Vegan Tofu Queso Fresco
Updated: Sep 9, 2020
Queso Fresco translates into fresh cheese and it sure taste like it. It's cool, crumbly, slightly moist, bouncy and mild in flavor. It is put on many, many Mexican dishes including but not limited to enfrijoladas, enchiladas, tostadas, tortas Cubanas and tacos. It cools off spicy food and generally just adds a refreshing feel to the dish.
One of the most difficult parts of becoming vegan was ditching cheese which has casomorphins, a casein molecule with a morphine-like molecule attached to it. These molecule have been recorded to attach to the same brain receptors that some narcotics like heroin and cocaine attach to. Yes, cheese is literally addicting and a huge reason behind vegetarians not turning vegan. Evolutionary biologist suggest that this insures survival of the species by making sure babies continue to nurse. Yes, milk has this molecule too but when made into cheese this protein increases seven fold.
For this reason cheese seems to be so difficult to replace. However, this does not mean it is impossible! Not only are there great companies out there making amazing cheese like Violife, but there are amazing recipes all over the internet. Making your own is such a rewarding process, you can get creative and really make some cool spreads. You'll need what's pictured :).
This Queso Fresco recipe requires a blender and some tofu. Here we go!
Ingredients:
- 4 cups salted water (1 1/2 teaspoon salt, water for boil)
- 1 block of tofu
- 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
- 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- a few tablespoons of water as needed to blend
Instructions:
- Boil the water and salt.
- Cut tofu into smaller pieces and add them to the boiling water for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add garlic powder, lime, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast and coconut oil to the blender.
- After five minutes, drain the tofu and save the water.
- Add the tofu to the blender and blend with all other ingredients. Add reserved water in gradually as needed to blend into a smooth creamy texture.
- Transfer to a bowl and cool at room temperature before letting it set in the refrigerator.
Honestly, you can use this cheese while still warm, it taste great too. It's more of a spread in this manner though. But it's best to let it cool overnight, this will yield that cool crumbly cheesy texture we are looking for.