Honey & Basil Strawberries with Lemony Vegan Ricotta & Simple Vegan Mock Ricotta Recipe

                  

Bonjour my loverlies!

So, I was playing around with my vegan mock ricotta cheese recipe I made the other day and felt she needed perking up. 
I also decided to make a bit of extra effort in the food photography department to go along with the snazziness of this dessert.

It is not a mistake that Basil & strawberry are hanging out together. 
Yes, Basil is an herb that goes very well in savoury and in sweet applications. 
I know it sounds mad but trust me it's sooooooo good! 
You might be surprised to see how many culinary shows are doing this mix together. One of my favs is to pair them with avocado as a really palatte pleasing salad. 
That however, is another recipe for another day.

One of the coolest ways I have had this combo is a strawberry basil macaron from this wonderful place I adore. 
It's called Pâtisserie de Nancy on Monkland Avenue in NDG here in Montréal. 
I could not stand macarons until I tried one of theirs.
Oh! So divine!
 I adore the cherry one's best but the mojito, vanilla, along with the strawberry basil & the passion fruit are just as delightful!
If you're ever in town you must stop there, I had a lovely convo with Nancy about her marvellous macarons-say that 3 times fast! 
I explained how surprised I was because every time I had had macarons before they had been so cloyingly sweet that my teeth hurt and I ended up throwing them away. She explained that her husband is the pastry Chef & he hails from France, he makes them the way he learned & perfected the recipe there and now I get to indulge in them here! This is the shop and some pics of her confections that I came across.
                                   
                                   
I am so eager to go there and get some scrumptious treats!
So, I suppose people would like the recipe. 
You will need the Vegan Mock Ricotta recipe on the bottom, after the Honey & Basil recipe post to make this simple & smashing dessert. Scroll down & you will see her.

HONEY & BASIL STRAWBERRIES WITH LEMONY VEGAN RICOTTA:

Ingredients :
1 Cup Vegan Ricotta, chilled
Zest of 1 Lemon
2 Tbsp Organic honey(you may use Maple or Agave syrup to keep it vegan)
1 tsp Vanilla
4 Basil leaves sliced fine into a chiffonade
1 Cup Strawberries chopped small dice

Method:
-Chop strawberries, add Basil, vanilla, & honey. Stir gently & allow to macerate on the counter while prepping the vegan ricotta.
-Zest 1/2 the lemon into the ricotta, stir throughout.
-Serve by portioning out 1/4 cup of vegan ricotta into 4 pretty serving bowls.
-Evenly portion out the strawberry mixture.
-Zest a bit of lemon on top of the portions just before serving.
-Serve immediately.

                               

                               

                                

                                  

When I went raw vegan a ways back, I had tried a recipe from another blog and was happy with the texture but found the flavour was lacking. I am no longer able to be vegan thanks to my health issues but I still like to incorporate healthy foods and I find my numerous allergies, which include dairy, have left a sad cheesy void in my life. 
So, we improvise. No, it's not real ricotta cheese but it's a good compromise & works beautifully in uncooked applications.
It's not a cheap item to make, as Macadamia nuts & pine nuts are at the base of this recipe, however, I made an effort to keep it from being too cost prohibitive by using small amounts with great success. 
Real ricotta cheese was always a splurge item for special occasion recipes anyways, in my home at least. 
It's so easy peasy & looks lovely when served, you will impress any vegetarians & non-vegetarians in your life.

MOCK VEGAN RICOTTA CHEESE:

Cost range: Medium - High
Prep time: 15 mins. (Does not include soaking nuts & chill time)
Difficulty: Super easy
Serves: 2-4 people
Freeze: Not recommended, keeps 3 days in fridge.

Ingredients:

3/4 Cup Raw macadamia nuts
2 Tbsp Raw pine nuts
*In separate bowls for each nut, soak by covering with filtered water for 2-3 hours & then rinse thoroughly before using.

2 Tbsp Lemon juice
2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp Pink sea salt
1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 Cup Filtered water

*The reason the nuts must be soaked & rinsed is to soften them & remove any enzyme inhibitors that are naturally occurring on the nuts.

Method:

In a blender, add all ingredients and blend until slightly grainy in consistency. Add a Tbsp of water or more as needed but not too much.
Place in bowl, cover & chill for minimum 4-6 hours. Overnight is fine.

This recipe can be used in the sweet application as in the recipe above or you can use it in a savoury application, as the picture below demonstrates.

                          
This last image is sliced Roma tomatoes with fresh basil leaves, mock ricotta nestled between, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with Crumesan, salt and pepper to taste. So pretty & yummy!

Remember to share with someone you love & leave your comments or questions below, I love to hear from you.

Take care, be well, love freely...

Chef Kiki