Make Stuff Monday ~ NON-cheese, cheeseball!

We had our first Christmas of this year over the weekend, and since I always make sure to try and duplicate the menu with an allergy free plate for our E…I was faced with what to do about a cheese ball. Yes, it was in fact…a cheese ball emergency!

Dairy-free mashed potatoes -check

salad- check

allergy-free dressing -check

dairy-free rice krispies -check

cheese ball? CRAP!

So I searched and searched until I found one that I thought was suitable. By suitable I mean, that “someone” who happens to beeee, oh about 39 inches tall, a boisterous four years of age and LOVES to eat….will in fact EAT.

Found one!

Right here at http://www.myvegancookbook.com/blog/?p=3

Doesn’t this photo look so scrumptious? I thought I’d give it a whirl.

…and it turned out so super yummy for everyone to enjoy This is one of those “sneaky” moments where you could tell your brother that it is a cheese ball and then after he eats it and admits to liking it, you surprise him with “Guess what! It is Tofu” and then he spits it out, washes his mouth out and tries not to throw up. And then you laugh evil-like reminding him of how much he taunted you as a child…..sorry. Clearly I would NEVER do such a thing

My adaptation to this recipe included no nuts, no almonds and no chives. Instead I added vegetarian bacon bits and green onions!

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp. sugar

1/3 of a 14 oz Block of Firm Tofu (refrigerated kind, well drained)

1 Tsp Red Wine Vinegar

1 Tsp Lemon Juice

1 Tsp Olive Oil

1/4 cup of freshly sliced green onions

1/4 cup, plus 1/4 cup, plus 1/2 cup vegetarian bacon bits

Directions:

Place 1/4 cup “bacon bits” into a blender with the salt and sugar and blend thoroughly.

Measure 1/3 of a block of tofu from a 14oz block. It’s important to use firm tofu. Silken or extra firm will not work. An average block of tofu is about 4.5 inches long, so measure 1.5 inches off. Drain tofu in a strainer by smashing and pressing firmly. Using a clean dish towel to soak up some of the water helps too. It’s important to get as much water as you can out.

Now add all ingredients (omitting the green onions and the “bacon”) into a blender and blend about 2 minutes. Mixture should resemble extra thick mashed potatoes.

Spoon into mix, green onions and the second 1/4 cup of “bacon”.

Spray a bowl and a square of plastic wrap with no stick spray. Pile mixture into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in fridge and Let this chill for at least 5 hours or overnight. It will get very firm and can now be shaped into a ball and rolled into the remaining 1/2 cup of “bacon bits” to coat. If you lightly oil your hands it will keep it from sticking to your hands while you roll. Now it’s ready to be served with your favorite crackers.

Now let me just be honest with you. E never got to try it but I did. It was really great and I know he would love it. The thing is, I didn’t have the patience to chill it for five hours in the fridge, so I put it in the freezer to hurry it along. Well, it stayed in the freezer most of the night until, at 1 a.m. I woke up running to the kitchen to recover it. Sigh.

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Life’s Little Instruction Book…from the kitchen:

Lesson 1. Be patient

Lesson 2. Don’t freeze

Lesson 3. If your hair is blonde, you should never admit to these kinds of errors once you arrive at the festivities due to endless scrutiny and blonde jokes. Blame any one else that comes to mind.

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Enjoy!