Busy days, a full house of little people running around, and little time as a result, equals… meals on sourdough! This luxe combination – that’s savoury, salty, sweet with a comforting crunch – came together as a result of 1) being time-poor and 2) needing to make use of a lovely punnet of mushrooms and some leftover vegan cheese. What resulted was this delicious homemade cheese toastie combo with caramelised onions, sautéed mushrooms and lingonberry jam.
The cheese itself is easy enough to make, but feel free to grab your favourite non-dairy melting cheese from your local grocery store, and add a slice or two in a pinch.
Let’s get right into it!
♥, Marisa
MELTY VEGAN CHEESE
INGREDIENTS
120 ml (1/2 cup) cashew nuts
240 ml (1 cup) cashew milk, unsweetened (other plant milks can be used)
60 ml (1/4 cup) nutritional yeast
3 tbsp arrowroot powder or tapioca flour
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
DIRECTIONS
- Boil the cashew nuts (in enough water to cover them well) for 10 minutes.
- Combine the other ingredients in a high-powered blender on full speed.
- Wash and drain the boiled cashews, add to them the blender and blend the mixture until completely smooth.
- Whisk the cheese mixture continuously in a saucepan over medium heat until it slightly thickens. The thickening process will continue further as the mixture cools.
*Store the unused portion in the fridge, sealed in a jar or airtight container. When using, you can add a little additional plant milk, whisking it through in a pan over low heat to bring the sauce to a desired consistency.
BALSAMIC CARAMELISED ONIONS
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp olive oil
3 white onions sliced
A pinch of salt
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
A pinch of brown/coconut sugar, optional
DIRECTIONS
- Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan over a low heat.
- Add the onions and salt and cook slowly for around 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they become soft golden in colour.
- Add the vinegar and sugar if using.
- Keep cooking on a low heat for another 5 mins, stirring occasionally until the onions are sticky.
SAUTÉED MUSHROOMS
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp olive oil
1 punnet of champignon mushrooms, sliced
A pinch of salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
DIRECTIONS
- Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.
- Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and toss.
- Allow the mushrooms to cook without stirring them for around 3 minutes.
- Toss the mushrooms briefly and continue cooking, stirring rarely, for around 4-5 minutes more or until cooked.
- Lower the heat and drizzle over the balsamic before removing the pan from the heat completely.
VEGAN CHEESE & MUSHROOM MELTS
with caramelised onions & lingonberry jam
Makes: 4
INGREDIENTS
8 slices of sourdough or gluten-free bread, buttered with vegan buttery spread or brushed with olive oil
1 portion of Balsamic Caramelised Onions*
1 portion of Sautéed Mushrooms*
Around 180 ml (2/3 cup) Melty Vegan Cheese*
Around 4 tbsp of lingonberry* jam (1 tbsp per sandwich)
*recipe above
DIRECTIONS
- Toast the buttered bread slices in a pan.
- Spread the bottom slices with lingonberry jam and top each bottom slice with 1/4 of the mushrooms, 1/4 of the onions and around 3 tablespoons of the Melty Vegan Cheese.
- Place the top slice of toasted bread onto each sandwich and serve immediately.
*Any tart jam could be used in place of lingonberry. Cranberry would work well. A tomato-based relish or chutney would also be a great option.
