dip Archives | Page 5 of 11 | sweet miscellany

The creative process is an interesting one. Sometimes I have so many recipe ideas in my head I can barely write them down fast enough. Other times it’s a struggle that involves me staring at a blank sheet of paper for an hour with nothing to show for it but a silly doodle. This is the reason I’ve NEVER made myself keep to a strict blogging schedule. If it seems forced or inauthentic, I won’t do it. It’s impossible for me to know whether or not I will be inspired by something on a specific day at a specific time. The process is organic and fluid, and that is just how I like it.

I actually had the idea for this dish quite a while ago. I even wrote it down a few times. But then I got involved with other things until it persisted one last time. It’s an interesting one, blurring the lines of sweet and savory. Is it a dessert? Is it a veggie side dish? Well my friends, I’m not a fan of labels, so it is what it bloody is. If the combination doesn’t quite sit well with your palate, I urge you to at least make the date caramel, then serve it atop these cocoa cardamom cakes because DUH. Or maybe you make the caramel and just eat it with a spoon? Either way, it’s magic.

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Vegan Sunflower Cheddar Spread (vegan/gf recipe) | seasonal plant-based recipes via The Sweet Miscellany Blog

Soaked sunflower seeds form the base of this vegan cheddar spread. A combination of nutritional yeast, miso, and smoked paprika lend a savory, cheesy flavor to this vegan and gluten free spread.

Right after my surgery I was passing time catching up on what I might have missed on Facebook and happened upon a comment left on one of my recipes shared by Edible Houston. It was a recipe in which I make a cashew based tzatziki sauce. The commenter claimed that he didn’t know what that concoction was but it certainly wasn’t traditional tzatziki. I wanted to reply so many things. But I didn’t. Because a person like that will not understand anything you tell them. They won’t understand that the reason it’s made with cashews is because my digestive system does not tolerate dairy very well. And that many people in fact choose not to eat dairy for a plethora of reasons. And there are even people that are allergic. So yes, it’s a non-traditional tzatziki, and yes, I know exactly how a traditional one is made, and yes, I’m going to call it what I please because I developed the dang recipe!

I’ve come across comments similar to this recently and it really irks me. It fits in with the whole food shaming trend that seems to be the norm. People get shamed for both what they eat and what they don’t eat. And I’m not just talking about vegans, or vegetarians, or the gluten free crowd, but anyone that has ever been shamed for their dietary choices. So, next time you want to criticize, stop and think. Because you never know someone else’s circumstances or what is going on in their world. Stepping off that soap box for now…

Today I give you this magical spread I developed recently because my gut not only can’t tolerate dairy, but most nuts and coconut now. Yay for leaky gut! Originally my goal with this spread was to make something salty and savory that would fill a certain void. What I ended up with is something that tastes similar to a smoky cheddar cheese. I think I’ll consider that a win. You’ll see the word ‘cheddar’ in the recipe name, not because I don’t know what constitutes the traditional definition of cheddar, but because it best describes the overall taste. I hope you enjoy it!

Vegan Sunflower Cheddar Spread

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Author: Courtney West
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 1/2 cups 1x
Diet: Vegan

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Description

Soaked sunflower seeds form the base of this vegan cheddar spread. A combination of nutritional yeast, miso, and smoked paprika lend a savory, cheesy flavor to this vegan and gluten free spread.

Ingredients

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1/2 cup raw (unsalted) sunflower seeds, soaked overnight
1/4 cup water, plus more as needed for thinning
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp mellow miso paste
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp smoked paprika
sea salt, to taste

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Instructions

Drain and rinse the sunflower seeds. Add them to the blender along with all of the other ingredients except the salt. Blend until smooth. Taste and add salt as needed. Makes about 1 1/2 cups. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Category: dip