Shake, Shake, Shake

Vegan "parmesan" and a 1/2 cheese, 1/2 no cheese version as well

As a kid, I loved coming home from a long day of school and afterschool activities to be greeted by the aroma of Mom’s spaghetti, a budget-friendly staple in our family’s meal repertoire. At the dinner table, I relished that moment before digging in, when I got to shake, shake, shake that shiny green bottle of old-school Kraft parmesan cheese onto my heaping pile of pasta.

In college, it became a tradition for my roommates and I (all starvin’ students) to indulge in a weekly spaghetti night; don’t think that shiny green can wasn’t on the coffee table where we gathered around to feast and watch an indie movie on our ancient TV.

Leaving behind young adulthood, and aspiring to gourmet vegetarian cooking, I’ve since acquired a taste for good parmesan, the kind you find in the cheese case at a good market.  I adore choosing my block of parmesan (with rind of course, perfect to flavor a future pot of minestrone), shredding it on my box grater, and sprinkling it on pastas, salads, couscous pilafs, you name it. But don’t think for one minute I don’t get nostalgic when I remember the spaghetti topping of my youth. Those memories, teamed with my desire to come up with a vegan alternative, a healthier option to boot, inspired a kitchen think tank .

In terms of a vegan version to substitute for parmesan, I’ve discovered a slew of tasty options in cookbooks and on cooking websites and blogs, all starring nutritional yeast and nuts and/or seeds. Knowing how delicious “cheezy” nutritional yeast is on popcorn, brown rice, and in no-cheese sauces, I knew this super food would star in my recipe, too.

I’m always on the hunt for yummy parm cheese alternatives. One I like is Parma by Eat in the Raw.Both flavors, original and chipotle cayenne, are free of dairy, soy, gluten, and GM; plus both are kosher, contain omega 3’s, B12, and trace minerals (my recipe below, without my optional addition of real parmesan cheese, pretty much has these great qualities too). Veg News features a good, solid recipe based on walnuts and nutritional yeast, one that is super simple and quick.  My biggest inspiration, though, is Isa Chandra’s recipe for “Almesan” in her cookbook Veganomicon. It’s awesome, just like her cookbooks.

Preparing for our first camp trip of this season late spring (in the Redwoods), not to mention all the tomato-driven dishes of the summer screaming for parmesan, I  worked on a recipe of my own. It only made sense, given we love to make pasta at camp. In fact, our first camp trips together, almost across the country in Florida, we’d camp 3-4 days to kick off the New Year (New Year’s Day being my birthday), dining on pasta marinara, veggie sausages with red onion and green pepper, and campfire garlic bread on New Year’s Eve.

My base recipe is vegan, but sometimes I opt to mix this nutty, nutritional yeasty blend with a good, solid parmesan from my natural foods co-op. It’s a nice way to enjoy your cheese, but spike it up with extra nutritional boost while reducing dairy intake.

This versatile mixture is not only for pasta. It’s great for anything. Vegan pita pizzas. Falafel sandwiches. Steamed Veggies. Baked Potato. Salads. Hummus. I am known to eat a big pinch of it w/ a piece of good baquette and a kalamata olive while cooking.

I make this at at home and carry it to camp in a mason jar or a small, plastic container. Depending on how much you’ll need, you’ll choose the appropriate container. Backpackers could put it in a Ziploc. If this recipe yields too much for your camp or backpacking trip, store some in an airtight container in the fridge. It won’t stay there long, trust me! I make a batch and use it up over a week, adding it to all sorts of things.

Here’s my recipe with notes.

• ¼ cup almonds (Blanched or slivered work well as there are no skins, but I’ve used roasted tamari almonds with skins and they’ve had great results. Another option is walnuts which are delicious and full of good things. Almond meal works well, too, if you make it or can find it. I think next time I may use a variety of random nuts I have hanging out in the fridge.
• ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds (if you make them fresh, be sure they are cool)
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp lemon zest
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast (Red Star Brand rules!)
• ¾ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• ¼ tsp each: dried basil, oregano, thyme
• fresh ground pepper (I love the rainbow kind with four types)
• optional: freshly grated parmesan cheese (I use ¾ cup when I am feeling cheesy, less when I am not/note: you choose how to grate it, depending on your preference)
• optional: other herbs or spices (I like to add some Spike to mine on occasion)

Put the first 6 ingredients plus 1 tsp of the dried parsley in a food processor. Pulse until it’s pretty much the consistency of tiny bread crumbs. Put in small mixing bowl. Add second tsp parsley and all remaining ingredients. Stir. Taste. Adjust, adding more salt or herbs or pepper. Feel free to experiment. You could add more red pepper flakes for more spice for example. Store in a tight container in the fridge.

Tags: additions, garnish, pasta

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 10th, 2011 at 9:35 pm and is filed under Camp Cuisine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.