This Vegan Parmesan Cheese Uses Two Unexpected Ingredients

From plantbasednews.org 

It smells like parmesan, grates like parmesan, and melts into your pasta like parmesan

Miyoko Schinner has spent decades rethinking what cheese can be. In a recent video, the vegan cheese pioneer shares a vegan Parmesan cheese recipe that might just ruin the dairy version for you. Her recipe involves fermentation, clever ingredient swaps, and a few surprising additions to recreate the aged, dry texture of traditional Parmigiano. The result looks, smells, and behaves like the real thing but is entirely plant-based, made over just a couple of days at home.

Schinner, known for her work founding Miyoko’s Creamery and her YouTube channel The Vegan Good Life with Miyoko, has long pushed the boundaries of plant-based cheese. This recipe builds on that expertise. It combines nuts or seeds, fermented liquids, and fats with a high melting point to mimic the structure and flavour of aged Parmesan. The process is detailed but accessible, with multiple ingredient swaps so anyone can try it.

Building flavour with unexpected ingredients

At the core of this vegan parmesan cheese recipe is a blend designed to be as smooth and flavourful as possible. Schinner starts with cashews but makes it clear that flexibility is key. “You can use cashews, you can use watermelon seeds in this, or even sunflower seeds,” she says. The goal is a base that blends without grittiness.

The liquid elements are where things get interesting. Olive brine and sauerkraut juice are added not just for moisture, but for depth. Schinner explains that olives contain similar amino acids to traditional Parmesan, helping build that familiar savoury profile. The sauerkraut juice contributes acidity and complexity, supporting the fermentation process.

Miso and nutritional yeast bring umami, while chickpea flour adds body. Together, these ingredients create a mixture that already leans toward a cheesy flavour before fermentation even begins.

Why cocoa butter makes all the difference

YouTube / The Vegan Good Life with MiyokoDeodorized cocoa butter is a key ingredient for achieving the firm, grateable texture essential to Schinner’s Parmesan

One of the standout elements in this vegan parmesan cheese recipe is deodorized cocoa butter. Schinner uses it for a specific reason: texture. With a higher melting point than coconut oil, cocoa butter helps the final cheese stay firm at room temperature.

“This will help us create a texture of a parmesan that is very hard,” she says, explaining why coconut oil can sometimes lead to a softer result. Still, she offers alternatives. If cocoa butter is hard to find, refined or deodorized coconut oil works. You can also combine both to balance firmness and accessibility.

The key is melting the fat before adding it to the mixture, ensuring it integrates smoothly without overheating the base.

Fermentation made flexible

Fermentation is what transforms the mixture from a flavourful paste into something closer to aged cheese. Schinner uses a thermophilic culture but keeps things practical for home cooks. “If for some reason you just can’t find it … you can always use yogurt,” she says, referring to plant-based yogurt as a substitute.

Temperature control is important, but specialized equipment is not required. Schinner uses a proofing box set to around 99°F, but she offers several alternatives. A warm summer day, an oven with the light on, an electric blanket, or even a well-insulated cooler can all create the right conditions.

“Cheese has been made for thousands of years, and people didn’t have fancy equipment,” she says. The mixture ferments for about 24 hours, developing a tangy, slightly sharp flavour and reaching a pH similar to traditional Parmesan.

Transforming texture through heat and starch

After fermentation, the mixture still needs structure. Schinner adds potato starch, which helps create that signature dry, grateable texture once cooked. She notes that rice flour or glutinous rice flour can work as substitutes, though you may need slightly more.

The mixture is then transferred to moulds or a heatproof dish and steamed. This step gelatinizes the starch, turning the soft mixture into a firm cheese. Internal temperature matters here, with Schinner aiming for at least 160°F to ensure the right consistency.

Once cooled and refrigerated, the cheese firms up completely, becoming sliceable and grateable.

The final result: a convincing Parmesan alternative

After an overnight rest in the fridge, the cheese reveals its final form. “It really smells like Parmesan cheese,” Schinner says as she unmoulds it. The texture is dry and crumbly, ideal for grating over pasta or melting into sauces.

