Macadamia Keto Paleo Cultured Nut Cheese
Who does not love cheese? Cheese is such a convenient and delicious food. It is a staple food for many people! I love any cheese but especially aged ones, with their tangy and rich flavor.
This Keto Paleo Cultured Nut Cheese has the same texture and taste of aged ricotta cheese. Nice spreadable texture and a hint of nutty smoky flavor.
So why do we use a dairy free cheese instead of regular cow milk cheese?
Why no dairy?
In case you are not familiar with the Keto Paleo way, unlike traditional Keto, it does not make use of dairy.
Why no dairy you will ask, as it is such a convenient way to get the fat and protein you need, especially when you restrict carbs.
I have several very important reasons why I do not include dairy in my Therapeutic Ketogenic Diet, AKA Keto Paleo.
- Milk product cause an insulin response. Even full fat dairy still causes insulin to raise in the blood, and high insulin levels lead quickly to insulin resistance. One of the aims of a ketogenic diet is to lower insulin resistance.
- Milk is naturally rich in IGF-1 ( Insulin like growth factor-1), which is not recommended for humans in high doses as it has been linked to diabetes, cancer, acne, arteriosclerosis and more.
- There is more to dairy sensitivity than lactose intolerance! Milk proteins, casein and lactalbumin, Â cause inflammatory reactions and when they travel through the intestinal walls of people with leaky gut.
- Furthermore because of the effects of molecular mimicry, dairy protein can be mistaken for the proteins of thyrocites (cells on the outside walls of the thyroid) and cause an autoimmune attack to the thyroid!
- Conventional dairy is loaded with pesticide residues (which also makes it extra toxic for the thyroid!)
- Milk is full of hormones! Not only the cow’s own natural hormones designed to grow a very large animal, but also all the growth hormones injected into the poor animals to increase milk production. This high hormone content will very easily lead to your hormone imbalance!
Â
Â
- Serves: 10 servings
- Serving size: 1 serving
- Calories: 216
- Fat: 23gr
- Carbohydrates: NET 1.4gr
- Fiber: 2.3gr
- Protein: 2.1gr
- 2 cups raw unsalted macadamias, soaked in spring water overnight
- 1 packet Kefir starter (I used this one)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt, divided in 2
- Place nuts and water in a blender and blend on high until a smooth puree is formed, about 1 minute. Now add the kefir starter powder, half teaspoon of salt and the coconut oil and blend all together for another 10 seconds.
- Transfer to a glass container , cover with a plate, so it is not completely air tight, and let sit in a warm environment (about 80F) for about 8 hours. The "cheese" mass should start to ferment, taking on a pleasant sour nutty smell.
- Transfer the "cheese" to a cheese cloth and gather up the ends to make a bundle. Squeeze out the liquid gently, then suspend over a bowl to drain, for about 12 hours, at room temperature.
- The cultured "cheese" should keep fermenting, getting more sour, but still preserving the pleasant nutty aroma. it is very important to use clean hands and tools, so that you do not contaminate your culture whit bad bacteria that will make it rot.
- Remove "cheese" from the cheese cloth and put in a glass bowl or on a plate, you can now form it into a shape by pressing it into a mold.
- As I did not have a mold I presses it in to a glass bowl, then removed it.
- Once it is shaped, sprinkle the rest of the salt all over the outside and place in the refrigerator in a glass airtight container, wrapped
- After about a week the cheese is ready to either eat, where it will resemble a aged ricotta, or go to the next stage of aging.
- You can now put your "cheese" in the oven on a cookie sheet and bake for 3 hours at 150F. It should dry further and form a darker, "golden" crust on the outside.
- Now wrap the cheese in a piece of wax or parchment paper and put back in the refrigerator, in a glass container covered with a towel, so there will be some air flow.
- Allow to age at least 4 weeks.
- Serve with keto crackers!
Â
Â
Do you find that butter also causes an insulin response?
It can depending on the dairy sensitivity of the person.
What a wonderful recipe! I am excited to give this a try. Although I love milk and other dairy, cheese, etc. , I know it is causing some inflammation and am looking for alternatives. Macademias are crazy expensive. Any thoughts about quality of flavor doing this with other nuts? Walnut, pecan, hazel nut, cashew, etc.
Hi Meredith, flavor is not a problem, but the nutrition content is different for other nuts.
Can’t wait to make this cheese!
Thank you!!!
I presume you could make this with keffir grains instead of a starter
I suppose so….It works for coconut cream, so it should work here too 🙂