Zucchini Pesto "Cheese"
Creamy and light, this vegan zucchini "cheese" is packed with traditional pesto flavor thanks to fresh basil and garlic. It's great on crackers, tortilla chips and sandwiches.
If you haven't worked with Agar Agar before, it may take some getting used to. Don't let it initimidate you...the trick is to make sure it simmers for at least five minutes and that you use a flexible spatula to scrape all of the cooked mixture from the saucepan into the blender.
Overall, this recipe is simple and comes together quickly:
1. Steam zucchini slices, then blitz in the blender along with a few other ingredients until smooth.
2. Simmer the Agar Agar in a bit of water for five-eight minutes, add it to the blender and blitz again.
3. Pour into a container, cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours until firm.
It will keep in the refirgerator for five-seven days, and is a delicious snack to have on hand.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sliced zucchini (leave the skin on)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/2 cup plain vegan yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, packed
- 1/4 cup filtered water
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Agar Agar powder (see notes)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, place the 1/4 cup filtered water. Stir in the Agar Agar powder and let it sit while you steam the zucchini.
- Steam the zucchini 5-10 minutes, until tender. Place it in the blender along with all of the other ingredients (except the Agar-water mixture). Blend until smooth.
- Bring the Agar and water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring almost constantly, for at least 5 minutes and up to 8 minutes. The heat activates the Agar's gelling properties and takes time to fully activate. The mixture will thicken and look a bit cloudy. Once the time has elapsed, quickly scrape all of the mixture from the pan into the blender, using a flexible spatula to get as much as possible out of the pan.
- Immediately blend all together, then pour into a glass, ceramic or non-reactive metal container. Cover and refrigerate about two hours, until firm.
- You can eat it right out of the container, or run a knife carefully around the edges of the container and invert it onto a plate.
Notes
Agar Agar is sold in powder form and flake form. The powder form is more potent, so if you have the flake form, increase the amount to about 1 Tablespoon for this recipe.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 41Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 80mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 3g
Nutrition information is believed to be accurate but is not guaranteed.
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