Summer Squash "Cheese"
A creamy, dairy-free alternative to cheese made from fresh summer squash! This plant-based “cheese” is perfect as a dip, sauce, or spread. It’s light, flavorful, and great for those avoiding dairy, nuts, or soy.
Ingredients
- 1 cup zucchini, chopped into 1-inch cubes (peel first if you don't want the green color, I left peels on)
- 1 cup yellow squash, chopped into 1-inch cubes (can use more zucchini if desired)
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil (olive oil, ghee/butter can also be used)*
- 1 1/2 - 2 tsp raw coconut vinegar (can use lemon juice or apple cider vinegar if preferred)
- 3/4 - 1 tsp sea salt (I used fine hickory smoked salt)
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric (optional but brightens up the color a bit + it's anti-inflammatory)
- 3 1/2- 4 Tbsp gelatin (I used Great Lakes in a the red can)
- contents from 1 probiotic capsule (optional but I used this)
Instructions
- Line a bread pan with non-bleached parchment paper or a silicone baking pan may be use without a need for parchment paper.
- Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add squash and zucchini, then cover and simmer on medium low heat for 5 – 8 minutes. Drain off the water completely (You can save the water to sip or to cook with vegetables).
- Add your veggies to a blender then add the oil, vinegar/lemon juice, tumeric and sea salt. Blend on high speed.4. With your blender set on low speed, sprinkle the gelatin into the mixture. Blend on high for one last whizz until smooth.
- If you want to add probiotics to your ‘cheese’ wait for the mixture to cool so that it is no longer hot to touch in the blender. Add the probiotics and blend on low.
- Pour into your prepared pan and refrigerate overnight or for at least three hours to set. Alternatively to speed things up you can freeze to set, for about an hour.
- Cut into squares, cheese slice, dice, melt, or grate. Use on protein patty’s, with veggies, in salads, and use incorporated into snack plates.
- Wrap and refrigerate, or store slices in an airtight container. For best flavor, consume within 10 days.
- If you are using extra virgin olive oil, wait until your mixture has cooled slightly so that the heat does not oxidize or morph the structure of the delicate polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Notes
If you want a more cheesy flavor, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, however it's not AIP-friendly so I haven't tried it yet!