Vegan MoFo Day 20: Peanut Cheeze

PPK readers may recall my earlier experiment with the "Chedda Polenta" recipe in the Seven Secrets Cookbook by Jim and Neva Brackett. This is a vegan cheeze based on peanuts and cornmeal. (Gluten-free and soy-free people, take note: this cheeze is for you.) My first try was tasty, but looked a bit funny, as I put it in a loaf pan that was too large. This time I used my smallest individual mini-pan: much better, and the texture is also improved.

As with most vegan cheeze, this is not going to mimic dairy. But it is very tasty in its own savory right. A few recipe notes: I used smoked paprika instead of regular paprika, because I love it (and have to be physically restrained from putting it in everything). Next time, I will probably reduce the baking time by a few minutes. You can see in the photo that the edges are a little crumbly. For the peanuts, I used plain, store-brand, salted, roasted peanuts from the snack aisle. (Watch ingredients, as some brands of roasted peanuts include gelatin. Bizarre, but true.) I cut the salt in the recipe slightly, as the peanuts were already quite salty.

This is good on crackers, shredded into tofu scramble, or (as above) in a sandwich with struan, vegenaise, arugula, and tomatoes.