Probably something like 8+ years back when I was first working in Hollywood at the film school I met and became friends with a really awesome woman, Heidi K. Lovig. Heidi had the spirit of hardly anyone I've every met and in Hollywood finding someone so genuine, loving and non-judgmental is rare combination. She had this little apartment over on Shrader off Hollywood Blvd. and we used to gather with a few friends to watch movies and I'd cook dinner. Most often requested was mushroom paprikash, still to this day one of my favorites. We both had an immense of love of food!
Heidi left LA and began a journey of self discovery and development. She spent time in Hawaii and Thailand and eventually found herself in culinary school and began her own company, Heidi Ho Veganics which she lovingly and passionately runs with her partner Lyssa.
Heidi Ho Veganics cheezes have already made their way all down the West Coast and are available in Whole Foods and other select smaller health food and vegan markets. The products are also available via mail order online.
I of course did not have the patience to order online and wait. I've been hearing amazing things about her chia cheese sauce but unfortunately the Viva la Vegan Market in Santa Monica only had the monterey jack, feta crumbles and smoked gouda. I bought one of each!
Since I was overindulging in my vegan cheeze purchases I decided to do a little spread of tapas. Tapas is just spanish for appetizers but I decided it sounds nice than saying: "I decided to make snacks!" haha!
I picked up a bag of Plentils which I have heard good things about, they are a lentil based gluten free vegan crackers. When I opened the bag I must say I has expected the cracker to be bit larger, but it worked for the bite size plans I had for them.
Hummus
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas (I do not like the unsalted ones)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 small garlic cloves
Directions:
1. Strain off extra liquid from chickpeas and dump into bowl of food processor. Add sea salt, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic cloves.
2. Puree till smooth consistency achieved.
3. If not smooth enough you can add cold water but do this carefully as no one liked runny hummus!
I served this by the spoonful topping the Plentil crackers and then adding a piece of the Heidi Ho Veganic Feta crumble and a sliver of kalamata olive.
I had a friend over and she and I definitely think this was our favorite combination. There is no way that you could tell that the feta was vegan. On its own I would almost say you could taste a hint of lemon but overall the texture and saltiness met and exceeded our expectations.
Next I made some mini corn tortillas to top with black beans and the monterey jack cheeze.
Mini Corn Tortillas
- 1 cup masa harina
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
Directions:
1. In a bowl mix together masa harina with salt, garlic powder and cumin, add warm water. Mix till combined. Add more water if needed. Should form dough but not be sticky.
2. Roll into 1 inch round balls.
3. I have a tortilla press but if you do not you can place balls between parchment paper and press flat with a plate, otherwise use tortilla press to flatten balls.
4. Fry in vegetable oil over high heat till golden spots begin to appear.
I topped my corn tortillas with warmed blacked bean and grated monterey jack cheeze and a dollop of Toffuti sour cream. Please note I did look at other brands of vegan sour cream and none were also gluten free!
For appearance sake I sprinkled them with a bit of paprika. :)
And! Last but not least! I made a vegan tempeh sandwich, which was more of an assembly then a recipe...
I got some vegan gluten free bread which I toasted. I think mixed Veganaise with a bit of mustard and a sprinkle of garlic powder. I smeared this onto the toast. I fried up some tempeh in a pan with olive oil, please make sure the tempeh you get from the store is gluten free, not all are. I then topped the tempeh with thin slices of the smoked gouda cheeze. To lighten the sandwich up a bit I shredded carrot and dressed it with fresh lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt.
BAM!!!!
So to summarize... "Yum, yum, yum. Yum, yummy, yummerz!"
I mean: Everything was delicious, the cheezes were tasty! I would say my favorite was the feta hands down, next the smoked gouda and then the monterey jack. And I'm looking forward to trying out more things with them. They were not rubbery, not fakey, not dry or chalky, they were flavorful and diverse and excellent to use in a sandwich or tacos! :)
xoxo - Iris
