When I was a kid,
for any special occasion
(whether it was a party, holiday, company coming over),
my mother would religiously serve up this cheese ball covered in sliced almonds.
Anyone else know of this piece of food?
A smokey ball of cheese with that slight crunch of almonds.
I could eat a box of Wheat Thins
and down an entire ball in one sitting.
I used to *love* it.
So as Thanksgiving rolls around,
I wanted to keep the family tradition rolling
but make it friendly to my new way of eating.
Who knew you could:
a). Find a vegan cheeze spread that
b). Can be formed into a turkey?
I think my turkey looks more like a duck, however…
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 tub “We Can’t Say It’s Cheese” Hickory Cheddar
- sliced almonds, like, a lot
- 1 almond for the beak
- parsley for a wattle
- Beanfields chips (or chip of your choice) for the tail
- 2 olive slices for eyes
DIRECTIONS:
- Using wax paper, form the cheeze into a ball (you will need the wax paper). Reserve 1 small ball as the head.
- Place almond slices onto the body as seen below.
- Place chips in back for the tail.
- Place small ball of cheeze on the top. Put almond in for the beak.
5. Finish with olive eyes and parsley wattle.
I must admit,
I was definitely nervous about a vegan cheeze spread.
It is usually a touchy subject.
But my fellow blogging friend Nikki was the first person
to tell me of “We Can’t Call It Cheese” spread.
And if she says it’s good, then it is good!
And it is!
It is almost comparable to the real cheese ball of my youth.
(Never been able to say *that* sentence before until now!)
Serve up with a bag of the best chips on earth!
(I’m not even paid to advertise for these guys. I just love them so!)
Gooble Gooble this turkey right up!
That’s adorable; I never would have thought of doing that!
I wonder if you could do it with hummus? Haha, maybe if I thicken it enough! :p
Oooohhhh, what a great idea! You could definitely form it into a ball with an ice cream scoop too. If you do it with hummus, I totally want to see the results, Megan. Good luck! xo
Can I tell you how FREAKIN’ adorable and CREATIVE you are?!?
I bet these were the bomb with those yummy chips!
Side note – went to stock up on my beanfields chips and guess what…they don’t have ANY left at the store, UGHHHHHH! Sprouts or WH didn’t have any, and I am incredibly bummed…I am craving them now from your post!
WHAT???!!!! I absolutely understand how this is called a disaster because IT IS!!!!!!!!!!!! How are you surviving? Are you okay? Can I buy some and send them to you??? A girl needs her Beanfield chips STAT!
I love cheese balls…and Wayfare products. They are both seriously yummy. Now I just need to veganize the cheese ball that my family used to make a lot at holidays. It was cream cheese with green olives and walnuts. Sounds odd, but it is so good!
Too bad vegan cream cheese doesn’t taste as good as the real thing. Maybe one day… then you can veganize your fan holiday cheese ball 🙂
I love your turkey shaped cheese ball! So cute and it sounds delicious! I loved cheese balls as a kid and I like them even more as a vegan. They are so much better. I just love how CUTE you make all of your food!
As Nikki at coldandsleepycooks calls it, I’m a “cute-ist” as well (one who eats only cute food) 🙂 haha
Now I’ve gotta go make a cheese ball! However, I think GiGi was right, weren’t mine covered with walnuts?
I clearly remember almonds. My memory also is very troubling at times…
Love it!!!
I used to love those cheese balls as kid.
Can’t wait to try these with those bean & rice chips….Mmmmm
Why can I not believe that you loved cheese balls as a kid??? Weren’t you super finicky with what you ate even in your younger years?
Love this!
Hi Shannon! Thank you 🙂
So, are you making turkeys out of food for the whole month?
That’s really cool if you are.
I wasn’t planning on it Isobelle. But it’s my go-to now if I can’t think of anything else 🙂
My dear, dear husband STILL makes a cheese ball (blue cheese GAG, cream cheese and olive pimento cheese, jarred even). He rolls the whole thing in crushed PECANS and then parsley. I shivered the first time I saw it 25 years ago and I have the same reaction to this day. It’s just not Thanksgiving or Christmas for his family without it. Blech. No hickory smoke memories here. Just as well, I don’t think my wrinkly grey thing could handle it.
