Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients
Spinach almond ricotta
- 1 cup blanched almonds
- 3/4 cup chickpeas (sub white beans or firm tofu)
- 4 tbsp non-dairy yogurt unsweetened
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder or 1 fresh garlic cloves
- 1/3 cup water if needed
- 1 tsp olive oil for frying
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 3 cups fresh spinach roughly chopped
Vegan cheese sauce
- 1 cup of potatoes
- 1/2 cup onion
- 1/3 cup carrots
- 1/3 cup soaked cashews (optional)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 juiced lemon
- 1/2 cup reserved vegetable water
Grilled cheese sandwich
- 4 slices bread of your choice (we used sourdough)
- 1 tbsp vegan butter or oil
- 1 cup spinach almond ricotta
- 1 cup vegan cheese sauce
Preparation
Cover almonds with hot water and soak for at least 1 hour or best overnight, then drain.
If using tofu: drain the tofu, then wrap in paper towels and press well to remove as much of the liquid as you can.
Add all the ingredients for the almond ricotta into a food processor and pulse, scraping down the sides, until you have a thick and creamy mixture, adding a little bit of water if needed but ensuring the filling is not runny.
Cook potatoes, carrots, onion, and salt for 15 minutes in some water.
Reserve 1 cup of vegetable water and drain vegetables.
Blend vegetables and spices to make the vegan cheese sauce.
Heat a pan.
Spread vegan butter on one side of the bread, spread spinach almond ricotta on one slice, and pour vegan cheese sauce on the other slice, then assemble the sandwich.
When the pan is hot, fry each side of the sandwich a few minutes until golden, using a spatula to gently press down during frying.
