Vegan cheeses are a tricky subject – I know! While I’m a big fan of making your own vegan cheeses at home because it’s quite easy really, sometimes you just want to skip the work and just get some really good store-bought vegan cheese. Unfortunately, I have to admit that lots of vegan cheeses out there are not that great. In a lot of them the main ingredient is oil combined with some other weird stuff, which really doesn’t make them that tasty nor healthy. Luckily, the genius folks over at Veganz just came out with 3 different flavors of an amazing vegan cashew cheese without all the nasties! I had the pleasure of trying them before they got to stores and got inspired to create this beautiful Vegan Antipasto Cheese Platter, to show you the many amazing uses for this cheese!
If you’ve been following me on Instagram for a while, you might be familiar with my passion for colorful, lush brunch platters! It’s such an amazing way to showcase food and really fun to create, as well as pick apart! 🙂 With 3 amazing flavors of the new vegan cashew cheese I thought it would be great to show the diversity of options you have to use them in your recipes!
If you’re not familiar with Veganz – the brand or the supermarket – you’ve probably never been to Germany. Veganz is a brand leader for plant-based food in the German market and they have both, their own food brand, as well as an all-vegan supermarket, located in Berlin. Even if you don’t live in Germany, most vegan travelers to Germany or Berlin know them as they’re just awesome and you can find their brand and vegan products in every other drugstore across Germany. You might also have come across their Instagram or Facebook page at some point!
As I’ve said earlier, I’m quite critical when it comes to vegan cheeses but these ones blew my mind for several reasons. First of all, these cheeses are made from cashews (over 70%) instead of primarily unhealthy oils, which makes them surprisingly wholesome and SO much more tasty! Secondly, they have added vegan cultured probiotics, which gives the cheese that authentic tangy aftertaste and makes them even healthier. Thirdly, the cheeses are 100% organic and handmade – big yes from me! And lastly, they have different textures and hence different uses according to how you store them.
If you leave them out of the fridge a little they become wonderfully soft and spreadable like cream cheese, if you keep them in the fridge or freezer they firm up to the point of where you can easily slice them or even grate them! How amazing is that? One cheese for many uses! You can find them in the Veganz supermarket in Berlin and they will also soon be available at the vegan online shop Vekoop.
For my Vegan Antipasto Cheese Platter, I decided to go with 3 main options/recipes: balsamic-glazed Mozzarella caprese on ciabatta, Mediterranean quinoa salad and Greek herby cheese skewers! The recipes are super easy to make and ready in no time!
- Mozzarella Caprese:
- 4 thick slices ciabatta bread
- ½ package Veganz cashew cheese (classic), chilled + sliced
- 1 ripe beef tomato, sliced
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- handful of basil leaves
- salt & pepper, to taste
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad:- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- ½ cup spinach, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup cucumber, diced
- ¼ package Veganz cashew cheese (mediterranean), frozen + grated
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp olive oil
- salt & pepper, to taste
Greek Herby Skewers:- ½ package Veganz cashew cheese (herbs), chilled + diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup spinach leaves
- ½ cup kalamata olives, pitted
- Mozzarella Caprese:
- Cut the cheese into ½ cm thick slices in the shape of mozzarella and slice your tomato. Combine the balsamic vinegar with the maple syrup. Layer the cheese and tomato on top of a thick ciabatta slice, drizzle the balsamic dressing on top and enjoy with salt, pepper and basil!
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad:- Simply place all ingredients into a salad bowl and carefully mix together. Adjust seasonings to your liking.
Greek Herby Skewers:- Dice the cheese into cubes. Take small wooden skewers and slide a piece of cheese, cherry tomato, spinach and olive on it. Repeat this step until all ingredients are gone.
- Place all dishes on a big wooden cutting board and decorate with your favorite toppings. I suggest grapes, fresh fruit, veggies and your favorite crackers!
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