The finished cheese works across classic dishes. It melts into pasta, adds depth to sauces, and can be used anywhere traditional parmesan would normally go. Schinner recommends sprinkling it on her cacio e pepe recipe, and demonstrates it simply, tossing it with buttered pasta and a bit of reserved pasta water for a creamy finish.

For a recipe made from just a few core ideas, fermentation, fat selection, and starch transformation, this vegan Parmesan recipe delivers a surprisingly close match to the original.

For more of Miyoko Schinner’s vegan cheese and Italian recipes, visit her YouTube channel.

https://plantbasednews.org/veganrecipes/snacks/vegan-parmesan-cheese/

Could A Plant-Based Diet Make You More Attractive?

From plantbasednews.org

A study has found that eating less animal products and more plants can change how you look, smell, and feel 

Could adopting a plant-based or plant-rich diet make you more attractive?

A new narrative review has found that eating less meat and more plants can change how you look, smell, and feel, and benefit your overall health.

The narrative review was conducted by David Goldman, best known for his work as the chief science advisor on The Game Changers, and Dr Mathew Nagra, a plant-based physician, and was published in Recent Progress in Nutrition.

As summarised by the Physicians Committee of Responsible Medicine (PCRM), the new narrative review highlighted research showing how eating less meat can improve sweat odour, carotenoids in fruits and vegetables can benefit skin colour, and complex carbohydrates can slow the signs of aging, while a “healthy body weight” – previously linked to plant foods – is correlated with greater perceived attractiveness.

However, writing on Instagram, Nagra noted that “attractiveness is inherently subjective and varies on an individual basis. The findings of the reviewed studies pertain to perceived attractiveness among the included populations.”

‘Individual motivations for dietary change frequently focus on appearance and social outcomes’

Adobe StockImproving one’s attractiveness could motivate more people to try plant-based diets

Health, the environment, and animal welfare are the reasons most commonly cited by people who already follow plant-based diets, and by those who are interested in eating less meat in the future; however, the desire to improve one’s attractiveness could potentially prove a significant motivator for people to eat more plants.

In the narrative review, Goldman and Nagra wrote, “Traditional public health messaging prioritizes disease prevention, whereas individual motivations for dietary change frequently focus on appearance and social outcomes.”

They added, “Appearance-based feedback has been hypothesized to promote dietary behaviour change by delivering prompt and personally relevant reinforcement, though this pathway requires further empirical evaluation. Presenting dietary recommendations in terms of visible outcomes may complement traditional health messaging by aligning individual motivations with public health objectives.”

https://plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/health/could-plant-based-diet-more-attractive/

Trader Joe’s Shoppers Are Loving This New Heat-and-Eat Dinner—and It Happens to Be Vegan

From realsimple.com

We have a feeling this one won’t stay in stock for long 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Trader Joe’s new Mandu Korean Kimchi Potstickers are vegan, ready in 6 to 8 minutes, and cost $3.49 per bag.

• Early reviews praise their hearty texture and spicy flavour, though shoppers are divided on the heat level.

• Pan-fry them until crisp, then pair with rice, vegetables, tofu, or broth for a complete meal.

• 
                                                       Credit:  San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers / Getty Images

When you’ve made the choice to go vegan, there are certain foods you accept you probably won’t be eating as often. Frozen potstickers, which are typically filled with pork or chicken, may be one of them. But Trader Joe’s has a new appetizer that actually tastes like something you’d want to eat over and over, vegan or not. The Mandu Korean Kimchi Potstickers pair a classic dumpling with the tangy, savoury kick of kimchi. More importantly, they’re 100% plant-based, ready in under 10 minutes, and an easy starting point for a full, satisfying meal.

We scrolled through the social chatter to see what fans are saying—the good and the bad—and picked up plenty of ideas along the way. Here’s what’s actually in the potstickers, the best way to cook them, and a few complete meal ideas that go beyond a side of coconut aminos.

                                                          Trader Joe’s new Mandu Korean Kimchi Potstickers.   Credit: Trader Joe's

What’s in the Mandu Korean Kimchi Potstickers?

Mandu are Korea’s dumplings—like Chinese jiaozi and Japanese gyoza—and they come in all sorts of shapes and savoury fillings. Trader Joe’s version takes minutes to cook (6 to 8 minutes total) and makes a random Tuesday night dinner feel significantly more exciting. 

