The PERFECT Vegan Cream Cheese! (And Sesame Wonton Crackers)

As a vegan, I am not about substitutions, they are expensive, and typically sport just as many chemicals and preservatives as their meaty counterparts. Most importantly though, they hardly EVER taste right! So the consumer is consumed with regret, remorse, and a pallet in retrograde...simply put, it's just not the same! 

After a month of transition when we originally adopted our Whole-Foods-Plant-Based Diet that slipped into blissfully delightful vegan menus, we figured out that it's not about finding a substitute that was permissible for hotdogs, it was about making fried tofu bites with different dipping sauces! That being said, I never post a "substitute" unless I feel like it is par none! The best of the best! And not about the substitute at all, but about making something scrumptious and delectable!

On that note, a perfected recipe one year in the making...

Vegan Cream Cheese (Neufchatel):

Ingredients:
1 Cup Raw Cashews (I buy it in pieces because it is waaaay cheaper)
1 Cup Raw Hazelnuts (All nuts are UN-salted)
1 lb Medium Firm Tofu
Salt to taste (I used 1 Tablespoon)

Makes a delightful 4 cups of decadent vegan creamy goodness! All for a grand total of: $4.13 or about $1.03 per cup/ 8 oz, which is about a third of the price I can snag it for at Fred Meyer or Whole Foods!

Directions:
Soak cashews for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.
Drain cashews and tofu, then add all ingredients into a blender or food processor. Process for 5 minutes or until the texture is smooth and creamy. Due to being whipped up for awhile, it should have a fluffy texture; store in the fridge to set at least an hour before consuming, which will condense some of the fluff, plus cream cheese just tastes best cold!


WARNING: Do NOT soak cashews longer than 12 hours, soaking does get rid of enzyme inhibitors but also will turn them rancid quickly, resulting in food poisoning! I speak from experience! Stick your nuts in the fridge in soaking water if you tend to forget them, like me.

The crackers you see dipped in the cream cheese are my lovely Sesame-Wonton Crackers.

Sesame Wonton Crackers

Ingredients:
1 Package Wonton Wrappers (Wonton wrappers tend to be vegan, check the label)
2 Tablespoons Plain Soy Milk
1 Tablespoon Corn Starch
1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds
OPTIONAL:
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
Course Salt 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 
Lay out wonton wrappers, very little space is needed between them as they will shrink in baking. Cut them all in half, whether they are square or round, so that you have a good chip size! Mix the soy milk and cornstarch then add the rest of your ingredients, aside from the sesame seeds and salt if using. With a basting brush, paint all of your wrappers. It is nice to let a child do this part, because essentially you can't go wrong! Then have them help you sprinkle the seeds and salt on top! Stick them in the oven for 5 minutes, flip the tray around to cook evenly, then bake another 5 minutes more! TADA!!

I like to make the garlic and onion recipe, because they are flavorful but go with just about anything, but you can add whatever flavors you want! Just don't go over a teaspoon of powder, it will get hard to manage. The crackers are good plain as well!