I have always been a total cheese fanatic. So obviously as a grown woman, I envisioned cheese being a part of my diet, but it turns out that two out of the four of us in our household have skin reactions when eating dairy :(. So I started experimenting. I didn't want my little one to feel deprived of foods (because let's be honest, cheese and dairy add a crazy amount of flavor to food). I tried out a few different recipes I have seen out in the world, but most require cheesecloths, dehydrators and other specialty ingredients and I really wanted to create a recipe that most people could make in their homes. Even if you do consume cheese, incorporating dairy-free cheese could be a nice way to add more variety to your diet!

This recipe is very simple. You soak almonds overnight, blanche them, blend and form. The apple cider vinegar gives a bite to this cheese that is typical of a goat cheese. After getting some feedback from my Dad, I cut down the amount of coconut milk I originally used in order to disguise the taste of coconut from it. I am so happy with the result, and the best part of this almond cheese pretending to be goat cheese is the amount of possibilities it holds! I like adding finely chopped fresh herbs and some garlic and spreading it on toast, but the flavor combos you can add to this blank canvas of a cheese are endless!

(not so) goat cheese recipe:

ingredients:

1 cups raw almonds

2 teaspoons raw apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon coconut cream (or the solid top part of a can of coconut milk)

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup water

method:

cover the almonds in water and soak overnight. drain water, and drop all of them into a pot of boiling water. cook 1 minute. drain and rinse with cool water. using your fingers, gently pinch the cooled almonds, the skin will just come right off! you are welcome to skip the blanching step, but the color of your finished cheese won't be as white ;)

add your almonds and all of the rest of the ingredients to a high powered blender. blend on high for 2 minutes, using a tamper to make sure all of your cheese is equally smooth. scoop out, and form into desired shape! this will keep in the fridge for 1-2 weeks, but it usually lasts 1-2 days in our house!