[A perfectly light and neutrally-flavored cheese, Buffalo Mozzarella is vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free and low glycemic. Suitable for all stages on an anti-candida diet (with the adjustment below).]
[Photo credit: Nicole Axworthy.]
As you know, I’m pretty much a DIY kinda gal when it comes to most foods. As someone dealing with long-term candida and the myriad consequences of eating out of my dietary boundaries, I know all too well that if I want to be sure something is “safe,” I need to make it myself.
So I can honestly say I was thrilled to get hold of the latest creation from the super team of Lisa Pitman and Nicole Axworthy (and if Nicole’s name sounds familiar to you, it’s because she was the photographer on my last book, Living Candida-Free). With DIY Vegan, Nicole and Lisa have created both a resource and cookbook that vegans and anyone on a special diet will want to keep around for the long term.
[My version of the mozzarella–here in an instagrammed salad!]
The first thing you’ll notice about the book is how beautiful it is. The quality is stellar. Nicole’s photos shine, and the book’s layout works to optimize the readability and appeal of the recipes and tips.
And oh, those recipes! After sharing how to stock your pantry and the essential equipment and techniques you’ll use, the chapters each cover a range of staples to have in your plant-based kitchen: first up is dairy-free, followed by cereals and snacks; spreads and sauces; mixes (such as cake mix or spice mixes); and finally, sweet treats (made from the staples you’ve created).
[How I used the cheese the next day in a salad.]
I can’t wait to try out the Cinnamon Toast Cereal, Snackworthy Cereal Bars, Super Seedy Crackers, Nacho Cheese Sauce, L.P.’s Worcestershire Sauce, Mac and Cheese mix, or the Savory Egg Mix. (There’s more–but I had to stop somewhere!).
For now, I can share this amazing Buffalo Mozzarella. It’s soft, creamy, and while delicate, can hold its shape when sliced. And it works beautifully for the anti-candida diet!
[photo credit: Nicole Axworthy]
Buffalo Mozzarella from DIY Vegan
by Nicole Axworthy and Lisa Pitman (used with permission)
Missing that summer salad staple, composed of stacks of sliced tomato, creamy mozzarella, and bright, bold basil leaves? The wait is over—vegan mozzarella is here. This recipe makes what seemed impossible undeniably easy. Sure, it takes some time to prepare, but think of it as a B plot: a few minutes of effort here and there in between your life’s A-plot adventures (work, sleep, play). When it’s time for the exciting culmination, your mozzarella will be ready to star in a Caprese salad, amid roasted vegetables or thinly sliced atop a classic Neapolitan pizza.
1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 6 hours
½ teaspoon probiotic powder
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast flakes [for Stage One, I’d use miso]
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup agar flakes, or 2¼ teaspoons agar powder
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Drain and rinse the soaked cashews.
2. In a blender, combine the cashews, probiotic powder, and 1/2 cup water and blend until smooth. Pour
into a glass or ceramic bowl, cover with a clean tea towel, and set aside to ferment for 24 hours.
3. In a blender, combine the fermented cashew mixture, nutritional yeast, xanthan gum, and salt and blend
until smooth and creamy.
4. In a small saucepan, whisk together the agar and ⅔ cup water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then
reduce the heat to low and simmer, whisking often, for 10 minutes until all the agar has dissolved and the
liquid begins to thicken.
5. In a shallow medium bowl, combine the blended cashew mixture and the agar mixture. Whisk until the
agar mixture is completely incorporated.
6. Transfer the bowl to the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
7. Divide the cheese into quarters. Put each portion on a square piece of plastic wrap. Pull the corners of
the plastic wrap together over the cheese and twist to form the cheese into a tight ball, just like the classic
buffalo mozzarella shape. Return to the fridge to chill for an additional hour or two before slicing. Store
any leftovers tightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Reprinted from DIY Vegan. Copyright © 2015 Nicole Axworthy and Lisa Pitman. Published by St. Martin’s Griffin.
Suitable for: ACD All stages (with adjustment); refined sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free, vegan, low glycemic.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to purchase using those links, at no cost to you, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.
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Hi! I'm Ricki, cookbook author, professional recipe developer, holistic nutritionist and anti-candida crusader. Let me show you how easy it is to eat plant-based, sugar-free, gluten free food that tastes great! 
The colours in the three photos are so vibrant that the food almost jumped onto my plate. Too bad it doesn`t work like that. (sigh).
I have not yet started fermenting but I sure want to. Does the house temperature affect the time required?
There seems to be a problem with the formatting of the recipe, as if the margins are set too tight. There are a number of instances where there is only one word on a line before the sentence continues on the next line. Thought you might like to know that.
I’m not entirely sure about temperature for this specific recipe, MPaula, but I do know that it makes a difference with naturally fermented sauerkraut, so I imagine the same true here. As for the margins, thank you–but I can’t see that on my screen! It looks just like a normal recipe to me. Would you let me know where that happens? (Or even better, send me a screen shot of how it looks to you?) In the meantime, I will investigate further! Thank you!
Does the cashew mixture have to go in the fridge while it is fermenting for 24 hours or does it get left outside the fridge? Thanks!
Nope, sits on the counter at room temperature–that’s what actually allows the fermentation process. 🙂
Your recipe and several others I’ve looked at call for probiotic powder. The link opens to probiotic capsule products. I’ve tried to find powder at our local very well stocked health food section and it’s quite difficult. Do you get the capsules, then open them up to get the powder? Seems quite labor intensive. If you know of a brand that’s powder, not capsules, I’d love that information!
I don’t know of a straight-up powder, sorry (though that doesn’t mean one doesn’t exist). I just opened up my regular probiotic capsules. 🙂
So, you just open your regular probiotic capsules? It’s not necessary to purchase the linked brand? The cost of those capsules is much higher than the brand I take daily.
Thanks!!
Yes, I just used my regular probiotic capsules. You have to be sure they contain live cultures, though. If they don’t, it won’t ferment. Hope that helps!
This is so exciting! I’ve always wanted to try to make vegan mozzarella and this recipe doesn’t look half as complicated as I feared. Thanks for making it candida friendly 🙂
It was really easy, Lucie. The hardest part is waiting for it to ferment and chill! 🙂
Hi Ricki – Love your site. It’s been a godsend for me and my many friends with restricted diets. I appreciate your creativity and attention to detail.
That being said, I need to point out (in a loving way) that you wrote the following at the top of this post –
A perfectly light and neutrally-flavored cheese, Buffalo Mozzarella is vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free, nut-free, and low glycemic. Suitable for all stages on an anti-candida diet (with the adjustment below)
Since the cheese is made from cashews, I don’t think it can be called nut-free.
Best wishes.
Kelly
Kelly, THANK YOU for pointing that out! Acckkk!! I’m heading right back to correct it. Sorry for any confusion! I guess my mind was in the clouds when I wrote that. . . ! 😉 And thank you for the kind comment about the site! 🙂
I was a recipe tester for DIY Vegan, and I loved this cheese!
I did, too. So mild and perfectly smooth. 🙂