By Sara
Today we are bringing you a plant-based parmesan recipe, perfect for a romantic Valentine’s date at home accoutrement. A Valentine’s Day menu can be tricky to navigate when excluding animal products, but don’t throw in the towel yet! We’ve gathered a delicious menu for you to whip up for a decadent but healthful February 14th that’ll leave you both satisfied and feeling great!
I don’t know about you, but the most romantic menu in my mind consists of simple Italian food. Did growing up watching Lady and the Tramp go out for a shared bowl of spaghetti have a little to do with this? I’ll never tell.
“This is the night
It’s a beautiful night
And we call it bella notte.”
-Song by Peggy Lee and Sonny Burke
Italian Valentine’s Dinner Menu:
Bellini:
Start out with a bellini (here is a delicious recipe for a peach bellini without any added sugars for the peach nectar). It doesn’t need to be peach season to make these, thanks to frozen peaches that are plentiful in stores! Just thaw your peaches at room temperature prior to making!
Starter Salad:
A starter salad with leaf lettuce mixed with romaine, some shredded purple cabbage for extra crunch, shredded carrots, diced cucumbers, halved grape tomatoes and olives and topped with balsamic vinagrette and a sprinkle of our plant-based parmesan cheese (recipe below).
Spaghetti:
Follow this with a satisfying bowl of spaghetti, topped with our marinara sauce. To make it even more healthy, serve it over a bed of spinach! Though not whole food plant based, you can top with a couple of the Beyond Meat Meatballs for an authentic Lady and the Tramp experience. Then, sprinkle with a touch of our parmesan cheese for that authentic Italian flavor!
Toasted whole grain bread:
Serve with a lightly toasted slice of whole grain bread, drizzled with some balsamic vinegar.
Poached Pears:
Finish off with some pears poached in red wine for a light but still sweet dessert. What a fine meal this is!
Plant-Based Parmesan Cheese
Ingredients
- ½ cup Hemp Seeds *
- ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Onion Powder
- ½ tsp Lemon Zest
- ¼ tsp Iodized Sea Salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients into a small food processor bowl, or a Vitamix small bowl and pulse several times until the mixture is fairly fine, similar to parmesan. Be careful not to over-process it, or it will get oily, which you do not want.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for a week, or may be frozen for up to 2 months. So next time you have a need for parmesan, look no further than this simple dairy-free cheese that will not leave you feeling bloated. If you'd like, you can add a half teaspoon of different spices, such as Italian or dried basil and rosemary to yours, for some simple ways to create different flavors in this delicious plant-based parmesan.
- * You may also use ¼ cup hemp seeds and ¼ cup sunflower seeds if you prefer.
Plant-Based Parmesan Cheese
The savory flavor of this plant-based parmesan cheese is going to wow you, all with simple ingredients you can find at your local grocery store. The end result is worth the few minutes it takes to throw this together for a cheesy taste that will have you coming back for more. With a little bit of imagination, you can create any of your former recipes in a more healthful way with little tweaks like this!
Here’s a quick look at the ingredients and some nutritional information in our plant-based parmesan:
Hemp seeds:
These have a delicious, chewy texture and a nutty flavor that is loaded with protein, omegas 3 and 6, as well as fiber, magnesium, zinc and iron.
Sunflower seeds:
These beauties contain a generous amount of vitamin E and folate. Phytosterols in sunflower seeds mean they also help to support healthy cholesterol numbers. Magnesium offers benefits for the brain, heart, muscles, and mood. Selenium is a great antioxidant, and has a critical role in thyroid hormone metabolism.
Nutritional yeast:
This has a tangy, cheesy flavor and is loaded with B vitamins. Protein and fiber aren’t lacking in this staple for a vegan diet. With it, you can create some of the best vegan cheeses! Not to mention it has a very small amount of salt. You can often find this in the spices or even in the bulk bins at your local market.
Garlic and Onion powder:
These two spices pack a punch of taste into your parmesan, adding a more complex flavor that mimics cheese well. They add depth to savory recipes.
Lemon zest:
This not only brings a brighter taste to the parmesan, but contributes fiber, calcium, vitamin C and aromatics as well.
Iodized sea salt:
I don’t use much salt normally. However the salt I do use, is iodized sea salt, so that I can get some of the iodine needed for healthy thyroid function. Also, since cheese is salty, this is needed in this recipe, but this is in much smaller amounts than typical parmesan cheese would have!
So as you watch Lady and the Tramp now, think of this deliciously easy, dairy-free parmesan cheese that you can top the yummy goodness of Spaghetti and so many other Italian favorites with!
Yummy uses for this best vegan parmesan cheese:
Use it to top your favorite pasta dishes, roasted vegetables, sprinkle over veggie pizza, pesto, mac ‘n’ cheese, salads and soups!
Please let me know how you like this plant-based parmesan cheese in the comments.
I’m excited to hear how you use it in your recipes!
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #marchingseasons.
