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.

There were a couple of meals we’d mastered. Spaghetti, vegan sausages, and garlic bread for dinner. For breakfast we liked fried potato wedges, eggs, and more vegan sausage. Tasty but not the best we could do.

I browsed the camping cookbooks in an outdoors enthusiast store and then the local bookstore. No luck. Sure there were plenty of books on the subject, but all were chock full of recipes starring meat. I could have made adaptations, but I decided to hunt out just the right book.

I found a recommendation on Jennifer McCann’s (author of Vegan Lunchbox) blog (www.veganlunchbox.blogspot.com) and ordered it.

A Sierra Club Book, Simple Foods for the Pack: More Than 200 All-Natural, Trail-Tested Recipes features a variety of yummy recipes that are mostly vegetarian. Many are vegan or easily made vegan. For example, the recipe might call for grated hard cheese to be added at the end for flavor. Vegans can use a vegan alternative or even make a homemade, dairy-free version (I love Almesan, an awesome recipe I found in Isa Chandra’s Veganomicon. You can find her books at http://www.theppk.com or Amazon.). The recipes would also be excellent camp fare sans cheese. While there is a section on fish towards the end of the book (as well as a few recipes which include seafood), the majority of the book sticks to nutritious, tasty vegetarian cuisine.

The book is written for both the backpacking camper with limited space and the car camper who can lug around all the gear and goods he or she so desires.

The Book Includes:

• Exciting recipes from around the world! Didn’t think you’d be dining on Taste of India Couscous during a camptrip, did ya?
• The right recipe for every camp scenario—a romantic night by the fire, camping out with the kids, food for a crew, the list goes on.
• A listing of where you may purchase specialty foods online (although most recipes call for ingredients you’ll be able to purchase at your local grocer).
• Sections on Staple Foods, Tools, Herbal Remedies
• Info on planning, packing, and preparation

I even find myself making some of the recipes at home.

Sections Include:

Before You Go with info on planning your trip, basic foods, staples, notes on fresh foods, stoves, steaming directions, water options, sample menus, and more

Foods To Make At Home including pocket foods, journey cakes, spreads, dressings, and condiments

Foods To make In Camp which includes everything from cereals and breads, to soups, to patties and dumplings, to one-pot meals, to desserts and beverages

Simple Remedies including a natural first aid kit, medicinal teas, poultices and compresses, and more

PLUS Food Sources and Books and Websites and an easy-to-navigate Index.

I won’t ruin the excitement you’ll experience the day you get your hands on this gem, but here’s a few of the recipes you’ll enjoy: fruit leather, granola bars, nine kids of nutritious fudge, sesame chia crackers, Boston brown bread, journey cakes, couscous pilafs, miso sesame butter spread, lemon tahini dip, quinoa and fruit cereal, oatmeal hotcakes, drop scones, salsa soup with corn dumplings, tomato curry sauce, spicy peanut sauce, and so much more!

You’ll be pleased with the easy and fun-to-prepare dessert selections. Forfeit marshmallows (which, unless special vegan ones, contain gelatin—so not vegetarian) for skillet brownies, tapioca fruit pudding, and snow ice cream.

Also there is a long list of herbal tonic teas as well as great recipes for lemonades, horchata, and cashew milk.

For the hardcore, there are even instructions for a “Simple Garden for the Pack.”

The book is small, compact, and I tuck it in with our pots and pans when we go. I always pull it out when we come home though, keeping it in my kitchen along with my other cookbooks.

From the Preface:
“Whether you are an extreme hiker, a haiku hiker, or simply seeking to commune with nature, you have a love of the great outdoors…There’s no better way to celebrate this experience than enjoying good food and cooking in the backcountry.”

From Amazon:

Simple Foods for the Pack: More than 200 all-natural, trail-tested recipes

Here’s what we love to stir into our morning bowls of hot cereal or add to our stacks of banana pancakes:

• walnuts or pecans (hemp seeds or slivered almonds would be good too)
• dried fruit (raisins, banana chips, mango, dates, and shredded coconut are our top picks)
• fresh, organic, and seasonal (if possible) strawberries, bananas, peaches, and/or blueberries
• organic almond butter or peanut butter (instead of nuts)
• 100% maple syrup
• cinnamon

Now here’s the fun part. Taking each of these individual toppers in ziplocs or tupperware  would be inconvenient and not the most eco-savvy means of transporting.

I came up with a good idea while wading through my various food storage containers. As I rummaged through the cupboards and pantry, I decided I wanted to make use of the lunchboxes I’d surprised Kevin with over our four years together. One of them, a traditional stainless steel Indian tiffin (here’s one at Amazon) worked well for the berries. But the Laptop Lunchbox (I bought it at www.laptoplunchbox.com) would truly live up to it’s motto: Bento-ware for Everywhere!

The Laptop Lunchbox is the perfect container for nesting an assortment of tasty breakfast toppings.

The main box holds four containers, some with lids although not at all necessary for the dry items, leaving enough room for silverware (I tucked a rolled up reused ziploc with just enough dried coconut in that space). I filled the containers with walnuts, raisins, dried mango, and dried bananas. Then the Laptop Lunchbox closes. No matter how you lift it or carry it, stuff doesn’t spill.

In the mornings we set up shop, getting the ingredients we needed to cook up breakfast from our Kelty Binto Hauler Storage bag (yes, another bento-inspired idea):  For Pancake Day—maple syrup, soy milk, canola oil, Arrowhead Mills multigrain pancake mix; For Hot Cereal Day—bulk-bought oats. Plus the Laptop Lunchbox with our beautifully arranged toppings.  After pulling the bananas and berries  and Earth Spread out of the cooler, we were ready to cook up some a.m. grub without hassle.

Add a cup of Kevin’s French pressed coffee (with water boiled in our new camping kettle) and breakfast never tasted better.