe its to reduce the impact on the environment that dairy farming is infamous for. In any case, you dont have to be a vegan to enjoy vegan cheese.

Moving toward a more plant-based lifestyle is possible for everyone, and it starts one recipe at a time.

VEGAN CHEESE BASICS

How can we replicate this natural process in something other than milk? Well, you have found the answer between the pages of this book. Making vegan cheese is an incredibly rewarding process, and the basic recipe involves a consolidated plant protein and lactic bacteria.

WHAT GOES INTO VEGAN CHEESE?

The most common ingredients used to make plant-based cheeses include nuts, seeds, soy, solidified vegetable oil, pea protein, nutritional yeast, bacterial enzymes, and stabilizing agents like agar and kappa carrageenan. I know this can sound like a foreign language if youre new to the scene, but stick with me and youll see that its really not complicated at all!