Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Sunflower Seed & Herb Cheese Spread


My family has always been big on cheese spreads. I think it's a Midwest thing. Cheese logs, balls of cheese, cheese dips - all delicious and dangerously irresistible. One of my favorites is the garlic & herb cheese spread made by Rondelé, spread on a cracker - it's a tiny piece of heaven. This recipe captures that essence and is very similar in consistency and taste. Cheese has certainly been one of the more difficult obstacles on my path to veganism. Needless to say, when I first heard about nut and seed cheese and how amazing it is, it peaked my interest in a major way.

This was my first adventure into vegan cheese world and it was a smashing success. It took a moment to get the flavor and seasoning just right, but other than that it's a snap. I used sunflower seeds, but it can also be done with cashews, walnuts or other nuts & seeds. It is dynamite used as a spread for carrots and celery, or these tasty little bagel chips from Trader Joe's. I've also been spreading it inside pita bread and filling the pocket with veggies and chick peas - amazing.

Sunflower Seed & Herb Cheese Spread

2 cups organic, hulled sunflower seeds; soaked 6-8 hours
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1/2 cup water

garlic salt & black pepper to taste

This is SO easy.

After soaking the seeds, strain and rinse them and put them in a blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until thick and creamy. Slowly add pinches of garlic salt and ground pepper until it tastes just right for you...

Can't wait to try this out on the fam back home.

13 comments:

  1. One member of the Indiana fam will be trying this out this weekend. Looking forward to it. Mama Liz

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  2. This looks delicious. I just stumbled upon your page. It is great. My husband was a bassist for years in several metal bands. Just playing in and around his local city of Boston.

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  3. Great looking seed & herb spread! I am actually going to attempt my first nut spread this week after all of these years. I actually only ate goat cheese, and a little at that, before being vegan so it wasn't so hard for me to give up. I know it is one of the harder things to give up for everyone.

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  4. I just got some cashews to make a creamy alfredo sauce. This cheese spread looks awesome for veggie dippin'!

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  5. Yep, it's mighty tasty. Perfect with veggies. It's opening up a whole new world for me of nuts and seeds and what they can do to make things creamy. My girl just sent me a recipe for a creamy spinach pasta sauce made with cashews. Yummm...

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  6. This cheese spread looks really good, I'm going to have to try it! Thanks for posting the recipe.

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  7. Yes. Seriously, yes!

    I'm definitely trying this - asap. It looks obscenely delicious, especially since I've been weirdly obsessed with sunflower seeds lately.

    Thanks for the recipe, I'll let you know how it turns out...

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  8. Gauri Radha गौरी राधाJune 29, 2011 at 10:00 AM

    Sounds delicious!! :-)

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  9. Sounds great!!! What is the amount of lemon juice?

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  10. wow! I am eating this dip this very moment with carrot sticks and tortilla chip. The parley and lemon are so fresh tasting, but the dip is utterly decadent. Thank for a great recipe!

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  11. Karin, glad you enjoyed it. I love this one as well. Anonymous - sorry for the late reply, juice 1/2 of a lemon. Cheers!

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  12. I am hoping to try this recipe soon!

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