Vegan Boursin & Crave Eat Heal Cookbook Review!
When Annie from An Unrefined Vegan asked me to review her new vegan cookbook Crave, Eat, Heal I could not have been more pleased! I’m a big fan of her website and her awesome, healthy, vegan recipes. This plant-based cookbook is filled to the brim with delicious, healthy recipes for every possible craving out there. Including that craving for Roasted Garlic & Fresh Herb Cream Cheeze aka VEGAN BOURSIN!
*Photos courtesy from Annie’s cookbook Crave, Eat, Heal with permission from the author.
Honestly, friends. We all know about Boursin cheese. It is probably the one appetizer that probably always goes the fastest at family get-togethers and, let’s be honest here, my partner J is obsessed. If you are not familiar with Boursin Cheese, it is a creamy, salty, garlic & herb cheese spread that I ate wayyyyy to much of before I went dairy-free.
But let’s get real, Boursin cheese ain’t really that healthy and there’s nothing plant-based about it. 😉 You can imagine how happy my partner J was when I whipped up homemade, healthy, and somehow even more delicious the traditional store bought Boursin cheese from Annie’s cookbook. This Vegan Boursin Cheese is creamy, salty, filled with delicious roasted garlic and tastes out-of-this-world-AMAZING spread onto crackers. Thanks for the great recipe, Annie!
Creamy craving averted! 🙂
And let’s talk about this cookbook. Crave, Eat, Heal is not your standard cookbook and is truly a treasure in the kitchen… and I do not say those words lightly! Every recipe is nourishing and free of refined sugar, animals products, gluten (or have gluten-free options) and are low in oil (and many oil-free recipes to boot!). There are a ton of gorgeous photos as well that will have you eating through this cookbook with your eyes.
Annie took the time to separate her cookbook into sections based on THIRTEEN different cravings. Genius, right?!
Carbs
Chocolate
Comfort
Cool
Creamy
Crunchy
Green
Junk
Salty
Spicy
Sweet
Tart
Warm
There is literally a craving for every possible craving out there. There are recipes for dinner (Hellooo, Pop’s Pasta Broccolini), dessert (Pecan Pie Pudding #getinmybelly), breakfast (Cinamon Apple Toast, yum!) and every snack and meal in between. Annie also included FIVE other delicious, simple cheez recipes in her cookbook from Butternut Squash Queso to Chipotle Cheez Sauce. Yum.
Crave, Eat, Heal is a cookbook I would definitively recommend to anyone looking for nutritious and healthy recipes to whip up in the kitchen. Now, let’s get our Vegan Boursin Cheez on! 🙂 Have a wonderful end of week, everyone!
ROASTED GARLIC & FRESH HERB CREAM CHEEZ (Vegan Boursin)
- Yield: 2 small rounds 1x
Description
Annie says, “Diana, blogger at Veggie Next Door, and one of my recipe testers, warns that this might not be the best snack for a party setting since one is guaranteed to have garlic-breath, but I couldn’t resist trying to make a favorite “pregan” appetizer of mine – Boursin cheese.”
Ingredients
- 1 small head garlic
- 4 Tbsp. fresh chopped herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, chives, and/or oregano
- 1 cup raw cashew pieces, soaked in water 8-10 hours, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup coconut butter or 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, soaked in water for about 15 minutes, drained
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 – 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat toaster oven (or oven) to 450-degrees. Cut off the top 1/3 or so of the garlic and wrap the head in foil. Place the garlic in the oven and roast for 30-45 minutes, or until fragrant and very soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before unwrapping.
- Line two 3/4 cup ramekins with cheesecloth. Sprinkle the bottoms of the ramekins with one tablespoon each of the herbs, reserving the remaining herbs.
- Meanwhile, in a food processor, process the cashew pieces, coconut butter or coconut flakes, and salt until fairly smooth. (It will not get completely smooth.) Squeeze the cloves from the roasted garlic and drop into the bowl of the food processor. Add the garlic powder and the lemon juice and process until thoroughly combined.
- Divide the mixture between the prepared ramekins, pressing the cheese down into the herbs and cheesecloth. Tap the ramekins on the counter a few times and level the top. Divide the remaining herbs between the two ramekins, gently press them into the cheese and cover with the ends of the cheesecloth. Put one ramekin on top of the other and fill a third ramekin with water and place it on top of both ramekins (you’ll have a “tower” of 3 ramekins). Place them in the refrigerator and let set overnight.
- The next day, remove the water-filled ramekin. Gently tug the cheesecloth to remove the cream cheese from the other ramekins and serve with bread or crackers – or place them in an air-tight container for up to one week.
Notes
If you use the Coconut Butter rather than the coconut flakes, you may need to add just a touch of water when processing.
I give a range of garlic powder here because it’s pretty powerful stuff. As the cheese sets, the flavor develops, so err on the side of less garlic powder (or none) if you’re not a big fan.
Total time: 48 hours, including soaking, roasting, and setting time
Recipe reprinted with permission from Ann Oliverio and Front Table Books.
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: French
Buy Crave, Eat, Heal here*:
