Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Recipe Review: BIG VEGAN: Three-Nut "Cheese" Quesadillas with Fresh Mango Salsa



Recipe from the BIG VEGAN cookbook by Robin Asbell - more than 350 recipes No Meat/No Dairy ALL DELICIOUS.

Three-Nut "Cheese" Quesadillas with Fresh Mango Salsa

Nut "Cheese"
  • 1/3 cup/40 g macadamia nuts
  • 1/3 cup/40 g raw cashews
  • 1/3 cup/40 g slivered/flaked almonds
  • 1 acidophilus capsule (make sure it is dairy free)
  • 1 tbsp cold-press corn oil
  • 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp salt
Salsa 
  • 1 large mango, diced
  • 1 large jalapeno, chopped
  • 3 tbsp chopped red onion
  • 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint or cilantro/fresh coriander
  •  1/4 tsp salt

  • 2 scallions/spring onions, chopped
  • 1/4 cup/7 g cilantro/fresh coriander
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • Eight 6-in/15-cm whole wheat/wholemeal tortillas 


1. To Make the Nut "Cheese": Put the nuts in a bowl, cover them with cold water, and refrigerate overnight. The next day, drain the nuts, then puree them with 1/2 cup/120 ml fresh water in a blender or food processor. It make take some scraping down and repeating to get it smooth. Add the contents of the acidophilus capsule and puree to mix. Transfer the mixture to a glass or ceramic bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap/cling film, and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. It should form some bubbles and smell cheese-like.

2. The next day, stir in the oil, lemon juice, and salt, then refrigerate.


3. To Make The Salsa: Put the mango in a medium bowl and add the jalapeno, onion, lime juice, mint, and salt. Toss to mix and refrigerate until needed.

4. When the nut "cheese" is cold, mix in the scallions/spring onions, cilantro/fresh coriander, and chili powder. Divide the mixture among four of the tortillas and top them with the remaining tortillas.

5. To cook, preheat a large cast-iron frying pan on high heat. When it is hot, put one quesadilla in the pan, and cook it for about 2 minutes per side, until it is dappled with brown spots and the "cheese" is heated through. Transfer it to a cutting board and slice the quesadilla into six wedges. Repeat with the other quesadillas. Serve hot with the mango salsa.


Notes: YUMMY! I really enjoyed making my own cheese for this dish. Making food from scratch and knowing exactly what is going into my food is becoming increasingly important to me. Having complete quality control makes me feel good about what I make and serve. This was a fun and tasty meal - the mango salsa was a really fresh taste explosion! The quesadillas were good ole fashioned, messy fun-to-eat. Having yeasty nuts brewing made me feel especially fancy and pro-style! Also, saying nut-cheese is just juvenile giggle time!


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