The potstickers have a flat, almost envelope-like shape that gives them plenty of surface area to brown evenly in the pan. Inside, there’s a completely plant-based filling of spicy kimchi and chewy glass noodles. More specifically, you’ll find napa cabbage, kimchi seasoned with dried red pepper, garlic, ginger, and green onion, plus chewy glass noodles made from sweet potato starch. Textured soy protein adds a little extra substance and a meatier texture to the filling, while chives, radish, and black pepper round out the umami flavour.

The combination of ingredients has more spice than you might expect, and a surprisingly hearty texture. In fact, some commenters on Reddit thought they saw and even tasted chunks of chicken. To clear up the confusion, one user reassured, “It had textured soy protein in it, so it’s not chicken.”1

Each bag costs $3.49 and includes approximately 18 dumplings, with three mandu counting as one serving. That gives you about six servings per bag, but a few people on Reddit complained that the serving size was too small. Even so, it’s easy enough to include a few extra so you can plan a more substantial meal. At less than 20 cents per dumpling, there’s still plenty of room to load up your plate without blowing your grocery budget.

Why Shoppers Already Love Them

We reviewed several social channels to see what early eaters were saying. Popular YouTuber @veganhacks was especially impressed, noting that kimchi is often made with fish sauce and isn’t always vegan-friendly. After trying Trader Joe’s plant-based version, he declared, “These are easily one of the best new Trader Joe’s items I’ve tried in a long time,” and gave the potstickers a perfect 10 out of 10. He also warned that they pack some real heat, rating the spice level as a seven out of 10 in the video’s comment thread.

Redditors seemed to agree on one thing: Don’t underestimate the spice level. “These are spicy! In a good way, I just didn’t expect that level of spiciness. Pan-fried and dipped in soy sauce—yum!” one commenter shared. Another was equally enthusiastic about both the heat and the texture, writing, “Love them! Spicy! Nice texture outside and in.” Yet another confirmed that these are better (and less mushy) than the Bibigo brand.

For some TJ’s shoppers, one serving apparently wasn’t enough. “They’re amazing! Ate them the last two nights. Yum. Dipped them in Bragg’s Liquid Aminos,” another fan raved. Beyond the glowing reviews, there’s a clear takeaway here: These mandu have enough spicy flavour to be craveable, but a salty, savoury dipping sauce can help counteract the heat.

                                                                                                                         Lauren Thomann

Of course, not every review was as positive, and the spice level was surprisingly divisive. “I have a fairly high spice tolerance, and all I could taste was black pepper,” one disappointed Redditor said. Another found them “moderately spicy” but admitted, “They are all right. I really prefer the gyoza personally.” 

Perhaps most confusingly, one Redditor had the exact opposite experience from many other reviewers: “I’m so surprised by everyone saying they’re spicy; I just made them and was disappointed by the total lack of spice.” In other words, your mileage may seriously vary when it comes to the heat.

Creative Ways to Make Mandu Korean Kimchi Potstickers Into a Full Meal

Before you turn these mandu into full meals, it helps to get the cooking method right. One Redditor recommended adding a little cooking oil and a small amount of water to a frying pan, then covering it and cooking the mandu over medium heat. The idea is to steam and crisp the dumplings as the water evaporates. “I check after a few minutes and continue until they’re browned,” the commenter explained, recommending a nonstick pan with a clear lid to make the process even easier. Don’t forget to flip the mandu so both sides have a chance to brown.

If your dumplings tend to stick and tear, the same Redditor had a few fixes for that, too. “Try lowering your heat a touch and using a little more oil,” they suggested. You can also gently move the mandu around every so often as they brown, which may help keep the delicate skins from sticking to the pan and ripping. Once they’re golden and crisp, you’re ready to turn them into something more substantial.

Of course, pan-frying isn’t your only option. The YouTuber, @veganhacks, also pressed the mandu in a mini waffle maker for an extra-crispy finish with plenty of browned edges. It’s not the traditional route, but it’s certainly a fun way to try these potstickers.

