My oldest son is allergic to dairy (cows milk protein), so I’ve had to get pretty creative with my cooking to keep him satisfied and eating a variety of food. It’s not until you have a kid with allergies that you realise how many allergens are in our foods. Even what most people would consider basic foods are often full of added dairy, soy and gluten.
My son avoids both dairy and soy so finding a dairy free cheese alternative that wasn’t full of soy was a huge challenge. This great recipe is perfect for anything that uses cheese in a “melted” format (such as lasagne, pizza, toasted sandwiches etc) as it does require cooking. It has a real ricotta texture and the flavour is actually quite cheese like. It seems odd, so bear with me. It is yummy!
Dairy Free Cheese Alternative/ Dairy Free Ricotta
INGREDIENTS
- 180g pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons dry yeast
- 2 tbs lemon juice
- 1 tbs salt
METHOD
- Soak the pine nuts in a bowl of water for at least an hour (overnight would be better).
- Drain them and then add yeast, lemon & salt.
- Wizz up with a stick blender or similar.
- Add water in small amounts, enough for it to be thick but slightly running (not clumping).
- Use as you would cheese (dollop on pizza, use as a sauce in lasagne etc)
If you have any other wonderful dairy free cheese alternatives I’d love to know!