I have something to say about the adorable turkeys this week and your indefatigable imagination at coming up with them. Obviously you can take the carnivore out of the girl but taking the girl out of the carnivore???
P.S. Check Cybele Pascal’s website and books for all kinds of goodies for your darling niece.
I actually have one of her books! Thank you for reminding me–I need to pass along that info to my sis 🙂 That cheese ball your husband makes has this allergy-riddled girl shivering as well. I’m allergic to pecans but I wish I wasn’t 🙁
Oh, so it’s all my allergies that made me shiver? I thought it was the smell. 🙂 Actually, I’ve been pretty food allergic from the start so dairy, pecans, soy, eggs, nightshades… I AM on a roll. Stopping now. Need to gather moss.
Hey hey, my cheezy friend 😉 I remember walnuts on those kitshy cheeze balls of yore. I loved them, especially since I couldn’t eat my mom’s meat based apps. I think I might have to make this all for my self and then hide in the bedroom. I knew it was turkey, Cara. Ha.
I can totally picture you hiding in the closet with a plate of turkey cheeze…hahaha!
OK, so Mr. Three’s first response was, “Is dat a chipmunk?” At least he didn’t say “duck,” right? After I pointed out a few features he did guess turkey. Just thought you’d like a glimpse into the dark and strange recesses of my child’s wrinkly gray thing.
We are talking about brains, right? Just making sure due to the conversation of sundried tomatoes. bahaha! Yeah, yeah, so this isn’t the best looking turkey 🙂 ha
Yes, brains. My gray wrinkly thing has some pretty weird recesses, too. I think it’s a great looking turkey! My boys just see so much CakeWrecks they don’t know what anything is supposed to look like any more…
Oh Brooke–you boost my confidence yet once again! 🙂
that is absolutely the cutest turkey! I, also, used to eat those cheese balls like they were going out of style! So yummy. I am going to look for this cheese and give it a try!
I’m so glad to hear that I have a fellow cheese ball eater 🙂 Makes me feel less lonely… hehe
Oh yeah! I don’t like the other flavors straight up– they have to be mixed with something– but the hickory also reminds me of cheese balls. In a good way. I’m impressed you could shape it into a ball… it seems like it would turn into a big gooey mess. Definitely have to try this sometime.
I love his oversized olive eyes. For Thanksgiving this year, I just want to make all these turkeys and nothing else.
All of the turkeys from this week, that is… not just an army of cheese ball turkeys!
You cute-ist!
Oh great, now you tell me!!! I like the idea of mixing it with salsa though like you did. That sounds really good (I need to eat breakfast or else I’m going to eat a cheese ball). It *was* gooey, definitely, that is why you need the wax paper and a prayer 🙂
The other flavors aren’t bad, just a little bland! The mexi-style one just tasted like dried spices to me. The cheddar is sort of generic cheesy flavor. Good to snack on but you’re not gonna make it through an entire cheeseball made out of one of them (without help anyway)!
I love the weirdo texture the stuff has, which I guess is from the oatmeal. I want more things that go in my mouth to have that texture.
I learned that early on that you cannot make it through an entire ball. I felt pretty sick as I was testing it out… haha
Hmmmmm, “I want more things that go in my mouth to have that texture”… do I touch this one or leave it alone???
Now, this turkey looks a bit easier than that adorbs strawberry guy, though he was certainly a heart breaker!
More turkeys, please!
XO
More turkeys??? Eeek! Well, I’m a sucker for requests so maybe, Dawn… 🙂
This looks more like an owl to me 🙂
It’s the olive eyes, isn’t it??? ha
i had never heard of that vegan cheese, either! it looks really interesting, as it has an oat base.
on another note, i totally remember the cheese ball covered in almonds. although, i can’t say i ever ate it. i think it was too much of a grown-up appetizer for me.
i love your adaptation. and there are already chips IN the dip 😉
I always was mature for my age (for eating a grown-up appetizer). That, or just always hungry 🙂 Probably the latter, really…