Grazing boards can easily swap out meats and cheese for vegan and vegetarian-based alternatives. Use a mixture of store-bought ingredients and clever vegan recipes, try making Vegan Mushroom Rillette or vegan Marinated Cashew ‘Feta’ Cheese and assemble a Vegan Grazing Board everyone will love.
Vegan Mushroom Rillette
Makes 2 1/2 cups
Ingredients:
250g king brown mushrooms
1/4 cup (60ml) melted coconut oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 fresh bay leaf
1 tsp maple syrup
2 tbsp brandy
200g firm tofu, chopped
1/4 cup (70g) almond butter
1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes*
1/4 tsp ground allspice
Method:
Using a fork, shred the mushrooms into strands. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms, eschalots and garlic and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until starting to colour. Add the bay leaf, maple and brandy and cook for 1 minute, or until evaporated.
Meanwhile, place the tofu, almond butter, yeast flakes, allspice and salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. Remove a tablespoon of the mushrooms and set aside. Add the tofu mixture to the remaining mushrooms and mix to combine. Remove the bay leaf, spoon the rillette into 2 x 1 1/2 cup capacity jars and top with extra mushrooms. Serve immediately or refrigerate for 2 hours to set. This will keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Vegan Marinated Cashew ‘Feta’ Cheese
Makes 10 balls
Ingredients:
1 cup (150g) raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 2 hours
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp melted coconut oil
1 tbsp white miso paste
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes*
1 clove garlic, crushed
1-2 tbsp hot water
2 tbsp dukkah
Extra virgin olive oil, to serve
Method:
Drain the cashews, place in a blender with the remaining ingredients except the dukkah and oil. Blend until smooth. Spoon the mixture into a small bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour, or until firm.
Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls and roll in dukkah. Serve drizzled with oil, or place in an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve. Thaw in the refrigerator for 20 minutes, before serving.
Smart Tip:
Nutritional yeast flakes are available from the health food aisle of most supermarkets.