If you then want to turn a few mandu into a complete dinner, here are a few easy pairings that include more protein and fibre:

• Serve with brown rice and stir-fried vegetables for an easy weeknight bowl.
• Add edamame, cucumber, and shredded carrots for a quick mandu salad.
• Pair with tofu and roasted broccoli for a simple plant-based dinner.
• Drop them into a vegetable broth with bok choy and mushrooms for a soothing dumpling soup.

Whether you find the Mandu Korean Kimchi Potstickers pleasantly spicy or surprisingly mild, these vegan bites are still one of Trader Joe’s more interesting freezer launches of late. For $3.49 a bag, they’re certainly worth trying at least once—just don’t forget the dipping sauce.

https://www.realsimple.com/trader-joes-shoppers-loving-new-heat-and-eat-vegan-dinner-12012129

6 Low-Effort Vegan Meals For When It’s Too Hot To Cook

From plantbasednews.org

Beat the heat with these effortless meals 

When the weather gets hot and standing over a stove for hours seems unbearable, why not whip up some quick vegan summer meals? Mina Rome, the plant-based video and recipe creator known for her YouTube channel, recently shared a video packed with six fresh, low-effort dishes designed for warmer days.

Rome has built an online following around vegan recipes, travel, and food content, often mixing practical home cooking with inspiration from the places she visits and the food ideas she saves online. In this video, she keeps the focus on meals that feel doable in summer heat: cold noodles, gazpacho, a smoky sandwich, cucumber ramen, spicy vegan “tuna” cups, and a smoothie bowl that tastes like acai without using acai.

“Here are six quick and pretty low-effort meal ideas that I like to make during hot weather,” Rome says at the start of the video. She adds that some are regular go-to recipes, while others take inspiration from Instagram videos. Either way, the result is a collection of quick vegan summer meals that require little cooking but still feel full of texture, flavour, and colour.

Sesame lemon cold noodles

Rome begins with cold sesame lemon noodles, a dish she says takes “five minutes max.” She uses mee noodles, but notes that any quick-cooking noodle works, including rice noodles. While the noodles cook, she makes a creamy sauce with white tahini, natural peanut butter, light soy sauce, roasted sesame oil, white wine vinegar, maple syrup or agave, lemon zest, and garlic.

The dish comes together quickly, but Rome adds one step that makes it more substantial. One to two minutes before the noodles finish cooking, she adds “lots and lots of fresh baby spinach” directly to the pot. She then drains everything and cools the noodles either under cold water or with ice.

Once cold, the noodles and spinach get mixed with the sesame lemon sauce. Rome serves them with extra sesame seeds and more lemon juice. She also says tofu or edamame would work well on the side. However, the nut and seed-based sauce already gives the dish enough richness. “Highly recommend,” she says after tasting it.

My version of gazpacho

For Rome, gazpacho is one of the first dishes that comes to mind in hot weather. “I love gazpacho,” she says. Her version differs from a fully raw version because she lightly pan-fries some of the vegetables first, which gives the soup what she calls “a very toasty flavour.”

She starts by chopping onions, garlic, and small green peppers, then cooks them in olive oil for about seven minutes. Rome says she does this because she prefers the flavour and finds it “better or easier to digest this way.” While the vegetables cook, she toasts sandwich bread, then adds everything to a high-speed blender.

The blender also gets cucumber, tomatoes in different colours, ice, cilantro, olive oil, white wine vinegar, pepper, salt, and a splash of orange juice. Rome says some gazpacho recipes call for straining the soup, but she skips that step because it removes texture and flavour. “I would honestly recommend to keep the soup a bit thicker,” she says. “It’s a savoury smoothie at the end.”

Rome serves the gazpacho as a light main dish, side, or snack. She suggests pairing it with bread and butter, making it a useful option for hot days when a full cooked meal feels like too much.

Chipotle BBQ sandwich

Rome’s chipotle barbecue sandwich is made with tofu and mushrooms in a "bacon" marinade - Media Credit: YouTube / Mina Rome

Rome’s third recipe is a summery chipotle barbecue sandwich made with marinated tofu and mushrooms. She starts with what she calls a “bacon marinade,” made from barbecue sauce, light soy sauce, yellow mustard, olive oil, and rice vinegar.

