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Vegan Strawberry Cheese Blintzes with Strawberry Basil Compote and GO Veggie!® Cream Cheese

Strawberry Blintzes (20)

Whenever my mother made blintzes, she would make dozens…literally. She would easily make about 100 blintzes – cheese and potato – and freeze them so we could enjoy them for weeks and months to come. My favorites were the potato blintzes with mashed potatoes mixed with caramelized onions. I’ve made a vegan version of my mother’s potato blintzes and as well as her potato knishes.

Potato Blintzes (4)

My father’s favorites were the cheese blintzes made with ricotta and cream cheese. I don’t recall a lot about their flavor because I was busy inhaling the potato blintzes but I remember a warm taste in them that might have been cinnamon. Anyway, even though I’m on Team Potato Blintz, I’ve been wanting to make the sweet cheese blintzes for awhile especially for Tom who has a sweet tooth.

Strawberry Blintzes (34)

When GO Veggie!®  Foods, the maker of one of my all-time favorite productsvegan grated parmesan –  sent me their amazing vegan cream cheeses, it gave me the push I needed to get in the kitchen and make the cheese blintzes.

Go Veggie Parm

GO Veggie!® Foods makes dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan cream cheese in 3 amazing flavors. They all have 4 times the calcium than dairy cream cheese but none of the cruelty. They also have less calories, fat and saturated fat and no cholesterol.

Go Veggie (1)

The Chive and Garlic Cream Cheese is so delicious, I couldn’t even save it for a recipe. Tom and I just ate it on toast and loved every bite of it.

Go Veggie (6)

The Classic Plain Cream Cheese is rich, creamy and smooth. I used it to make the frosting for Tom’s birthday carrot cake. It was so good, I’m looking for excuses to make it again.

toms birthday cake 2015 (2)

Last but not least is the Strawberry Cream Cheese. I hid this away in the deep, dark depths of the fridge so no one would eat it while I decided what to make with it.

Go Veggie (5)

Then it hit me – make the cheese blintzes with a strawberry twist. The filling is easy – it’s vegan ricotta with a sweet side. All you have to do is mix tofu (I used Nasoya) and cream cheese and add some sugar, salt and lemon juice. The strawberry cream cheese gave it the slightest pink tinge and it was sweet but not too sweet. Yum!

Strawberry Blintzes (16)

The crepes are the hardest part of the recipe and by hard, I just mean tedious and repetitive. I like to chop and drop rather than make a dozen of the same thing but hey, that’s the sacrifice I have to make to put more delicious vegan food out into the world.

The crepes are gluten-free and vegan, made with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour (which contains xanthan gum), sugar, baking powder, and So Delicious Coconut Milk. This recipe made about one dozen crepes. The best part is that since they get fried later, you only have to cook one side when making the crepes. That’s a huge time-saver!

Strawberry Blintzes (14)

While they were cooling and the vegan cheese filling was in the fridge, I took the strawberry theme a step further and made a strawberry compote. I used fresh strawberries and added a bit of basil to it. I didn’t have fresh basil 🙁 which would have made a more distinct flavor impact but next time. The compote was thick and pretty, sweet with a slight tang from the lemon juice.

Strawberry Blintzes (17)

Finally, I assembled the blintzes. I like to do it in the traditional style, folding them up like little burritos. I see some people just folding them like a French omelet with the cheese peeking out but that’s not the blintzes I grew up with. I like to stick to traditional.

Strawberry Blintzes (12)

Once they were all assembled, the blintzes got pan-fried and topped with the strawberry compote and another dollop of leftover filling.

Strawberry Blintzes (7)

They were delicious. Lightly crisp blintzes filled with smooth, creamy vegan cheeses and the thick, sweet strawberry compote on top.

Strawberry Blintzes (44)

This dish makes a beautiful presentation for special brunches (think Father’s Day or bridal showers). We shared a plate with someone who hasn’t had cheese blintzes since going vegan and he said it took him right back and reminded him how much he loved cheese blintzes. Now he had them back.

Strawberry Blintzes (51)

Check out the GO Veggie!®  web site and see all their amazing vegan cheeses and cheese products. Then make my Vegan Strawberry Blintzes with Strawberry Basil Compote for a traditional dish with a vegan and gluten-free twist. Enjoy!

Strawberry Blintzes (4)

Thank you, GO Veggie!® Foods,  for the delicious vegan cream cheeses! 

Vegan Strawberry Cheese Blintzes with Strawberry Basil Compote

Strawberry Blintzes (27)

GF

Makes 12 blintzes

 

For the cheese filling­­­­­­­­:

1 block Nasoya Extra-Firm Tofu, pressed and drained

8 oz. Go Veggie Strawberry Cream Cheese

¼ cup sugar

¼ tsp. kosher salt

Zest and juice of ½ fresh lemon

 

For the blintzes­­­­­­­­­­­:

2 Tbs. ground flaxseed + 1/3 cup warm water

2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour

3 Tbs. sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. kosher salt

2 ½ cups So Delicious Coconut milk

2 Tbs. vegan butter or oil

1 tsp. vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla

Cooking spray

Vegetable oil, for frying

 

For the compote­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­:

2 pints fresh strawberries, diced

2 Tbs. fresh orange juice

2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp. dried basil

A pinch of kosher salt

1 Tbs. arrowroot (optional)

 

To make the filling:  In a bowl, crumble up the tofu with your fingers. Add the cream cheese, sugar, salt and lemon zest and juice. Mix well and taste for seasoning adjustments. Cover the bowl and keep in the fridge until ready to use.

