Almond Feta Cheese - VEGAN recipe

I realized after I had posted the Veggie Wellington recipe that some of you may have been like "what the heck is almond feta cheese?" It's a vegan recipe I came across in Vegetarian times. I've made this quite alot. Especially when Merrick was lactose intolerant. Just FYI…I have only ONCE cooked this. I usually get to the puree stage and find it makes a GREAT spread. I just eat it that way. I would cut down on water a bit and add bit by bit (if needed) and you could even skip the cheesecloth part. Most times I’ve made this, I have not needed to do the cheesecloth bit…just sayin…makes making vegan cheese less intimidating when cheesecloth is taken away.

I think this was the first thing I made in my large food processor. Think it's time to make it again...

Almond Feta Cheese

1 cup of slivered blanched almonds

¼ cup lemon juice

3 TBS. Plus ¼ cup olive oil, divided

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 ¼ tsp salt (or less)

¼ cup cold water

1 TBS. Fresh thyme leaves (opt)

1 tsp. Fresh rosemary leaves (opt)

Place almonds in a medium bowl, and cover with 3 inches cold water. Let soak 24

hours. Drain soaking liquid, rinse almonds under cold running water, and drain

again. Puree almonds, lemon juice, 3 TBS oil, garlic, salt and water in food

processor 6 minutes, or until very smooth and creamy.

Place large strainer over bowl, and line with triple layer of cheese cloth. Spoon almond mixture into cheesecloth. Bring corners and sides of cloth together, and

twist around cheese, forming into orange-size ball and squeezing to help extract

moisture. Secure with rubber band or kitchen twine. Chill 12 hours, or overnight.

Discard excess liquid.

Preheat oven to 200 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, unwrap cheese

(it will be soft) and transfer from cheesecloth to prepared baking sheet. Flatten to

form 6-inch round about ¾ inch thick. Bake 40 minutes, or until top is slightly

firm. Cool, then chill.

Combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Warm oil over medium-low

heat 2 minutes or until very hot but not simmering. Cool to room temperature.

Drizzle herb oil over cheese just before serving.