We were recently kicking it at the Epic Self HQ in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica practically drooling as we dreamed up some new raw vegan kitchen creations. We were pondering how to recreate our favourite savoury delights and how to not only make them raw but also nutrient dense and bioavailable when the idea hit me: the charcuterie board!
Don’t get me wrong. While I’m not going to go eat a traditional charcuterie board anytime for a variety of reasons including the toxic preservatives present in the cured meat, the candida promoting vinegar in the pickled veggies and the inflammatory natures of the aged cheeses, I still definitely crave the salty, crunchy, savoury experience over a glass of wine on a cool summer night with my girlfriends.
Well I am not a girl who likes to go without so the Epic team got to business in the kitchen to make a charcuterie board fit for a raw vegan queen! Our healthified version is 100% organic, consists of nuts and seeds that have been activated by soaking and sprouting and our cheeses and pickles have been fermented to give our guts the good quality flora they need to thrive. (For more on they why behind fermented foods go here!)
This particular board includes:
- Aged almond brie
- Creamy sunflower camembert
- Herbed sunflower and almond goats cheese
- Purple cabbage kraut
- Beetroot carpaccio
- Spiced mushroom and eggplant sausage
- Herbed seed crackers
- Garnished with raisins, golden berries and grainy mustard
After salivating over this idea for the past three weeks we have finally got up the gusto to make it happen. The key to making our charcuterie dreams come true is soaking, marinating and fermenting. Raw foods are bursting with flavour on their own but they also have a lot of fibre. In order to achieve the textures that we were looking for many of the ingredients had to be broken down and then the dehydrator had to be fired up to firm up our reformed creations. In the raw food world this feels like ages but in reality the process is MUCH shorter than its traditional counterpart.
When all was said and done we had a lady date to celebrate with cheeze, carpaccio, crackers and kombucha like any self-respecting woman should!
Aged Almond Brie
Ingredients:
- 2 cups raw almonds, soaked for 4 hours and skins removed
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp probiotic powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Directions
- Place the nuts/seeds in bowl, adding twice the amount of water.
- After soaking the nuts/seeds, drain, rinse and remove the skins.
- In a high-powered blender, combine the almonds and water until smooth
- Once smooth add the probiotics and salt and make sure they are well combined
- Prepare a stainless steel mesh strainer by placing it in a larger bowl. Then line it with a double layer of cheesecloth or nut milk bag
- Pour the mixture into the center of the cloth.
- Gather all the edges of the cloth together, twist tight and fold it over onto itself.
- Lay a small plate on top of the bundle, followed by a weight such as a jar of water
- Cover the bowl with a towel and set the mixture aside on the counter top for 24 hours to culture.
- The temperature of your environment will affect culturing time so keep an eye on it and don’t be alarmed by the cheesy odor it will develop over this time
- Remove the cheese from the cheesecloth and place on a teflex lined dehydrator tray
- If you want herbs or spices on the outside of your cheese now is the time to add them
- Dry for at 8-12 depending on the humidity of your environment and how thick of a rind you desire
Vegan Goat Cheese
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup almonds
- 3/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- pinch of pink salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- mixed dried herbs
Instructions:
- Blend all ingredients adding a little water at a time to achieve the right consistency
- Pour the mixture into the center of a double layer of cheesecloth inside a strainer over a bowel
- Gather all the edges of the cloth together, twist tight and fold it over onto itself.
- Lay a small plate on top of the bundle, followed by a weight such as a jar of water
- Leave standing at room temperature for up to 4 hours to allow the flavours to mingle
- Remove from the cheesecloth, roll into 2 log shapes and top with herbs
- Place on a teflex lined dehydrator tray
- Dehydrate at 118 degrees for 4 hours or until desired creamy consistency is achieved.
Spiced mushroom and eggplant sausage
Ingredients
- 3c Portobello Mushrooms
- 2c Eggplant
- 1/2 c sunflower
- 1/2 c almond
- 2 palmito
- 1/2c Sauerkraut
- 4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 1/2tb Apple Cider Vinegar
- 4tb Tamari or Braggs Liquid Aminos
- 1 Onion
- 2 Cloves of Garlic
- 1/2c Parsley
- 1tb Cumin
- 2tb Fennel
- 2tb Mustard Powder
- 2tb Oregano
- 1tb Cardamom
- 2tb Smoked Paprika
- Sea Salt to taste
Directions:
1. Finely chop eggplant, mushrooms and palmito combine liquid ingredients then marinate for 15 minutes
2. Process almonds and sunflower seeds until smooth
3. Add remaining ingredients and process till chunky, like ground meat. Don’t over process!
4. Transfer everything to a large bowl and mix until well combined but still chunky
5. Shape into patties or links or balls and dehydrate at 115F for 8-12 hours until crispy but still firm.
6. They can now be used like a sausage, a burger, crumbled or sliced!
Beet Carpaccio
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Large Beet thinly sliced ( I used mandolin)
- 1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Pinch of Pink Sea Salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Directions:
- Thinly slice the beet using a mandolin or a knife, place in a bowl
- Add olive oil, apple cider vinegar and salt
- Massage the beets making sure every beet is nicely coated
- Let marinade in fridge for 1 hour and top with fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Easy Cabbage Kraut
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Medium red cabbage head thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp applecider vinegar
- 1 tsp Pink sea salt
Directions:
- Thinly slice the red cabbage and place in a bowl
- Add apple cider vinegar and salt
- Massage the cabbage until well coated
- Let marinade in fridge until soft
For the herbed seed cracker recipe go here!
Enjoy your drool worthy charcuterie creations and show us how they turn out on Instagram @epicself
