Vegan Parmesan

Broncos are on in the background!

In our house we've been known to be addicted to parmesan cheese. Michael even says it should be considered one of the major food groups. As I've been turning to veganism I realized cutting out parmesan would be a big step for me and I needed to find some alternative for when we have pasta or pizza or really anything and everything we use it for. There are a lot of recipes floating around for fake parmesan and I've only tried a few but this one has been a big hit. It's from Vegan on the Cheap, another cookbook Michael gave me for Christmas. We've made a few recipes from this book including the "Big Stick Pepperoni" and the "Comfort Loaf" and both were great. I'll definitely be writing more about this cookbook in the future.

Here's the Parmesan recipe, taken as written from Vegan on the Cheap:

"Faux Parm"

Only 3 ingredients!!

1/2 cup slivered raw almonds
3 Tbs nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt

In a food processor, finely grind the almonds, pulsing to avoid over processing. (Do not overprocess or it will turn into a paste). Transfer the almonds to a small bowl. Add the yeast and salt and stir to combine. Keep your faux parm stored tightly covered in the refrigerator, where it will keep for up to 2 weeks.

It doesn't look great but it does taste great!

Variation: You can substitute walnuts, sesame seeds, or another nut or see for the almonds. (I haven't done this yet, as I have really enjoyed the almonds but I will let you know if I do try a different nut or seed.)

So this recipe does not taste exactly like parmesan cheese but it does do the trick when I'm craving something else with my pasta. Since we've been eliminating cheese on our pizza I've also been sprinkling this on top instead. Enjoy!