Low Fat Baked Vegan Cheesy Pate – Version 1

The okara miso pate I made earlier today was quite tasty but I wanted to make second pate today so that we had variety. I have enjoyed making mock liver pates in the past but today I wanted to make something that had a cheesy flavor.

It is easy to make nut cheeses that taste very much like the dairy originals that they are replacing. The only problem with nut cheese is the fat content while lower than dairy is still higher than I would like. I wanted to make something that has a similar flavor to cheese without the fat of cheese. This is going to be an ongoing process but I wanted to share the steps I go through to develop a baked recipe. I thought some of you may find it interesting. Also, if anyone has any ideas to share please feel free to comment. I love suggestions. So here is the first version of the recipe with more to follow as I make more soy milk.

Low Fat Baked Vegan Cheesy Pate – Version 1 (Recipe in process)
Makes 7 generous servings – a little over ¼ cup each

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups fresh okara, well drained (from making soy milk)
4 ounces organic russet potato, scrubbed and cut into cubes
2 tablespoons dry oatmeal (ground into flour in your blender)
4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon onion flakes
1 clove garlic, smashed and peeled
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
½ cup soy milk, or whatever is necessary to process the mixture

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees convection.

Combine everything in your blender and add as much soymilk as is necessary to process the mixture.

Pour the pate mixture into small ramekins and place those in a larger pan. Fill the larger pan with enough hot water that it comes ½ way up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the pate is firm. Mine were finished in 30 minutes. Cool completely then cover and refrigerate.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 74.38
Calories From Fat (13%) - 9.46

Total Fat - 0.8g
Saturated Fat - 0.1g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 178.69mg
Potassium - 208.75mg
Total Carbohydrates - 10.2g
Fiber - 0.73g
Sugar - 1.01g
Protein - 2.08g

Comments:

I am happy with the fat content and the overall concept.  But the recipe needs some work. When I am making a new recipe I like to outline what happened in terms of texture, flavor and appearance and jot down any ideas I have for the next version. Here are my notes from this first version of the low fat cheesy pate.

Texture:

I would describe the texture (when warm) as like creamy ricotta cheese or a warm brie (only not fatty). Except for the dry top, I am happy with the texture.

Flavor:

Definitely needs salt, and more nutritional yeast. I think lemon zest would also be good in this, and maybe a hint of Dijon.

Appearance:

I don’t like the cracked surface. This shouldn’t have happened since it was cooked in bain marie.

Changes for next time:

Add more salt, and nutritional yeast (double each to start).
Add zest from one lemon.
Add Dijon mustard; start with ½ tablespoon and taste.
Consider substituting the juice of one lemon for part of the soy milk.
Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil to try to eliminate cracking.
Bake at a lower temperature which may also keep the top from cracking.
Fat content is good, don’t add a lot of nuts or seeds.

Unrelated notes:

I have somewhere that I need to be tonight. I will be back with more experiments from the kitchen tomorrow. I hope you are all have a good evening