Broad Bean "Cheese" & Olive Crackers

Broad beans. You either love them or hate them. They are the marmite of the vegetable world. I know so many people that hate these little beauties so I thought I would make something that didn't resemble the vegetable and teamed it with a herb to tone down their unique flavour. I have been taking this "cheese" to work as a snackage with the olive crackers and I've managed to tempt a few colleagues to try it, the result - "Ooooh that's nice", "That isn't made with broad bean is it?" 
So, if you're a broad bean hater give this Broad Bean "Cheese" a go you might be pleasantly surprised.

Ingredients

160g Shelled broad beans
1 Clove of Elephant garlic, equivalent to 2 large cloves
30 Basil leaves
1 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
200ml Unsweetened almond milk
1 Tbsp Agar Agar flakes
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Method

Cook the broad beans and garlic in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Once cool enough to handle remove the outer skin of the broad bean, which can taste bitter.

Transfer to a blender and top with the basil leaves.

Add the almond milk and agar agar flakes to a saucepan and slowly bring to a rolling simmer. You need to simmer until the agar agar has melted, about 4-5 minutes.

Pour the milk and agar agar liquid into the blender and blend until you have a smooth liquid with no flecks of basil remaining. The colour should be a vibrant green!

Transfer to a glass or ceramic container and store in the fridge until set. I left it overnight before slicing. Serve with your favourite vegan crackers, I used olive crackers and the flavours paired up very well together. Enjoy!

I've submitted this recipe into "Shaheens Eat Your Greens" Recipe Challenge. Shaheen runs the fabulous Allotment to Kitchen blog. The idea behind this challenge is really simple, to make something with a green vegetable each month. Once you've posted a recipe you email Shaheen and a round up of all the entries will be posted on her blog before the end of the month.

I've also entered this recipe into the Simple and in Season recipe challenge, which asks you to enter recipes which use a product that is in season right now. Ren over at RenBehan.com is very busy right now with a new born so Elizabeth's Kitchen is hosting the challenge for August. 

Elizabeth's post that informs the entry details for this challenge states that she has just finished blanching and podding some broad beans, I wonder if she'll give this broad bean recipe a go?

I think this recipe also fits the bill for another recipe challenge, which I've only just come across and that's the "Extra Veg" Recipe Challenge. This event is run by Helen and Michelle and the August blog event is being hosted by Sarah over at Maison Cupcake.

The "Extra Veg" Recipe Challenge was set up to encourage everyone to a healthier start to 2014 and to set the course for the rest of the year. What a great idea, fill up on veggies and there's no room for the bad stuff.