Vegan Potato Cheese Recipe

Serve this versatile dish as a dip with veggies and salads. Spread it thick on some millet rotis to make some cheesy rolls. Eat it on the side with baked goodies like Murukku or Ribbon pakoda. Yum!

“Potato Cheese? What on earth is that?” gagged my friend, as she looked at a picture of what looked like a creamy dip with pepper and sundried tomatoes. “That looks like cheese” she added, clearly confused about why I was posting pictures of cheese after I had turned vegan.

Six months before I upgraded my diet to a Whole Plant Based one, I remember sitting around and googling for Plant Based cheese. Why? Because I LOVED CHEESE and I could eat cheese with almost anything. Heck, I would eat slices of plain cheese from time to time. So, needless to say, I was panicking mildly at the thought of having to “give it up”. Many people I know feel the same.

I had learnt enough about the effects of animal foods on human health, the health of the planet, and the cruelty behind it. I had made up my mind to transform.

So, imagine my joy when I found it in potatoes! Yes, you read right. Potato Cheese is as simple as it gets and it’s super yummy too. Read on to find out how the world’s favourite vegetable (It really is, look it up) can take a new form, one that will pleasantly surprise you.

Serve this versatile dish as a dip with veggies and salads. Spread it thick on some millet rotis to make some cheesy rolls. Eat it on the side with baked goodies like Murukku or Ribbon pakoda. Yum!

- Shyamala Suresh, Plant Based Chef, NutritionScience.in

Whole Food Plant Based Potato Cheese Recipe

Course: Side Dish, Plant-based Cheese, Dairy Alternative
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 2 people

INGREDIENTS

2 Potato
1 tbsp Almond Butter
Juice of 1 Lemon
1/4 tsp Pepper Powder
2 tsp Miso Paste (Healthy Salt Alternative. See Nutrition Science Highlights below)
1 cup Water as required

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Boil or steam potatoes till they are cooked well.
2. Once done, blend with almond butter, miso paste, pepper and lemon juice. Use minimal water (if required) to get a cheese-like consistency.
   Serve fresh with steamed veggies or vegetable sticks!

Plant Based Chef Pro Tips for Best Potato Cheese Recipe

1. Garlic can be added too.
2. Add any herbs like pudina/mint, coriander, basil, thyme or oregano to enhance the flavour of the potato cheese recipe.

Nutrition Science Highlights for WFPB Potato Cheese Recipe

1. Why Miso Paste? Miso paste is fermented & salted soya bean paste. American Heart Association Maximum recommended maximum daily salt intake of 3.75 grams per person to minimise risk of high blood pressure, stomach cancer and chronic kidney disease. In addition to helping us restrict salt intake, replacing salt with miso paste also helps by neutralising the negative effects of salt by soya phytonutrients. You can easily make fresh miso paste at home by mixing 100 grams of cooked soya paste with 10 grams of salt, or 10 tablespoons of cooked soya paste with 1 tablespoon of salt. If making at home, ensure to use immediately, or freeze in batches to use later. Or, simply use 3.75 grams of salt or less per day per person and add 18 to 20 grams (dry weight) of soya beans in any dishes, spread through the day!
2. Why not dairy? Dairy products have been found to be associated with increased risk of chronic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, obesity, asthma, PCOS, and heart disease. We can still enjoy our milk, cream, and butter though - as long as they are made from whole plant foods!
3. Why wait until starchy vegetables are cool? When cooked starchy vegetables are allowed to cool on the counter or in the fridge, the starch crystallises to form resistant starch. This can be eaten by our good gut bacteria and also reduces the glycemic index (the rate at which glucose is absorbed), making the starchy vegetable healthier.