To make the crepes:  In a mug, mix the flaxseed and water. Let sit for 10 minutes until thickened. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a smaller bowl, combine the milk, butter, vinegar and vanilla. It will curdle a bit from the vinegar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until smooth. Add in the flax gel and whisk again until smooth. The batter should be somewhat thin, like pancake batter but a bit thinner. Set aside for at least half an hour.  

When you are ready to make the crepes, prepare enough pieces of parchment paper to place between the crepes. Heat a non-stick 8” skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray and pour about ¼ cup of the batter in the center of the skillet and swirl it around until it covers the pan. Cover the pan and let the crepe cook for 3 minutes or until the edges brown and you can lift it off the pan with a spatula. You are only going to cook one side of the crepe; the other side will get cooked when you fry the blintzes. Transfer the crepe to a plate lined with a piece of parchment paper. Cover the crepe with another piece of parchment paper. Repeat until you have used all the batter. Set the crepes aside until you are ready to fill them.

To make the compote: Combine the strawberries, juice, sugar, herbs and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. The compote will thicken, especially after it cools. If you want it thicker, add the arrowroot powder and stir until dissolved.

To make the blintzes: Take one crepe and lay it on a work surface, cooked side facing you. Add about ¼ cup of the cheese filling to the lower third of the crepe. Fold up the bottom edge of the crepe over the cheese. Then fold the sides of the crepe in. Roll up the crepe like you would a burrito until it looks like an envelope. Lay the blintz on a baking sheet or plate, seam side down. Repeat until you have made all the blintzes.

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Fry the blintzes, about 2 or 3 at a time depending on the size of your pan, until they are slightly browned and crisp on the outside. Flip them carefully and fry the other side. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Continue until all the blintzes are fried. Serve warm or room temperature with strawberry compote.

Strawberry Blintzes (31)

The “V” Word: Say it. Eat it. Live it.

Vegan Strawberry Cheese Blintzes with Strawberry Basil Compote
Author: 
Recipe type: Brunch; Entree
Cuisine: Jewish
 
Ingredients
  • For the filling
  • 1 block extra-firm tofu, pressed and drained
  • 8 oz. Go Veggie Strawberry Cream Cheese
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • Zest and juice of ½ fresh lemon
  • For the blintzes
  • 2 Tbs. ground flaxseed + ⅓ cup warm water
  • 2 cups gluten-free flour blend
  • 3 Tbs. sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 ½ cups non-dairy milk
  • 2 Tbs. vegan butter or oil
  • 1 tsp. vinegar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • Cooking spray
  • Vegetable oil, for frying
  • For the compote
  • 2 pints fresh strawberries, diced
  • 2 Tbs. fresh orange juice
  • 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ½ tsp. dried basil
  • A pinch of kosher salt
  • 1 Tbs. arrowroot (optional)
Instructions
  1. To make the filling: In a bowl, crumble up the tofu with your fingers. Add the cream cheese, sugar, salt and lemon zest and juice. Mix well and taste for seasoning adjustments. Cover the bowl and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
  2. To make the crepes: In a mug, mix the flaxseed and water. Let sit for 10 minutes until thickened. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a smaller bowl, combine the milk, butter, vinegar and vanilla. It will curdle a bit from the vinegar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until smooth. Add in the flax gel and whisk again until smooth. The batter should be somewhat thin, like pancake batter but a bit thinner. Set aside for at least half an hour.
  3. When you are ready to make the crepes, prepare enough pieces of parchment paper to place between the crepes. Heat a non-stick 8” skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray and pour about ¼ cup of the batter in the center of the skillet and swirl it around until it covers the pan. Cover the pan and let the crepe cook for 3 minutes or until the edges brown and you can lift it off the pan with a spatula. You are only going to cook one side of the crepe; the other side will get cooked when you fry the blintzes. Transfer the crepe to a plate lined with a piece of parchment paper. Cover the crepe with another piece of parchment paper. Repeat until you have used all the batter. Set the crepes aside until you are ready to fill them.
  4. To make the compote: Combine the strawberries, juice, sugar, herbs and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. The compote will thicken, especially after it cools. If you want it thicker, add the arrowroot powder and stir until dissolved.
  5. To make the blintzes: Take one crepe and lay it on a work surface, cooked side facing you. Add about ¼ cup of the cheese filling to the lower third of the crepe. Fold up the bottom edge of the crepe over the cheese. Then fold the sides of the crepe in. Roll up the crepe like you would a burrito until it looks like an envelope. Lay the blintz on a baking sheet or plate, seam side down. Repeat until you have made all the blintzes.
  6. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Fry the blintzes, about 2 or 3 at a time depending on the size of your pan, until they are slightly browned and crisp on the outside. Flip them carefully and fry the other side. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Continue until all the blintzes are fried. Serve warm or room temperature with strawberry compote.

 

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