She adds thin slices of firm plain tofu and mushrooms to the marinade, then lets them sit in the fridge. Rome says 10 minutes works, but the mixture can marinate overnight. In her case, she leaves it for about an hour before pan-frying everything in a lightly oiled non-stick skillet for four to five minutes per side.

The sandwich also gets a chipotle mayo made with vegan mayonnaise, vegan sour cream, barbecue sauce, chipotle powder, and salt. Rome uses slightly stale bread, spreads it with vegan butter, and toasts it in the oven for seven to eight minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

To assemble, she spreads mayo on both sides of the bread and adds romaine lettuce, tomato, pickles, and the cooked tofu and mushrooms. The result is messy, but that is part of the appeal. “This was such a satisfying lunch,” Rome says. “It was so so good.”

Cold cucumber noodles

The fourth recipe is a bowl of cold cucumber noodles inspired by a video Rome saved online. “This is so so yummy,” she says, describing it as a fast dish that takes five to 10 minutes.

The sauce starts in a blender with cucumber, silken tofu, almond butter, cilantro, olive oil, chipotle chili powder, garlic powder, maple syrup, rice vinegar, ice cubes, miso paste, and salt. Rome says cashew butter or peanut butter would also work, and viewers who do not like cilantro can use basil or dill, though she notes that dill would change the flavour.

She cooks fresh ramen according to the package instructions, then rinses the noodles very cold before serving. The topping includes cucumber and avocado, seasoned directly in the bowl with salt, rice vinegar, sesame oil, maple syrup, roasted sesame seeds, cilantro, and roasted seaweed flakes.

Rome describes the finished dish as a mashup of different cold dishes and flavours. “It’s kind of like a mix between gazpacho, kongguksu, and like a sushi bowl,” she says. The silken tofu gives the sauce body, while cucumber and ice keep it cool enough for summer.

Spicy ‘tuna’ with rice cracker cups

YouTube / Mina RomeRome’s spicy chickpea “tuna” is made in a food processor with nori, vegan mayo, gochujang, and rice vinegar

Rome’s fifth dish is a spicy vegan “tuna” made with chickpeas. She calls it “one of my all-time favourite lazy recipes” and says she has shared several versions before. This time, she serves it with crispy rice paper crackers inspired by videos she has seen on Instagram.

The filling starts in a food processor with rinsed chickpeas, spring onion, light soy sauce, vegan fish sauce, and roasted seaweed or nori. She also adds vegan mayonnaise, vegan sour cream, gochujang, and rice vinegar. Rome blends it for only a few seconds because she prefers some texture rather than a fully smooth mixture.

She says the spicy chickpea filling can be served with leftover rice, noodles, or in a sandwich. For a more playful version, she fries rice paper sheets in hot oil to create crisp cups. She cuts the sheets into halves or quarters and heats vegetable oil to about 170 degrees Celsius. Then she fries each piece for about 10 seconds.

Rome warns that the crackers should be handled carefully and served right away. “I cannot put into words just how delicious this is,” she says. She suggests making them as a fun appetizer or snack for several people, though she jokes that eating them alone also works.

Favourite smoothie bowl

Rome ends the video with her favourite smoothie bowl, which she says tastes like acai even though the recipe contains no acai. It starts with frozen blueberries, one to two frozen bananas, nut butter, cinnamon, ground flax or chia seeds, cacao, and a little juice.

She usually reaches for orange juice, but says the amount matters. “Less juice is more juice, especially if you want a soft serve ice cream-like consistency,” Rome says. A powerful blender helps keep the texture thick, though she notes that extra liquid still works if needed.

For toppings, Rome adds a frozen strawberry, sugar pearls, tahini, and homemade date tahini chocolate bark. She especially recommends tahini because it cuts through the sweetness. This final recipe turns the idea of quick vegan summer meals into breakfast, dessert, or an afternoon snack, with frozen fruit doing most of the work.

Together, the six dishes offer a useful summer formula: keep the cooking short, lean on cold sauces and fresh vegetables, and use pantry staples to make meals feel complete without much effort.

Find more plant-based recipes and travel content on Mina Rome’s YouTube channel.

https://plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/food/quick-vegan-summer-meals/